Article by Lt. Col. Walker 'Pat' Conn in Sudan

In 1975 Sudan was emerging from Russian and Chinese influence, and our PARA DA in Khartoum was Peter Baillion. He got the Foreign Office to sponsor a `diplomatic exercise’ for 3 PARA Group (guns, engineers, light helis, a field surgical team et al) to last six weeks or so as a friendly gesture and we were the first Brit troops in since the Chinese influence had waned. This string started by the then callow youth, Simon Barry, may produce pictures which I will gather for you.

The Bn Gp was commanded by Peter Morton, CO 3 PARA, and we had to ship everything out by sea to Port Sudan and then move it to the Omdurman area. The QM, Tom Williams, had his hands full. A tented base camp was established close to the Omdurman rubbish tip! Yes the final exercise, that was the end of my parachuting career! Last lift out of Wadi Seidna for A Company, winds way above limits yet we still jumped and mega injuries for the company. Casevac to UK for me and several others, and my para pay stopped from that day!The Orbat as far as I can remember was:

CO – Peter Morton

2ic – Edward Gardener

A Coy – Pat Conn

B Coy –Ian  Chapman

C Coy – Malcom Cuthbertson

Patrol Company – Roger Miller

Sp  Coy – Joe Baker

QM – Tom Williams

MTO – John Williams

Padre -  David Cooper

On our recce, I asked Peter Morton if I could take my company straight out into the dessert for acclimatisation. Because of my desert experience he agreed provided I found him a DZ for the final exercise specifying overlooked by a flat-topped Jebel on which he could land a helicopter or two for the then President Numeri and enough space to build a small seating area, furthermore, he wanted at least a week’s worth of metrology for the DZ because of winds. I agreed, found one, a stone desert, but the winds which were light during the morning picked up in the afternoon to a gale at dusk. The final exercise was interesting. We only had 4xC130 grouped with us and so several lifts were planned. My company was to be on the very last lift together with some Sudanese paratroopers who we had to convert from their Russian training and kit, and that meant we would not drop because of winds being outside limits. It did not work out that way, a `diplomatic decision’ was taken to over-ride the DZ safety team and we dropped with serious injuries resulting, and I was one. Clint Hicks (Air Adjt) was flown in to take over as Coy Comd, and I was flown back to the Surgical Team from 23 PFA. My shoulder and more particularly my back was badly damaged, so I was one of those medevac to the UK. They re-roled a 'Herc' overnight for medevac and most of those in it were my company with serious injuries. It was an unpleasant journey, refuelling in Rome with the freight bay open to the winter weather, and then we were all taken to RAF Wroughton for stabilisation.

During the overall scope of the overseas exercise as well as lots of live firing at all levels, we had a company test exercise which involved crossing the Nile at night and a long night march, and a bit of R&R at company level on an island just by the confluence of the Blue and White Nile Rivers. Up to that point, A Company had been dry, no beers!

I remained in hospital for some time, and John Kent took over A Company for the forthcoming tour in South Armagh. He ended up in Crossmaglen. I managed to re-join the battalion once they had deployed in a special ops/int role.