Craftsman Michael D A Paternoster

Michael David Anthony Paternoster joined 131 Parachute Engineer Regiment (TA) 131 LAD REME on 31 January 1963 at Kingsbury and was attached to 302 Parachute Field Squadron RE. He signed up for two years but served only 9 months and discharged on 4 November 1963. 

In 1962 whilst working at a garage in Crowthorne Michael fixed Peter John Mitchell Pellereau's 1962 Hillman Minx. He was the Commanding Officer of 131 Parachute Engineer Regiment. Michael became friends with Peter's valet, Ken Jones. This led Michael joining 131. He had his medical on 24 January 1963 and enlisted on 31 January 1963. Michael was a vehicle and recovery mechanic and did his training at Kingsbury and at 30 Command Workshop REME Mill Hill Barracks. 

In late February 1963 Michael climbed Snowdon in a manoeuvre exercise and they stayed near Ffestiniog Railway in a Nissen hut. It was a foggy day and they took a 'Humber 1 Ton' truck up the mountain and the stub axel broke. They had to recover it with a Scammell and towed it to 22 Command Workshop REME in Hadley, Shropshire to repair it. Michael also fell down the mountain and had to ask a farmer for directions after getting separated from members of his unit. 

Sometime in March Michael went to RAF Abingdon and Aldershot and did two week parachute course he parachuted from a balloon on Queens Parade Field. At RAF Abingdon he jumped out towers and either an Armstrong Whitworth Argosy or Blackburn Beverly aircraft. After this training he was given his parachute wings. 

Michael took part in Exercise 'New Venture' the annual camp held at Cyprus he stayed at Ogbourne St George on 19 April and flew out of RAF Lyneham on 20 April on a Bristol Britannia aircraft and had a stop over at Anarka, Turkey before boarding another plane for RAF Nicosia in Cyprus. Upon arriving they boarded coaches bound for tuxedo camp in Dhekelia. There was only sixty officers and men in 302 and they were commanded by Major JAD Cameron, TD.

131 would be in Cyprus from 20 April to 4 May and during the first week Michael did his final parachute jump out of Handley Page Hastings in Cyprus at Morphu. 

He worked and maintained vehicles and equipment included Series 1 Land Rovers, Bedford RLs, and Scammell Explorers though they were assigned to two Scammells the Pioneer with cloth doors which was a 1939 model and dilapidated and an explorer. Michael also had to recover a Series 2 Land Rover the Green Jackets crashed into a ravine with one of the Scammells and towed it to a compound in Dhekelia it was also at this compound they took parts off one of the land rovers there for land rovers they were working on. Michael also had a look around 48 Command Workshop REME. 

During the second week he took part in Operation 'Westward Look' 131 left tuxedo camp and moved to Akamas peninsula and started road building to aphrodites bathtub and fontana amorosa and Michael helped recover a compressor that toppled over into a riverine using a scammell. He drove 1939 Scammell Pioneer and it broke down. They tried to repair it, but their Captain R. D Spary told them to leave it on the mountain so they did. Michael also helped tow one of the Fowler bulldozers with a scammell and dyson trailer and also helped take floodlights for Operation 'Westward Look' using a Bedford RL. 
 

BBC also covered the road building and it appeared on Town and Around and Michael saw camera crew.

Once Operation Westward Look ended 131 left for UK and Michael arrived back on 3 or 4 May and went to Ogbourne St George and regiment was dispersed and went home.

In May and June, Michael worked on Land Rovers and tanks at CSS TDU in Aldershot and 43 Command Workshop REME.

Michael discharged from 131 on 4 November 1963.