Major John Tonks

John Tonks airborne service commenced in 1964 after passing out from boys service in Junior Leaders Battalion Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC).

He was posted to 16 Para Heavy Drop Company RAOC at Watchfield, and was posted to Bahrain with 3 Platoon 16 Para Heavy Drop Coy and was deployed from there to Radfan with D Coy, 2 PARA .

Upon returning to Watchfield in 1966 he was posted to 16 Para Ordnance Field Park (OFP) in Aldershot where he attended P Coy and passed obtaining his parachutist qualification at RAF Abingdon.

In 1967 after being posted back to 16 Parachute Heavy Drop Coy at Watchfield he was sent to Singapore with the Heavy Drop Platoon.

In January 1969 he attended and passed the Royal Marine Commando course and was subsequently posted to 3 Commando Brigade in Singapore.

From 1974 to 1977 John Tonks served at British Army Training Unit Suffield (BATUS) in Alberta Canada during which time he took and passed the Canadian Airborne Parachutist course in September 1975.

Having reached the rank of Warrant Officer 1 John Tonks was commissioned into The Royal Pioneer Corps in 1980 and left the British Army in 1986 to emigrate to Canada with his family.

He subsequently joined the Canadian Army and ended his service as a Major in 2000.