Warrant Officer Class 2 David P Harding

David Peter Harding enlisted in The Parachute Regiment in May 1972 as a member of 380 Platoon. Private Harding passed out of the Depot in November 1972 and was posted to A Company (Coy) 3 PARA when the battalion arrived back from Cyprus.

He then went to Northern Ireland for the first of seven postings. On returning to England with 3 Platoon (Plt), A Coy, 3 PARA, he passed Patrol Coy selection aged 19 years old.

After serving in Northern Ireland with A and D Coys he was attached to 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery (7 Para RHA) in Newry, Northern Ireland.

In 1975 he was promoted to Lance Corporal (L/Cpl) and was deployed again to Northern Ireland with Patrol Coy, 3 PARA. On returned to Aldershot, he went to Malaya for jungle training.

In 1977, L/Cpl Harding deployed with 3 PARA to Osnabruck with the newly formed 5th Field Force as part of BAOR. Another tour of Northern Ireland followed.

Promoted to Corporal in 1978 whilst serving in Germany, Cpl Harding then went to Junior Parachute Coy in Aldershot for two years. He returned to 9 Plt, C Coy, 3 PARA for another tour of Northern Ireland in 1980. A trip to Canada, for field firing training, followed in 1981.

Cpl Harding saw active service with Patrol Coy, 3 PARA in The Falklands Campaign.

He was promoted in 1983 to Pln Sgt of 7 Pln, C Coy and in 1984 deployed to Belize for the first of two 6 month tours.

In 1985 acting C/Sgt Harding spent two years with the Platoon Commanders Division at Warminster before being posted to D Coy, 2 PARA as the CQMS and deployed for a second time to Belize.

On promotion to WO2 he re-joined C Coy, 3 PARA as the Coy Sgt Major (CSM). In 1987 3 PARA were deployed to Palace Barracks, Northern Ireland.

WO2 Harding was then posted to 4 Coy 10 PARA as a Permanent Staff Instructor (PSI).

In 1991 he was posted to Parachute Regiment Recruitment Division (PRD), Brecon for 6 months and then took over as Division Sgt Major of Junior NCO Brecon for two years.

During his military career WO2 Harding served in America, Belize, Brunei, Canada, Germany, Italy, Northern Irleand and Malaya and was awarded American Para Wings.

In May 1994, after a 22 year service WO2 Harding retired from the Army and moved to America, where he still lives.