Acting Corporal Douglas G SANDERS

 Dougie had first attempted to join the Royal Marines but had forgotten to tell the recruiter that he had a conviction as a juvenile for pinching pigeons.  He was knocked back and told to re-apply in 6 months.  He was persuaded to join the Parachute Regiment by a friend who was going to join, Anthony (Tony) Emblow, apparently secret missions and foreign travel were involved.  They both joined at the same time on 06/01/1959. On passing out from the Depot he was posted to 3 PARA.  Dougie served twice with 3 PARA purchasing his discharge due to family problems, an unhappy stint in civvy street before re-enlisting at the age of 30 (maximum age being 28) on a short service enlistment.  Dougie served in the Middle East, Bahrain Oct 1961-1962, Cyprus May - Oct 1972 United Nations tour, and Northern Ireland Mar - Jul 1973 - Feb - Jun 1974 emergency tours.  Dougie can best be described as being a battalion character he served in most of the Rifle Companies at one time or another, including MMG Platoon (Vickers Machine Gun) and Patrol Platoon before leaving in about 1974/5.

After leaving the army Dougie stayed in Aldershot at a house in Alexander Road nick named the “Ponderosa” with ex-PARAs who mainly worked in the local area.  Dougie with a number of other ex-PARAs was recruited in the first wave of mercenaries to fight for UNITA forces (National Union for the Total Independence of Angola, Western backed) in the Angola war of 1975/6.  Managing to escape by sea with an American female reporter when San Antonio fell to attacking MPLA (People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola)/ Cuban (Communist backed) forces in the final days of the war.  During the initial attack on San Antonio Dougie and another Mercenary had attempted to engage an MPLA tank with a 66mm LAW, that misfired.  The other mercenary was killed by fire from the tank and in Dougie own words he dropped the LAW and ran like an Olympian leaving his fleeing comrades standing.  Dougie's best mate Derek John “Brummie” Barker (Ex-PARA) did not make the escape boat and was captured on the beach in his underpants trying to pass himself off as a member of the Press.  He would subsequently be put on trial in Luanda by the MPLA and be one of four sentenced to death and executed ( with Costas Georgiou (Colonel Tony Callan) Ex-1 PARA, Andrew Gordon McKenzie, Daniel Francis Gearhart (USA)).  A number of other mercenaries received long terms of imprisonment between 30 and 16 years.

Dougie eventually settled down into civilian life in Worcester and was a well known personality, often seen riding his bike in army webbing, t-shirt and shorts with a small terrier in a basket on the front.  He was one of the first members of the Worcester and Hereford branch of the Parachute Regiment Association soon after was diagnosed with early stages of dementia finally passing away on 16 March 2023 in hospital.