Private Michael Bolingbroke

Michael Bolingbroke was born in June 1937. His older brother, Stanley Bolingbroke served in The Parachute Regiment during the Second World War, and was Killed In Action during the latter part of the Normandy campaign on 20 August 1944.

After leaving school, Michael decided to follow in his brother's footsteps and joined Airborne Forces in 1955 as a direct entrant. He completed his training at Aldershot and passed his Parachute Course at RAF Abingdon.

He served with A Coy, The 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) for three years. During his service, he took part in the deployments to Cyprus in early 1956 patrolling the Troodos Mountains during the EOKA campaign, and then later in the year took part in the last operational Battalion-strength parachute drop in action, to El Gamil airfield in Egypt in early November 1956, during Op Musketeer.