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WISE
Nicholas Dowse James WISE
1. Name
2. Date Enlisted / Commissioned
3. Date Retired
4. Rank
5. Awarded Wings
6. Flying Schools
7. Aircraft Types Flown
8. Squadrons
9. Aircraft / Commando Carriers
10. Decorations
11. General
Nicholas Dowse James WISE
11th February 1955
July 1967
Captain
29th March 1961
RAF Linton on Ouse 89 RN Course
705 Squadron Culdrose 43 helicopter Specialist Course
HMS Osprey Operational Helicopter Course
Middle Wallop AAC Conversion Course
Military:
Provost T1
Hiller
Dragonfly
Whirlwind Mk 7
Sioux
Civil:
Bell 205 Huey
Bell 206
Bell 47
Bell J
Sikorsky 58
Wessex 60 Mk1
Puma
705 NAS
848 NAS
847 NAS
40 Cdo Air Troop
3 Cdo Bde Air Troop
HMS Bulwark
INS Vikrant
HMS Albion
HMS Fearless
Naval GSM Near East Cyprus
Army GSM Borneo
Nick joined ITCRM as Probationary 2nd Lt October 1955 YO10 Batch. Four years YO Training included a cruise on the RN Cadet Training Carrier, HMS Triumph to Russia and all round the Mediterranean. There followed a deployment to 40 Cdo in Malta, Cyprus, Suez and many Naval courses such as gunnery, Electrical etc in the UK. This included a Fleet Air Arm introduction at Brawdy, where he began to get the flying bug.
On completion of Training including RNC Greenwich, Nick was deployed to 45 Cdo in Malta where he served as a Rifle Troop Commander and Assistant Adjutant. He also completed desert training in Libya.
Nick volunteered for RN Pilot Training and commenced training at RAF Linton on Ouse, Yorkshire in April 1960. He completed 7 months fixed wing training and then went to RNAS Culdrose for Helicopter Training. This was followed by an Operational Helicopter Course at HMS Osprey, Portland and then a posting to 848 NAS in Singapore. The Squadron was shore based at Sembawang Airfield and embarked on HMS Bulwark. During 1961 and 1962 they had a marvellous cruise on Bulwark including Malaya, Hong Kong (several times), Borneo, Aden, East Africa, Seychelles, Australia, Socotra and finally home to the UK through the Suez Canal, where Nick watched from close distance as a MIG 15 crash spectacularly in to a sand dune on the edge of the canal while attempting to land and the rescue party came out on camels. The Squadron flew off the ship to Culdrose as they passed the Lizard, completing the circle.
He then went to Lympstone as a Training Officer and ran Recruit and YO Commando Courses. During this time he got married and completed a parachute course. He was then posted to 43 Cdo in Stonehouse Barracks.
In September 1964 Nick went back to flying and did an Army conversion course on the Sioux Light helicopter at Middle Wallop. Following this he was appointed to form and command the first RM Unit Air Troop for 40 Cdo which was based at Burma Camp, Ulu Tiram, Malaya. With Lt Roger Learoyd and nine Naval Artificers led by CPO Techner, they assembled (literally) 2 brand new Augusta Bell 47s and embarked on HMS Albion in Portsmouth. They sailed to Singapore via Aden and disembarked to Burma Camp on 28th April 1965 delivering to 40 Cdo the first RM Air Troop.
40 Cdo deployed to Serian in the First Division of Sarawk in July 1965 and Nick remained on active service operations there until November 1965, when he was transferd to 3 Cdo Bde HQ to set up a Bde HQ Air Troop at Sembawang. He remained in this role, with numerous deployments to Hong Kong, Australia and Malaysia until June 1967, when he returned to Eastney Barracks and left the RMs at his own request after 12 very interesting and rewarding years.
After a few false starts Nick was offered a civilian flying job in Australia and took that up, moving with his family to a new base in Sydney. He stayed in and out of aviation until 1977 and flew for various companies in Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Canary Islands, PNG, the Solomons and brief periods in Thailand, India and Bangladesh before finally giving up flying and settling down to employment in the IT Industry.
Nick retired in 1999 and had a small farm on the Southern Tablelands of NSW where he bred Alpacas. He now lives on the Central Coast of NSW about 1 hour north of Sydney. He keeps up with his YO10 Batch friends and they have irregular re-unions, which for some strange reason,are always held over there.
Flying Marines
A History of Royal Marines Aviation
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