THE PARACHUTE SCHOOL - RONDELET

A blast from the past - Wirls War II in fact

When first I came to PTS

My Co, he advised-

"Take lots and lots of underwear,

You'll need them, I surmise!"

But I replied, "By Gad Sir,

No matter what befall,

I'll always keep my trousers clean,

When jumping through the hole.

Chorus

Jumping through the hole,

Jumping through the hole.

I'll keep my trousers clean,

When jumping through the hole.

I went into the hangar,

Instructor by my side,

And on Kilkenny's circus

Had many a glorious ride.

"On those ingenious gadgets",

Said he, "You'll learn to fall."

"And keep your feet together,

When you're jumping through the hole."

Chorus

Jumping through the hole,

Jumping through the hole.

To centralise your C of G

When jumping through the hole

I saw the gorgeous statichute

With camouflage design,

I heard the Warrant Officer

Shoot such a lovely line;

"This lovely bit of stuff lads!"

Said he "Upon my soul,

Is sweeter than your sweetheart,

When you're jumping through the hole."

Chorus

Jumping through the hole,

Jumping through the hole.

Is sweeter than your sweetheart

When you're jumping through the hole.

One morning very early,

Damp and cold and dark.

They took me in a so-called 'bus,

Out to Stanmore Park*

"In keeping with the weather"

Said I to one and all,

"I take a dim and misty view

of jumping through the hole."

Chorus

Jumping through the hole,

Jumping through the hole.

I take a dim and misty view

Of jumping through the hole.

They fitted us with parachutes,

And a helmet for my head.

The sergeant looked with expert eye

"They fit you fine", he said.

"Now I'll introduce you to our Bessie

That is what we call the nice balloon

From which you'll soon be.."

Jumping through the hole.

Jumping through the hole,

Jumping through the hole.

The nice balloon from which

You'll soon be jumping through the hole

"O.K, up six hundred,

Four to drop ", said he

"Four to drop, good God!" I said

"One of them is ME!"

And clinging very grimly

To the handles on the floor

I cursed the day I'd volunteered

For jumping through the hole.

Jumping through the hole,

Jumping through the hole.

I cursed the day I'd volunteered

For jumping through the hole.

He told a funny story

But I couldn't see the joke.

In fact I thought he was

A most unsympathetic sort of bloke

But when he shouted "Action stations"!

When he bellowed "GO!"

I simply could not stop myself

From jumping through the hole!

Jumping through the hole,

Jumping through the hole.

I simply could not stop myself

From jumping through the hole!

I hit my pack, I rang the bell,

I twisted twenty times.

I came down with both feet entangled

In my rigging lines.

But floating upside down to earth

I didn't care at all

For I had kept my trousers clean

When jumping through the hole

Chorus

Jumping through the hole,

Jumping through the hole.

For I had kept my trousers clean

When jumping through the hole

I am indebted to Guy de Montfort for this Rondelet handed on by his mother, who was an SOE agent in World War II and trained at the Parachute Training School before being dropped into Norway.

* In the 1940's the location of the PTS was classified and was deliberately omitted from the Rondelet. I have used an actual station that does at least fit the rhyme? Ed