An ex-paratrooper from Wiltshire who has lost his sight is making one final parachute jump at the age of 88 in support of Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for vision-impaired ex-Service men and women, that has given him his life back.
Danny Gibbon, from Swindon, enlisted into the Army at the age of 17 in 1954. He wanted to join the parachute regiment for the excitement and thrill of making jumps into enemy territory.
Danny says:
“I joined up early so I could avoid a random posting under the National Service regulations that were still in place at the time.
“Joining the Army was my way of honouring my father who was a sergeant in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers but was killed at Dunkirk during the Second World War while protecting the route back to England for British troops.”
Danny completed his basic training in Devizes and on completion of his training was posted to 1 Para Battalion as a heavy machine gunner. He went on to serve in tours in Cyprus, Egypt, Norway and Germany. He served for five years and was discharged as a lance corporal in 1959.
One of Danny’s memories from his military days is of a training course at Netheravon Airfield in Salisbury where new and experimental ways of jumping were tested. It is here that Danny will make his final jump on 6 September.
He says:
“This jump will be completely different to what I did 70 years ago. Back then I was attached; the plane pulled the parachute for you after you jumped. We had to get down as quickly as possible; I would just want to get out of the plane as I had a great big machine gun strapped to me and could hardly walk. Sometimes they would basically push you out.
“It was a bit scary when I first started but you soon get your rhythm and if you refused to jump, you’d be court marshalled!
“This time, I’ll be at 10,000 feet and free-falling for quite a distance before deploying the chute.
“When I called up to book the jump and told them I’d been in the parachute regiment, they told me, “You must forget your training and remember not to try and land yourself.”
Danny’s wife Carol jokes:
“We did have one practice on the bed to see if Danny could land and get his knees up over his chest.”
Danny says:
“I’m a bit nervous about the parachute jump but I’ll be attached to someone who knows what they are doing as I can’t do it on my own. It might bring back some memories.”
Danny was diagnosed with macular degeneration a few years ago and recently had cataracts surgery which has meant he has a small amount of sight in one eye.
He says:
“We don’t know how long the sight will last, but anything was worth doing, just to make my sight last a little longer.
“When I first lost my sight, it felt like there was nothing left that I could do. I’ve had to rely more on my wife; I can’t do the buttons up on my shirt or read a form or drive. We’ve found ways to adapt, but the word to describe how I felt is probably ‘frustrated’.”
When Danny was certified as partially sighted, Danny and his wife Carol went through a period of feeling helpless and alone. Carol says:
“We have no children or family left and we were really struggling; we didn’t know what to do.”
Carol went online to try and find equipment or people that might be able to help and she found the Blind Veterans UK website.
She says:
“I filled in the form and the charity got back to us within two days. Within two weeks we had a home visit from a support worker; we’ve never looked back. Everything just felt better.
“It’s just knowing that somebody was there because you can’t describe just how isolated we both felt as we just had nobody to help us.
“We were sent lots of useful equipment and within weeks Danny was beginning to feel he had his life back and could still make a useful contribution.”
Danny says:
“Blind Veterans UK has been brilliant; I’ve been provided with talking books and I attend local meetings with fellow blind veterans, and I’ve played bowls. Getting in touch with the charity is the best thing I’ve ever done which is why I wanted to do something to give back.”
Carol says:
“A parachute jump seemed to fit well with Danny having been in the parachute regiment. We’ve always been active; our life revolves around our dog Peggy-Sue. I suggested that Danny made a parachute jump to celebrate his 88th birthday, as a tribute to his late father, a nod to his time in the parachute regiment and to raise funds for Blind Veterans UK so that they can help another person who is going through what we went through.”
Danny is hoping to raise £1,000 for Blind Veterans UK. If you would like to support him to reach his target please visit his Just Giving page: justgiving.com/page/danny-gibbon
Blind Veterans UK supports thousands of blind veterans across the country, but knows there are many thousands more who still need its support to rebuild their lives after sight loss.
If you, or someone you know, served in the Armed Forces, including National Service, and are now struggling with sight loss, then please get in touch. Call 0800 389 7979 or visit blindveterans.org.uk/gethelp
