Dear Editor,
No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks – James Allen, a 19th –century Englishman.
Nearly fifty years ago (August 19, 1969), members of the Reconnaissance (Recce) Platoon of the GDF departed from Apoteri near the confluence of the Rupununi River (Upper Takutu) with the Upper Essequibo River aboard a De Havilland (Twin Otter) Guyana Airways Aircraft (GAC) flown by Maj. Roland Da Silva and his co-pilot Maj. Michael Chan-a-Sue on a 90-mile flight in a southeast by east (SEbE) direction towards New River/Camp Jaguar for the commencement of Operation Climax.
The nose cone of the Helio Courier was removed and adjustments made by Mr. George Loy, GAC Chief Engineer and Mr. Lionel Sullivan, a technician from the Government Technical Institute (GTI) for the placement of a Machine Gun and its gunner.
The designated gunner was the then W.O. Compton Hartley Liverpool who distinguished himself by gallant, intrepid actions on that early morning of August 19.
His bold action and heroic disregard for his own safety while in flight and providing ‘Aerial Fire’ as the aircraft approached the area of operation (AO) was directly responsible for the Army’s success in the operation.
Aboard the aircraft was the first chalk (a group of soldiers that deployed from a single aircraft) of 21 soldiers divided into three teams of 7 and led by Lt. Keith Dyer, Recce Platoon Commander; Lt. Marcus Munroe, prior platoon commander, and Sgt. Joel Simmons with Capt. Martin Nascimento as the Operations Commander.
Of the twenty one soldiers, ten were from four missions.
St. Cuthbert’s, Mahaica River – Ivan & Ezikel Jacobs , Leland Clenkian, Clifford Shuman, Gordon Simon.
St.Francis, Mahaicony River – James & Harding Andrews, Lemon Adrian .
Santa Mission, Pokerero River, – Henry Clenkian .
Bartica, Potaro River – Joel Simmons.
As of August 19, 1969, the Recce Platoon also included the following members – C/Sgt Fairborn David, Winston `Bunny’ Martindale, Eddie Smith, Kenneth ‘Ricky’ Ragnauth, Victor Grogan, Vishnu Sharma, Abdool Mohamed, Wilfred Austin, George McIndoe, Maurice McPherson, Bobby Alexander, Ferdinand Paul, James Hamilton, Sahadeo Singh, Wayne of Hopetown, WC Berbice, Abdool Rakeeb, Norman Haynes, Sahadeo ‘Shaggy’ Maraj, Errol Bobb, Boop Singh, Noor Hassan, and Debedin.
Yours faithfully,
Clairmonte A. (Fito) Griffith,
former member
