Following the recent Installation meeting of Jersey Lodge of Unity, Harry Rondel got the surprise of his life. Harry was a volunteer soldier in the Parachute Regiment for three years between 1957 and 1960. After passing out of training at the Airborne Forces Depot in Aldershot, he had been posted to 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment and served in Cyprus and Libya.
On leaving the army and returning to Jersey to pursue his second career in the carpet industry, Harry had left his maroon beret behind at Aldershot. Learning of this, one of the Lodge members decided that it was appropriate for Harry to be presented with a replacement beret and pair of parachute wings by his son, Mark.
The presentation took place at the Festive Board to much acclaim by the members of the Lodge. As Field Marshal Montgomery once said of soldiers of the Parachute Regiment, ‘They are, in fact, men apart – every man an Emperor.’
