Tap Room Offers Happy Landing For Parachute Regiment Veteran David

Abbey View resident David, a former Captain in the Parachute Regiment, visited the Parachute Tap Room in Sherborne on a minibus trip specially arranged by team members at the home.

The Tap Room is located on the site of a former silk mill that manufactured parachutes during World War II including those used in the D-Day landings.

Accompanied by fellow residents Roy and Ken, David was welcomed by Tap Room Manager Peter and invited to sample a new ale, currently being launched, called The Paratrooper.

The visitors were also shown a large framed photograph from 1945 capturing the interior of the 19^th century mill building at the height of its wartime deployment.

David, who spent ten years as a Parachute Regiment Captain based in Cyprus, attributes one or two of his aches and pains at age 94 to his parachuting life.

During his service career, he suffered a broken shoulder and several other injuries, yet smiling at his distant memories while on the Tap Room visit, he said: “Those were the best years of my life and I wouldn’t change them for anything.”

Abbey View Companionship Team Leader Bev de Bruyn, who accompanied David, Roy and Ken on the trip, said: “We thank Peter and the Tap Room theme for hosting us. The entire experience just seemed perfectly made for Captain David Froud!”

Peter said: “It was a great pleasure and honour to host our visitors from Abbey View. It was extra special to learn that David has a personal connection with the Parachute Regiment.”