845 NAVAL AIR SQUADRON AT NANGA GAAT

This film is held by the Imperial War Museum (ID: ADM 1947).

Synopsis

845 Squadron operates Wessex helicopters against Indonesian guerrillas in Brunei.

Aerial views from helicopter flying over the jungle. Cut to helicopter now landed by a river - supplies have been landed and are taken up by a party from a native village - as the helicopter flies off it passes over one of the long-houses of the settlement. Aerial shots of a companion Wessex HAS.1 in flight and aerial views of jungle and river. Back at base the crewmen leave their aircraft. LA.MS as a Wessex comes in to land on one of the prefabricated metal pads. A Lieutenant relaxes in the wardroom. Cut to an aerial view of the settlement at Nanga Gaat and pan to show the parked helicopters - three Wessex and a Whirlwind. One of the Wessex starts up and lifts off while in the background a second runs up. Aerial views of the whole settlement and air base, situated within a bend in the river, and surrounding jungle terrain. Sequence showing a pre-flight briefing. MCU of board bearing the legend "845 Naval Air Squadron, HMS TAIJARI, RNAS NANGA GAAT". Two men armed with FN rifle and Sterling SMG board a Wessex helicopter, followed by the pilot. The helicopter bears the 845 Squadron badge, a dragonfly on a field barry wavy, and a personal emblem, the character Boo-Boo from Yogi Bear. A GPMG is mounted to fire through one of the open doors. Pilot starts her up. CU of aircraft's instrument panel. Tail rotor starts up. Helicopter lifts off and flies with a companion over the jungle. Cut to CUs of a four-man Army patrol in jungle greens and carrying FNs, sitting smoking, looking dishevelled but raffish, beside a fast-flowing jungle stream. A Wessex touches down on the small, rocky beach, and the patrol boards the aircraft which immediately lifts off. The helicopters fly over the jungle to a small pad on a forested hillside where first the companion and then the camera-aircraft unload supplies in touch-and-go landings without shutting down engines. One of the soldiers collecting the supplies waves as the camera-aircraft climbs away.

Notes

Summary: 845 Squadron received the 1964 Boyd Trophy for their work in defence of Malaysia

 

Titles

  • 845 NAVAL AIR SQUADRON AT NANGA GAAT (Allocated)
 

Technical Data

Year:
1964
Running Time:
11 minutes
Film Gauge (Format):
16mm
Colour:
B&W
Sound:
Silent
Footage:
398 ft
 

Production Credits

Production Countries:
GB
Sponsor
[Admiralty]