This is a Picture of my Close Friend Joe The Catman Joe Billet I got a delivery from him this week pictures of him and his life he is 94 now an Awesome Man I spent lots of time with him in Spain a True Friend and Super Interesting

Joe and Jock McIntosh 1952
22 SAS

Joe's acceptance speech when he recieved the Legion D Honneur

Joe Recieving the Highest Award From the French Government with his Partner Rose

Joe Joined the Merchant Navy as a Cabin Boy on SS Fort a la Corne Jan 5 1943 with Military Equipment for the 8th Army he boarded with a stray Cat he found on the Dockside they let him keep he called him Skipper they Passed the Bay of Biscay and the Rock of Gibralter

Where they Came under attack all let loose with German and Italian the Next day it Happened again the SS Empire was Torpedoed she Limped to Algiers She was hit again with 2 Injured and some Arabs Killed on March 30 Joes Ship was hit by 2 Torpedos Amidship

He was lucky to see some lifeboats the third mate was near Shouted Jump in so he swam too the lifeboats they were now Adrift for 8 Hours HMS Albacore picked them up eventually and dropped the Survivors in Gibraltar Sadly Skipper Didn't Survive but even in Death shaped Joes Life

Joe later Started a Correspondence with the Commander of the Ship that Torpedoed him Sadly they never met even though he Invited Joe to the Munich Beer Festival Many Times

1944 Joe joined SS Fort Poplar in Newport then to Scotland later Joining the Invasion Force and sailed onto Normandy landing troops on Gold Beach then Shelled Teribly in Saint Malo Joe later Joined SS Bunting Delivering Coal up the Seine to Ruen and Caen until March 1945

Joe left the Navy in 1946 and Joined the Army he was Awarded the Legion D Honneur The Highest French Award for his Service in the War

Joe broke his Shoulder During Training rehabilitated and sent Back to training then 56 days Detention for an Altercation with a Corporal his Job was towing 3.7 Ack Ack guns on Gibralter which he Hated So applied for Airborne Forces Sailed back to Uk and Aldershot for Training

Joe Passed his Training and went to Oxford for his Jump training and 8 Jumps gained his Wings And Beret and was posted to 66 Airborne regt RA Which he loved it was disbanded and he was posted to Hong Kong on Bofor Guns but didn't like Spit and Polish

So he Applied for the Malayan Scouts but the CO Binned his Application he tried again but was Doubled out of the Office so he wrote a letter to Colonel Calvert HQ Singapore 10 days later he was on a Troop ship to Nee Soon Barracks issued a weapon and 5 Rounds

Joe now Boarded a Train for Kuala Lumpur and taken to Dusan Tua he was Kited out with Jungle Greens Canvas Rubber soled Boots A Parang 50 Rounds Bandolier and 2 36 Grenades Help yourself to Rations Grab a Map 4 men and a Sgt Crossed the River into the Jungle 1 Scout Picked

His jungle Training had now Started they would Basher up and get a brew They were trained in Many things Map reading Moving in the Jungle Attacks River Crossings Reading Tracks and Leaves Branches Sign etc How to lead Patrols any one who Failed were RTUd there were many

After this they did 6 weeks in the Jungle on Patrol Burning Destroying and Laying Traps and Contacts They relied on Airdrops once a Month which were very Dangerouse as they give away their Position they carried on with this for 18 months Creating Mayhem

After 18 months they were Convoyed to Siam now Thailand to prepare for their First Airborne Operation Joe was one of the First trained Paratroops to Join the Scouts the Trees were huge the did a drop into a Rubber Plantation for Top Brass

The Drop went well so returned to Sungar Besear to get Kitted out each man could pick his own weapon Joe picked an Owen Gun an Australian Sub Machine Gun the rest of the Squadron we t into the Jungle by Foot to Cover area well back from DZ

Joe along with 53 men were Dropped into the Jungle on the second Attempt from 3 Dakotas Joe landed on a Bannana Tree at the end of a paddy Field but no Engagement they split into 4 man Patrols they took Prisoners on 7 day march handed over to Malayan Police

They then Spent thre weeks in Swampland up to their Armpits Covered in Leeches Snakes and Monkeys they luckily came across a man made Camp made out of trees Hidden from View Hundreds of trees had been used to make a platform which was a Relief

After this they ran Ops Running from Naval Ships running up Rivers in Colapsable Boats they Had no Helicopters so all Casualties had to be evacuated to Langlang on makeshift Rafts and Radioed for Evac