Denis Buchan passed through The Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces Depot at Maida Barracks, Aldershot, and qualified as a military parachutist on Course 375 which ran at RAF Abingdon from 5 to 29 April 1954.He served in the Army for nearly 15 years, with both The Parachute Regiment and 22 SAS, and was discharged on 12 September 1968.