Jake Tuilele’s Journey From Moala to 22 Years as a British Army Paratrooper

Jake Tuilele left his home in Moala, Lau, at just 16, beginning a military career that would take him far from Fiji and last more than two decades. Now retired, he has described his years in uniform as a time of adventure, challenges and lasting memories. Tuilele was one of 212 Fijians who joined the British Army in 1961. The move meant leaving family and familiar surroundings behind to start a new life thousands of miles away. He went on to serve for 22 years as a paratrooper in the Army’s airborne forces. “I was in the airborne for all my service in the British Army, jumping all over the world, wherever I go,” he said. His service took him to places including North Africa, Egypt, West Africa, Zambia, Saudi Arabia, France and Germany. The account says some assignments brought him to areas where fighting was taking place, experiences far removed from his childhood in Moala. Tuilele left Fiji as a single teenager and later raised a family. His children now live in Fiji. His career forms part of the history of Fijians who served in the British Army, and the connections forged through that service. Reflecting on what makes a good soldier, Tuilele offered a straightforward lesson to young Fijians serving in the British Army: discipline and respect for military rules matter. “To be a good soldier means to follow the rules that are given to them,” he said. His story traces a remarkable transition, from a boy leaving Moala at 16 to a retired serviceman looking back on 22 years in uniform. The account presents his advice and recollections as a personal perspective on the demands and sacrifices of military life.