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Those known to have fought in Operation Market Garden during the Second World War 1939-1945. The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed,
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Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the War? Our
Library contains an ever growing number diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text. |
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Want to know more about Operation Market Garden? There are:284 items tagged Operation Market Garden available in our Library
These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War. |
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Cpl. Peter Charles Williams 10th Btn. Parachute Regiment  My Grandfather Peter Williams was born 25th January 1915, we believe at New Tyle, Scotland. He originally joined the Welsh Guards but transferred to the Parachute Regiment.
He unfortunately died at only 32 years old from tuberculosis on the 15th January 1948.
My Mum Diann and her sister Joy know very little about him. He died when my Mum was only 7 years old. My Nan (now 93 years old with severe dementia) was not married to him and due to this fact has refused to tell us anything about him. This is very distressing for my Mum (now 73) who has spent her whole life wondering about him and her heritage and also for myself and my own daughter knowing nothing of the life of my Grandfather.
We do know he was married to a Margaret Lewis briefly prior to my Mum being born.
If anyone could help me with the smallest of information it would be very kind. I just want to help my Mum find some information regarding her Dad.
2733995 Corporal Peter Charles Williams served with the 10th Battalion, the Parachute Regiment during WW2. He died after war death records ceased from Tuberculosis which means he would not appear on the Commonwealth war Graves Records.
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WO2 Ernest "Pat" Tague Seaforth Highlanders (d.22nd Sep 1944)   My namesake Ernest Tague was killed at Nijmegn on the 22nd of Sept 1944, he was was eldest brother of my mother Jenny Tague. My uncle was a regular and also a sportsman winning cups in Hong Kong in 1937 for boxing and also was a good single skulls sportsman.
I remember him vividly on his last leave in 1944 when he came to see his mother and I remember how troubled he was at this time as he could not comfort his mother or say what he was doing. He was married to Margaret who lived in London and they had two children Marcus and Bee. I can imagine his feelings as when I packed my sea bags I had no idea when I would be back, difference then was we were in the toughest part of WW2.He died during operation Market Garden when going to the aid of I believe an American unit that was cut off, it would seem that he and a large number of his company, 7th Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders, were killed at Nijmegen and all eventually buried at the war cemetery in Mierlo which I visited a number of times when business took me to Europe, I think I was the only member of the family to ever visit the grave.
The telegram that arrived telling my grandmother of his death also killed her inside as she never was the same person again.
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Spr. Elwyn Charles Locke 1st Parachute Squadron Royal Engineers Elwyn Locke joined the TA in October 1937, posted to B Company, 4th Battalion, Hampshire Regiment.
His trade at enlistment was that of carpenter and joiner.
In January 1940 he was posted to the 12th Division Royal Engineers at rank of Sapper.
On the 19th of April 1940 he disembarked in France with the British Expeditionary Force and on the 2nd of June 1940 was probably evacuated during Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of Dunkirk. At this time he was posted to HQ 51st Division, R.E.
During the Christmas period 1940 he was posted as Absent Without Leave for 2 days and five hours and forfeited one days' pay. Probably to much celebrating during this time!
Again, in January 1941 he was awarded 27 days Field Punishment under Section 40 after neglecting to obey an order given by an N.C.O. However, he was released from FP after serving 10 days (time off for good behaviour?)
In August & September 1942 he was first posted to Home detail No.2 Depot Battalion RE then to No. 1 Company RE at Halifax, West Yorkshire. On 15th of May 1943 he embarked UK with the British North Africa Force, disembarking North Africa on the 27th.
Whilst there he was posted to the 3rd Battalion pending transfer to the Army Air Corps.
He disembarked the UK on the 7th of November 1943.
In June 1944 he was posted to No. 1 RE and in July he was attached to Airborne Forces and the following day to School Airborne Forces.
On the 17th of September 1944, the first day of operation Market Garden, he parachuted into the Arnhem area as part of the 1st Parachute Squadron, RE. On the 25th he was posted as missing in action in North West Europe but later found to have been taken prisoner and was a POW at Stalag X1B, near Fallingbostel, Lower Saxony. He was liberated along with the rest of the camp on the 21st of April 1945.
During July 1945 he was posted to the 2nd Division RE and the following day to B Battalion RE at Aldershot.
Once again, during July, he was again posted as AWOL from 23.59hrs to 08.00hrs the following day and was forfeited one days' pay.
In September 1945 he was posted to the 1st Airborne Division RE and the following month proceeded overseas as part of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, No.1 Airborne Squadron as Sapper, returning to the UK in April 1946 then to reserve TA.
On the 19th of May 1947 he was discharged from service, although medically fit as his services were no longer required having enlisted into the TA into 1560 Company, Para Brigade, Royal Army Service Corps, TA.
0n the 4th October he married Iris Daisy Locke at Wood Green, London, N22.
On the 1st of October 1948 he was transferred to Artists Rifles, Army Air Corps then to 21 SAS (Artists) Regiment TA.
On the 27th of June 1950 he was discharged from the TA at his own request.
He had served in France for two months, Africa for 6 months and as a PoW for seven months.
Medals awarded: (This may not be totally correct) 1939-1943 Star, 1939-1945 Defence Medal and France and Germany Star.
Conduct Exemplary.
Elwyn died suddenly aged 50 in May 1971.
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Pte. Alexander Hendry Purcell 7th Btn Kings Own Scottish Borderers My father, Alexander Purcell was captured at Arnhem and was sent to a PoW camp in Germany. I have his war papers and it states he was a PoW in Germany for 6 months and 6 days. I was contacted by another soldier a few years ago who was with my father then and he sent me a photograph of them in Normandy.
His name was Fred Tattershall. I believe he has now passed away.
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Bmbdr. Ernest Leslie Fletcher 2nd Airlanding Anti Tank Regiment Royal Artillery Ernie Fletcher was awarded the Africa Star, Italy Star, France and Germany Star as well as a few other medals. He never told me (his son) much of his war efforts other than he was a part of the 1st Oban Regiment. But he did say he flew in a glider across to Arnhem. Lots of gliders crashed in the soft mud causing many casualties. He was told to stay behind at the landing point with others to assist his comrades from their gliders where possible. It was there that he was captured by the Germans and sent to prisoner of war camp Stalag 12a. He did say whilst there, when they saw a rat, they all tried to kill it to eat as rationing was hard.
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Dvr. John Edward Potter 4th Field Squadron Royal Engineers  Jack Potter joined up in July 1940, after the fall of France.
He was sent to Egypt, completing his basic training while on board ship.
He was posted to the 4th Field Squadron, Royal Engineers.
Jack served against the Italians in the Western Desert in 1940, then Rommel and the Afrika Korps.
He was then detached to the Australians and sent to Greece, in 1941. The evacuation from Greece saw him twice sunk in Piraeus harbour aboard Navy ships, before escaping on a liner commandeered by the Australian Army in Alexandria. Back to the desert war, and the battle of El Alamein, the capture of Tunis, and the surrender of the Afrika Korps in 1943.
Next was the invasion of Sicily, followed by the invasion of Italy, and the slow pushing back of the Germans to Monte Cassino. After taking part in the opening stages of this battle, his unit was transferred back to the UK for a refit prior to D-Day.
He saw action on D-Day, in the battles for Normandy, the invasion of Holland, Arnhem, and finally the invasion of Germany, before de-mob in Feb 1946.
Not one home leave during his entire service!
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L/Cpl. Albert W. Atkinson 1st Btn. Border Regiment My grandfather, Albert Atkinson, was captured by a blown up bridge on the Rhine by Germans and interred at the Stalag XIIA Limburg an der Lahn. Prior to this he was involved in the Battle of the Bridge at Arnham, whereby he helped capture 3 bridges.
I have very little information on my grandfather's time during the war but he did write down his experiences in a matter of fact way. He refused to talk about it with anyone and even my father, Albert's son, did not know much about Albert's experiences. All I know is that he was captured at the Stalag XIIA Limburg an der Lahn, POW 91879, but he then 'left the camp with 2 other people' whilst being moved, that's all I know.
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Cpl. Albert Joseph Holtom 2nd Btn. Parachute Regiment  Albert Holtom was attached to the 2nd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment at its inception. Initially in HQ Coy as a Cook, he earned his wings and maroon beret when he attended the Parachute Course No 15 at Ringway, before seeing active service in North Africa, Sicily and Italy, where he was awarded the Africa Star with First Army Clasp, and the Italy Star.
On returning from North Africa, he transferred to A Coy, serving under Lt Robin Vlasto of No. 1 Platoon. Accounts differ as to whether he fought at Arnhem, but he was awarded the France and Germany Star, and couldn't have earned it anywhere else. Unfortunately, this was not dispatched along with his other medals when they were claimed, posthumously, by his son in 2019. If he did fight at Arnhem, he was one of the 17 survivors from A Coy to be rescued during operation Berlin on 25th-26th of September 1944.
This was the story he took to his final resting place, peacefully, in 2003.
He was good friends with Cpl Robert Priesley and Cpl Tom Hastings, both of A Coy, and both taken PoW at Arnhem.
I would love to hear from family members of either of them.
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L/Cpl. Ernest Brett 7th Btn. Royal Hampshire Regiment  Lance Corporal Ernest Brett was attached to 7th Battalion, Hampshire Regiment after landing on Gold Beach Normandy with men of 6th Battalion Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment. They came across the English Channel aboard a Minesweeper, towing a section of the Mulberry Harbour.
He fought with the Hampshires through the Battles of Jurques, Pleciere, Mont Pincon and was tasked with mopping up German stragglers around Chambois in the Falaise Gap.
They crossed the Seine River on 25th of August 1944 and captured the town of Tilly on the 28th, with the surrender of around 100 enemy soldiers. (mainly SS)
7th Battalion then travelled to Brussels as the first Infantry unit to take up Garrison Duty in the City.
They rejoined 130th Brigade on 15th of September 1944 for the start of Operation Market Garden.
Advancing slowly along Hells Highway in Army DUKWs and finally reaching Nijmegen Bridge on 21st of September 1944 where they defended the Southern end for the next 3 days.
Eventually on the night of the 25th/25th, B Company were tasked with loading and ferrying ammunition and supplies across the river at Heteren to the 6th Airborne Division stranded at Arnhem.
He remembered it as a night of heavy rain. They crossed the river once and were able to bring back some Paratroopers.
During the second crossing they were spotted by the enemy and came under heavy fire and shelling. On their return a moaning minnie exploded next to them, killing one man and seriously wounding Lance Corporal Brett. He was evacuated to an aid station and eventually back to England, becoming a TPI veteran.
He migrated to Australia in the late 1960s and died aged 81 in 1994.
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Gnr. Edward Stollar 124th Bty. 151st Field Regiment Royal Artillery I have a very complete record of the war service of my Uncle Ted, my mother's brother.
Edward Stollar joined on the 27th of February 1941 at the age of 29 and joined the 72nd Coastal Training, 223rd Battery He had served in the Orkneys before joining the Ayrshire Yeomanry in 151st Field Regiment, B troop of A Battery on the 8th February 1944.
151st Field Regiment had spent 1941 travelling up and down the country developing and becoming proficient in its Gunnery skills. In May 1942 it became part of the Order of Battle of 11th Armoured Division with the Black Bull being the divisional sign.
Following training in Yorkshire and the Isle of Wight on the 8th June he left for Tilbury where the regiment was divided in two to be loaded on the Empire Canyon and the Empire Farmer bound with full escort to the English Channel and Normandy. The coast came into view at dawn on the 13th June and 124th Battery landed on the most easterly beach near Ouistreham. Ted and his mate concentrated on Lantheuil village eight kilometres inland for ten days whilst the bridgehead was established.
From the 26th of June to 6th of July he was involved in bridgehead Operation Epsom with the aim of passing Caen and crossing the River One to the south. Further operations included Goodwood (18th - 22 July) and Bluecoat (30th July - 7th August). From the 14th - 19th August the next phase of battle commenced with the closure of the Falaise pocket with Flers liberated on the 16th. The 22nd saw Ted and his mates in action at Face against Tiger tanks. The Allied Liberation of Paris was completed on 30th August ending Operation Overlord. The period 29th Aug to 4th September took Ted across the Seine and in the six days the division had advance 340 miles fighting on five of the six days. This took them to Antwerp. The next stage was moving into Holland and on the 12th September, 151st Regiment fired in support of the Welsh Guards eventually assisting them and breaking through to Arnhem which turned into a bridge too far. Over the next few weeks 151st fired at targets over the Maas.
He returned to the UK and was discharged to the Reserve on 16th Jan 1946, being awarded the France & Germany Star, 1939-45 Defence Medal and Victory Medal.
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