11th Battalion Parachute regiment

Discussion in 'Airborne' started by wtid45, May 25, 2010.

  1. wtid45

    wtid45 Very Senior Member

    Post deleted at request of author
     
  2. ronald

    ronald Senior Member

    Thanks for posting...

    Ron
     
  3. wtid45

    wtid45 Very Senior Member

    I think this is the same guy who I found an online newspaper article about some years back, but after I printed it of I gave it to Peter Alexander Van Teesling and could never find mention of the article again until I found this its the third click down or pages no 4&5 Fred Knapp. http://www2.biglotteryfund.org.uk/heroesreturn_booklet.pdf
     
  4. ronald

    ronald Senior Member

    I was recently at Peter's house, I gave him some badges and he let me
    copy a report on Market Garden wich I had not seen before.

    Ron
     
  5. Paul Pariso

    Paul Pariso Very Senior Member

    David Truesdale is currently working on a new book about the 11th. If his previous works are anything to go by it should be a good 'un!!:D
     
  6. kingarthur

    kingarthur Well-Known Member

    Good read Paul , I think I am totally hooked on airborne now.


    Dave
     
  7. TomTAS

    TomTAS Very Senior Member

    Hi All,

    Only totally hooked kingarthur, :) just you wait until it gets real bad and you have to have it all... Then your say I'm an Airborne Nutter lol but another book to the collection...

    Cheers
    Tom
     
  8. Paul Pariso

    Paul Pariso Very Senior Member

    Good read Paul , I think I am totally hooked on airborne now.


    Dave

    Just don't start collecting the books Dave, that way leads to madness!! :lol:
     
  9. kingarthur

    kingarthur Well-Known Member

    I will limit myself to just writing a couple I think Paul.lol
     
  10. wtid45

    wtid45 Very Senior Member

  11. wtid45

    wtid45 Very Senior Member

    Would appreciate any information or pics anyone might have in regards to 11 Para many thanks Jason:)
     
  12. kingarthur

    kingarthur Well-Known Member

    Got your email Jason, will speak to the curator when I visit him on Thursday.

    Dave
     
  13. wtid45

    wtid45 Very Senior Member

    Got your email Jason, will speak to the curator when I visit him on Thursday.

    Dave
    Thanks Dave just thought I would see if I could find anthing on here from anyone to add to what I Emailed you cheers, Jason.
     
  14. Paul Pariso

    Paul Pariso Very Senior Member

    Would appreciate any information or pics anyone might have in regards to 11 Para many thanks Jason:)

    Airborne Medic wrote an article on the 11th Battalion which was published as 'Ministory 86' in the 98th newsletter of the Society of Friends of the Airborne Museum. I have a copy of it but it's an 11mb document so I can't post it here. If you PM me your email address I'll send it to you mate.

    All the best.........
     
  15. wtid45

    wtid45 Very Senior Member

    Paul thanks for the offer mate but I already have it.
     
  16. wtid45

    wtid45 Very Senior Member

  17. wtid45

    wtid45 Very Senior Member

    Found this courtesy of Tomtas....... great site a small snippet refering to the padre of 11 Para CpI Harry Bankhead

    156 Battalion
    The Parachute Regiment
    It was plain in the first few days that the basic plan, so neat on paper, was deep in trouble. The 2nd Bn had taken the Arnhem bridge, and urgently required reinforcement, but the advance of the 1st and 3rd Bus appeared to be stalled. Worse still, Maj-Gen Urquhart and his senior brigadier Brig Lathbury were missing Brig Hicks, in temporary command, was struggling to maintain the drive on the bridge. Sonic hours earlier he had risked sending the South Staff from the north of the LZ to the town, and he now detached die 11th Bn from newly-arrived 4th Para Bde to sustain the assault. The role of my own unit, the 156 Bn in the brigade, bereft of a third of its strength, was radically altered. There was a delay at the assembly area while 133 Field Ambulance was ready to move with the casualties. Eventually, about 1700 hrs, 156 Bn marched off towards Arnhem, our C Company (1 served in the company signals) being in the lead. Morale, high despite the deteriorating situation, received a boost when a genial Dutch firmer appeared with a horse and cart keen to share in his country's liberation. “Why not,” responded Major Powell, the C Company commander. So we left our heavy packs containing rations and clothing.
    On the march, an element of melodrama entered the picture. Prior to the landings certain installations at Woltheze had been bombed and the walls of a lunatic asylum had been breached. These afflicted individuals stumbled along beside us for a distance, with wild eyes, slobbered visage and crude gesticulations. A few ranks behind I could hear Greer the battalion comedian, making quite plausible case that they were the wise people and we were the idiots.
    The CO, Lt Col des Voeux, decided to keep the battalion moving after dark. The company commander with his HQ, plus the wireless set, nioved sonic 70 yards behind the leading No 10 platoon. In an ideal situation, a recce vehicle would have probed ahead; here the platoon with two scouts in front had to keep going until they trod on the enemy. An officer belonging to the King's Own Scottish Borderers loomed up in the darkness. Although unclear about the general situation, he provided the highly-unwelcome news that the Germans had established a blocking line on the route ahead. The leading platoon was informed hut otherwise little could be done about it. A few minutes later a familiar figure on a motor cycle pulled up beside me. I recognised Captain Irwin, th e popular Padre of the 11th Bn. A true man of God he had held a special service for Christian soldiers of the 4th Bde on the eve of the operation. He paused and we exchanged a few words, most heart—warming in the tense situation. l)espite the warning about the blocking line he was determined to reach the 11th Bn despatched direct into Arnhem. A handshake and he was off. I sense it was a brave man going to his death.
    Suddenly, as we neared the Dreijensche Weg, heavy gunfire rent the eerie stillness. Red and yellow tracer, like fleeting flow-worms, from a machine-gun on fixed lines sparked venomously over our heads. Simultaneously Very lights illuminated die scene; a house deliberately set alight, gave a constant sheen. Meanwhile, Coy HQ had dived for cover in a ditch bordering the track. Positioning the wireless set behind a low bank that appeared bullet-proof, 1 contacted Bn HQ. To the sustained hammering of the Spandaus was added the sharp crack of SP guns with the clump of exploding shells. The lead platoon had taken a few casualties, but the slow beat of two Bren guns showed it had not been wiped out as we had feared.

    Market Garden 1944
     
  18. Philip Reinders

    Philip Reinders Very Senior Member

    the walls of a lunatic asylum had been breached (not correct as it was an open facility)

    For about the padre part, I can hardly believe that, a padre wrote a motorcycle, as they were already spare, and that he came behind, have intervieuwed and met many,many 156 Vets and never came across this story at all
     
  19. kingarthur

    kingarthur Well-Known Member

    Jason you may already have this, its a copy of a document that Ive had sent to me.[​IMG]


    Regards

    Dave
     
  20. Dre

    Dre Member

    David Truesdale is currently working on a new book about the 11th. If his previous works are anything to go by it should be a good 'un!!:D
    To my knowledge I know of 2 sides that are currently working on books on the 11th Battalion the Parachute Regiment.
     

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