4th Parachute Squadron Royal Engineers

Discussion in 'Royal Engineers' started by airborne medic, Jun 3, 2006.

  1. airborne medic

    airborne medic Very Senior Member

    I've heard that a book has recently come out by a member of this unit called 'A Sapper at Arnhem'...has anyone seen it and what do they think of it?
     
  2. spidge

    spidge RAAF RESEARCHER

    A SAPPER AT ARNHEM. THE MEMOIRS OF HARRY FAULKNER-BROWN

    Author: Faulkner-Brown, H. Stock Code: MBN6051

    The author was trained with the Durham Light Infantry. As captain of a Parachute Troop Royal Engineers, he jumped on Ginkel Heath with 4th Parachute Brigade on 18 September 1944. During the battle he supported 156 Parachute Battalion, defended part of the perimeter and ferried 40 Poles over the Rhine to Oosterbeek. In 1945 his squadron helped in the disarming of the German army in Norway. A worthy new addition to the literature on this battle.


    [​IMG]
     
  3. Paul Reed

    Paul Reed Ubique

    Looks like an interesting one - will you be selling it via the Friends newsletter Niall? I see it is by the 'usual publishers'?
     
  4. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    1st Parachute Squadron, Royal Engineers.
    [​IMG]
    Apparently this picture was taken at 1530hrs 20th September 1944. They had just been captured after their position at Van Limburgstirum School.
    VE-Day, The Album.
     
  5. airborne medic

    airborne medic Very Senior Member

    Drew,

    Picture of these guys was taken about 500 yards form the school house in a builders yard.....
     
  6. englandphil

    englandphil Very Senior Member

    Very good Website dedicated to the 4th Parachute Squadron Royal Engineers, which includes acknowledgements to our very own AndyBaldeagle

    index page
     
  7. TomTAS

    TomTAS Very Senior Member

    HI Niall,

    Here you go not read this one yet but looks good inside...

    Cheers
    Tom..

    Ps do you know about Jimmy Little 4 Para RS
     

    Attached Files:

  8. airborne medic

    airborne medic Very Senior Member

    Tom,

    Thanks....ASAA is another of those books that I've never read in book format.....I think I knew what was in it from all the times I proof read it!

    Yes heard about Mr Little...for info A Sapper At Arnhem is now as far as I am ocncenred all sold out.....however there amy be one or two book dealers with a copy or two.....so soon I feel it will be another of those hard to find Arnhem books.....
     
  9. Simongt

    Simongt Junior Member

    My father was one of his Lieutenants and I met Harry a few times at reunions. The ranks of these guys are thinning pretty quickly now but I can assure you that they were a very tough lot! Bad men with a bottle too, as I discovered to my cost at one reunion. There are many interesting tales to be told of these guys. My father led his men in the evacuation from Oosterbeek, where they had been defending the perimeter around the Hartenstein Hotel, to the river whereupon there wasn't enough room in the boats for my father as well so he swam along behind. Interestingly, he also told me that they all volunteered to be re-kitted and re-armed and sent back to rescue the wounded. I was in the pub with Dad a couple of years ago and he kicked off the conversation with the classic line of 'It was 63 years ago today at around this time that I was being strafed by a Stuka in Holland.......' another beer, dad? He reminisced for a while which he seldom does and I noticed that the entire pub had shut up, including teenage barmaids, and were listening with respect to his memories. A nice moment for him.
     
  10. Paul Pariso

    Paul Pariso Very Senior Member

    Hello Simon and welcome to the forum.
    I wonder if you have heard of another book which concerns your Father's unit called "Basic Function", ISBN number 9780978383817.
    It is available from lulu.com and is a great read! Your father is probably mentioned in it, what is his name??

    All the best..............:)
     

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  11. Simongt

    Simongt Junior Member

    I haven't heard of that one, but will dig out a copy though, thanks for the heads up. Dad is N.L 'Toby' Thomas. I understand that their losses were so large that after the battle they were absorbed in to 1 Para RE and they then went to Norway. That enabled my father to research what happened to his cousin who died on Operation Freshman earlier in the war.
     

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