While filming the Barkston Heath Memorial Service on the 31st May I caught a chat Les Ransom was having with Mark Musson of the Barkston Heath Research group. They have given their permission to share the film and I thought some of you may enjoy listening to what Les has to say. Great character...... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_DEp7RQHgs
good day jjs,sm.yesterday 04:49pm,re:arnhem veteran-les ranson.great video.of a great character,he looks fit and well.he must have been a paratrooper to reckon with.glad he made it home,well done les.regards bernard85
hi, a slight bit of thread drift but I've met Arnhem vet's 3 times over the yr's, 1/ at the dedication of a plaque to my wife's uncle L/Sgt. J.D.Bskeyfield placed in Burslem, his birthplace. 2/ at the unveiling of a statue a short distance away from Burslem, where by the way I and my wife touched his medal brought for the occasion by a Sgt from the Regimental museum. 3/ about 12month's ago at the rededication of the plaque after repairs to it, after the service we had refreshments in a local hall, and vet's were there not as many as in the earlier year's, and I had the privilege to talk to one who knew "Jack", he was as all those there very unassuming, I had done some research on M.G and had listened to 4 report's from war correspondent's with the para's, the last mentioned a report from Alan Wood in which he said "if in the coming year's a man say's I fought at Arnhem, take off your hat, and buy him a drink." I don't wear a hat so I shook his hand, and then bought him a drink. In 1994 we went to Arnhem for the 50th, visited the site where he was killed, while there a woman from a house opposite the spot asked who we were, when told her face went gray with shock, and said she remembered what happened when he was killed, she then shouted to her neighbour about us, and said he crawled out with a bucket of water for our lad's, while the fighting was still going on. Lastly if I may, a sight I will never forget while near the Hartenstein hotel local people stepping off the pavement to let the vet's walk by, and the children tending the war grave's and one said " we will never forget them and what they did, because until you've been occupied and not free to do what you want, you can't understand what we owe them." Also " we listened to the RAF every night knowing that we were not alone."