Just in case people haven't heard Eric died 21st July 2012 aged 90, funeral tomorrow (27th) near Hull where he lived.....he appears in one of the German photos taken in 'Oosterbeek High Street' from September 1944 where the bank now is being searched with his arm in a sling......He told me once more details about what was happening during and after this photo was taken and when I find the notes relating to it I will post up...... RIP Eric.....
The Eric Milner Photo The photo taken on Wednesday 20th September 1944 as posted by Paul shows Gunner Eric Milner of C Troop the 1st Airlanding Anti-Tank Battery RA (on the right) being searched after being wounded by a German soldier. He was standing in the garden of a house known as the Berghege along the Utrechtseweg, it was heavily damaged in the fighting during was repaired post-war but was later demolished and it stood where the ABN/AMRO Bank now is. Eric told me that just as this photo was being taken he had just taken a stick of chewing gum out of his field dressing pocket and for an awful moment thought the German soldier was going to put it in his month, because it was in fact, disguising a saw blade. Fortunately he gave it back to Eric. C Troop were commanded by Lt Ted Shaw and had been in Arnhem over the previous days supporting the 3rd Btn. Eric had been wounded during the journey from Arnhem to Oosterbeek on the previous day. He had originally been sent to the Schoonoord but on the Wednesday morning as they were somewhat busy he was sent to one of the DS's of 133 PFA here. Eric managed to get into the Berghege by the back entrance only to be told off by an RAMC Corporal asking if he wanted to get everyone shot as he was carrying a rifle. There were two German soldiers at the entrance, Eric's arm was put in a sling and soon afterwards was pictured in the front garden. There is a final chapter to this story in that Eric managed to avoid going off to captivity with everybody else and rejoined his gun crew inside the perimeter. He was however captured on the 24th September.
