Can anyone help this OMG veteran please... I am sharing this from another group that I am a member of. I have questioned the date and he said that they crossed over into Holland on the 16th and the incident was on the 17th. Arthur Kingo Farrington to The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) HI GUYS.. i am still looking and hoping to get in touch with ;;WILCO WILKINSON'''''THE LAD WHO ON THE MORNING OF THE 2ND SEPTEMBER 1944 WHILE ON OPERATION MARKET GARDEN. IN HOLLAND. SAVED MY LIFE...whilst serving in the 1st BTN THE EAST LANCASHIRE REGIMENT. OR any of his family . AFTER CROSSING INTO HOLLAN DURING THE NIGHT. we found ourselves right in the middle of a pack of germans....after i had been hit and was about to be finnished off. wilco my bren gunner cut the one who was about to send me to my maker... the last time i saw wilco was in the early 50s in trieste as he after ileft the E.L.R. transfered to the '''LOYAL NORTH LANCASHIRE REGIMENT.''' .WE WERE BOTH AT THAT TIME IN TRIESTE ITALY.. AND I WAS BY THEN IN THE R.A.S.C...65 coy.... we had some great times together whilst he was in ROSSTIE BARRACKS AND I IN THE OLD POLICE COMPOUND.. HE VISITED ME IN THE BRITISH GENERAL HOSPITAL AFTER BEING PUT THERE BY A LOAD OF TITOS SYMPATHISERS. . THE DAY BEFORE HE AND THE GREAT LOYALS MOVED TO NORTH AFRICA. that was the last time i saw him. as we lost contact after that. after TRIESTE I WAS POSTED TO FULWOOD BARRACKS WITH 64 COY .R.A.S.C..... in which i was able to take out all my drill cetificates that was required at that time to hold my substansive rank of sgt.. i was honoured to to do it with the LOYALS. AND MANY OTHER N.C.OS. FROM THE E,L.R. that had by that time transfered to L.N.L REGT. the beers inthse days certainly flowed well in the W.Os/sgts mess in .fulwood. from there onin 56 i then went to cyprus.. —at Andrews Farm, South Australia. This is what is said on the museum website... Operation Market Garden. The British 2nd Army was now closing up to the Dutch border where the Meuse-Escaut Canal was the first of a succession of water obstacles. On 17th September the Allies attempted to force these obstacles by landing airborne forces on the Maas, Waal and Rhine bridges in conjunction with an armoured thrust on a narrow front. Both Lancashire battalions took part in this Nederrijn battle on the flanks of the main axis. On the night of the 16th/17th the East Lancashires carried out a difficult opposed assault crossing of the Meuse-Escaut Canal at Lommel, mopping up its parachutist defenders the following day before moving forward against determined resistance to capture the little town of Bladel, near Eindhoven, on the 22nd. On the right flank of the advance, The South Lancashires were in action around Weert. LikeComment
