Exploring the wartime service of a Battle of Arnhem veteran through the stories he shared with his family
It’s been 80 years since the historic Battle of Arnhem during WWII, part of Operation Market Garden. It ultimately proved a costly defeat for the Allies, who fought bravely and tenaciously. The infamous battle in the eastern Netherlands in September 1944 has a significant meaning for Facebook community member Gina, whose Dad, George, parachuted into action near Arnhem. On this special anniversary, we reflect on the operation through George’s experiences as remembered by Gina and explore his military service from enlistment to discharge.
What was Operation Market Garden, and why was the bridge at Arnhem so important?
The D-Day invasion of 6 June 1944 saw the Allies gain a foothold in Nazi-occupied North-West Europe. They slowly began their breakout into France, but it was slow progress in the face of a determined and dogged enemy. This was until August 1944, when the German Army collapsed and began to retreat. The Allies advanced into Eastern France and, by early September, had crossed into Belgium. By mid-September, they were at the gates of Germany.
The advance into Germany’s industrial heartland sought to expedite the end of the war. The proposed attack would be made through the Netherlands and would be known as Operation Market Garden (17-25 September 1944), an audacious airborne assault to secure the Rhine River crossings. Three Allied airborne divisions would target objectives in and around the towns of Eindhoven, Nijmegen, and Arnhem (the latter being 15 kilometres from the German border), opening a route for Allied forces to advance into the German Ruhr. Therefore, the bridge at Arnhem and the others targeted during Operation Market Garden were vitally important.
Tragically, the plan proved to be a failure. The element of surprise was lost owing to the lack of transport, which spread the invasion over three days. While the Allied airborne forces took the bridge at Arnhem, 30 Corps was unable to reach the bridge before German forces outnumbered the defenders. Allied intelligence noting German tanks in the area was dismissed, another fatal error. Despite this, there were many acts of bravery by Allied forces during the Battle of Arnhem and Operation Market Garden, who showed incredible determination in securing their objectives. One man who was there was Gina’s father, George.
George Matthews
George was born in Acton, West London, in January 1927. Like so many men and women of his generation, the war would have a profound impact on his life.
When the Blitz started in September 1940, London was an immediate target. Gina told me that her Dad was living with his parents in Acton, opposite the railway station, an obvious target to the German Luftwaffe. George’s war began as a boy messenger during the Blitz, delivering messages on his bike. Homes all around the Matthews’ house were bombed, neighbours, friends and acquaintances, ‘but Nan and Grandad’s remained unharmed’, recalls Gina. In one remarkable act of bravery, George rescued a tiny baby from a bombed house by crawling in the rubble. A wardrobe had fallen across its crib, allowing it to survive, but the other members of the family, sadly, did not. It was a truly heroic act for someone so young.
As the war progressed, George would have witnessed friends and family called up into uniform and leave home to take part in the war, and he was eager to do the same. George enlisted in 1943, aged 16. The pull to serve and play his part in the war was strong. Gina notes: ‘Like so many, he lied about his age to go and do his bit.’
FWR Tip: Looking to discover more about your military ancestors and their WWII service? Our WWII research blog tells you how to order their service record and what collections are available to researchers.
Military service begins
George’s surname was misspelt on his dog tags. Gina notes that her Dad never changed them because he looked at them as a safety talisman and believed he would survive the war. This would soon be put to the test.
According to Geroge’s meticulous notes, kindly provided by Gina, he was put through his paces at Bovington Camp in Dorset, where the Armoured Fighting Vehicles School was located. He subsequently joined the Reconnaissance Corps and would go through further training in Catterick and Morecombe. The corps’ designated function was to go forward to obtain and pass back information. Offering both firepower and manoeuvrability, it was often used as an attack force or emergency defence force if required.
Eager to do more, George volunteered for the newly formed airborne forces. Gina notes: ‘…he saw a notice asking for men to join an elite force. He wanted to join, especially as the pay was more.’ George was posted to the 1st Airborne Reconnaissance Squadron, and according to his notes, he went through further training in Lincolnshire and Manchester. The latter was at the Central Landing School at RAF Ringway, near Manchester, which housed Number 1 Parachute Training School and geared up recruits for airborne operations.
George shared tidbits of his training with Gina, like rolling onto the ground off the back of a lorry. The training was not without its dangers, as George would later divulge to Gina: ‘He told me that on a training jump he was to become [what was known as] ‘Ringing The Bell’…’, remembers Gina. Practising in a Whitley Bomber, seated parachutists would swing their feet into a hole around three feet deep cut into the floor of the aircraft. From here, they would thrust themselves out into the open sky on command. It was not uncommon for inexperienced parachutists to hit their faces on the opposite side of the exit hole, causing all sorts of nasty facial injuries, mimicking the movements of a bell: ‘…his eyes were black for weeks. He didn’t do it again, apparently’, shared Gina.
Operation Market Garden
Although George’s squadron did not take part in the D-Day landings of June 1944, their turn to land in North-West Europe would come in September of that year, during Operation Market Garden. They would have a coup de main role in the attack.
Intending to play an advanced role, some of the squadron would land by glider, carrying their vehicles and equipment, while others would land by parachute. The glider landings were not without incident, and crashes and collisions resulted in casualties among the Glider Pilot Regiment who piloted the planes, as we discovered in our records. Pilot George Baxter, for example, was killed when his Horsa Glider crashed and overturned on the landing zone while transporting men and jeeps of the Reconnaissance Squadron. Our WWII, Glider Pilot Regiment Roll of Honour collection provides more information on each of the casualties.
Parachuting into battle
George was one of the 160 men of the squadron who parachuted into the Battle of Arnhem on 17 September 1944.
After landing, there was a frustrating delay while the men waited to be reunited with their jeeps. These were fast, could handle the rough treatment of combat and offered concentrated firepower. Once in possession of their vehicles, they set off towards their objective. Some of the squadron were caught up in a firefight Wolfheze, west of Arnhem. By nightfall, much of the squadron had reached the north end of the bridge, which was under British control and engaged in a holding operation. The squadron continued to play a valuable role in Operation Market Garden, using their jeeps to ferry the wounded and manoeuvring anti-tank guns. A determined battle was fought, with many Allied soldiers killed, wounded or captured. Surviving Allied forces were eventually evacuated across the Lower Rhine on 25 September.
By the end of the battle, 29 of the squadron had been killed and 140 taken prisoner. Among the prisoners was Lance Corporal Edmund Morris, who appears in the World War II Liberated Prisoner of War Questionnaires, available on Ancestry. Wounded, he was captured on the 17th. He was immediately, and according to Edmund, ‘roughly’, interrogated by a German officer looking for information.
Luckily, George was one of the 75 men of the squadron who made it out of Arnhem. 1,485 British and Polish airborne forces died as a result of the fighting during the Battle of Arnhem, and over 6,000 were taken prisoner. Our WWII, Daily Reports: Missing, Dead, Wounded and POWs collection contains the details of many of the casualties sustained during Operation Market Garden, including a number of George’s comrades from his squadron.
Later service
After the Battle of Arnhem, George rejoined the Royal Tank Regiment, serving with the 8th Battalion and later with the 4th Queen’s Own Hussars. He would see further overseas service in Italy, Austria, Egypt, Palestine, Transjordan and Germany.
The realities of war were not lost on George, and this was brought home while serving in Italy. In April 1945, when the Allies crossed the River Po, George’s tank took a direct hit and caught alight. The crew were given the order to bail out, but George was wounded in the legs by machine gun fire. He fell into barbed wire, and there he lay, drifting in and out of conciseness, listening to the nearby sounds of German troops. Fortunately, he remained alive and evaded capture, eventually being picked up by American soldiers and taken to a Canadian field hospital. After recovering, he travelled back to the UK. This could have been the end of his overseas service, but George had different ideas, as Gina reflects: ‘My Dad was a determined man. He was offered an opportunity to remain in the Depot, but he would have none of that. He wanted to serve and serve he did…’
A proud veteran
George was proud to have served with the British Army. Gina recalls: ‘He marched most years at the Cenotaph with the Airborne, and I was so proud to have been there also.’
Gina accompanied her Dad on several trips to Arnehm, and she was introduced to George’s comrades. In what must have been a poignant moment, she remembers watching them walking amongst the headstones of their fallen brothers in arms in Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery, immaculately maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
During one particular visit to Arnerhm, Gina met General John Winthrop Hackett, who commanded the 4th Parachute Brigade during WWII. Hackett asked Gina: “Are you proud of your Dad?”. After Gina confirmed that she was indeed proud of her Dad, Hackett responded: “You should be. He was a damn good man and reliable soldier for one so young.”
Speaking with Gina has provided us with a poignant and valuable insight into her Dad’s service during the Battle of Arnhem and his connection to the armed forces. It’s a testament to what we can learn when we share the stories of our military ancestors, and it is one of the privileges of my job.
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Sources
Imperial War Museums, The Story Of Operation ‘Market Garden’ In Photos, accessed September 2024.
Imperial War Museums, Why did Operation Market Garden fail?, accessed September 2024.
Key Military, BASH ON! Gough’s Recce Men, accessed September 2024.
Key Military, The Recce Jeeps of Arnhem, accessed September 2024.
ParaData, 1st Airborne Reconnaissance Squadron, accessed September 2024.
ParaData, General Sir John Winthrop Hackett GCB, CBE, DSO, MC, MA, D.Litt, accessed September 2024.
ParaData, No 1 PTS RAF Ringway, accessed September 2024.
ParaData, Whitley Bomber, accessed September 2024.
The National Army Museum, Operation Market Garden, accessed September 2024.
The Pegasus Archive, The First Lift (Sunday 17th September), accessed September 2024.