Operation Market Garden

This exhibition about the Parachute Regiment in Melton District during the Second World War was created by local historian Brian Fare and Melton Carnegie Museum volunteers.

We would like to thank members of the local community who have shared their memories, photographs and objects with us.

The Parachute Regiment in World War Two

Set up in 1941 in response to the effective German paratroopers, by June 1944, there were five parachute brigades comprising 17 battalions. The first battalion was converted from Commandos and the others were made up of volunteers from other regiments and corps of the army. Five parachute battalions landed prior to D-Day (June 1944) to destroy bridges and gun batteries and to cut off German reinforcements. Six battalions, 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 10^th, 11^th and 156^th, fought at the Battle of Arnhem in Holland, during Operation Market Garden in September 1944.

Coming to Melton

The 10^th, 11^th and 156^th Battalions of the 4^th Brigade Parachute Regiment were based in areas around the Melton, Rutland, Grantham, and villages south of Leicester, undertaking intensive training from the beginning of 1944. However, the operations for which they were preparing were all cancelled, and the scattered groups were brought together in and around Melton Mowbray in mid 1944.

It is likely that Melton was chosen as their base as the commanding officer had family connections here, and therefore knew the area and the suitable living accommodation, including country houses and hunting lodges, as well as being surrounded by several suitable airfields and good terrain for training.

Preparing for war

To prepare the men for upcoming operations in Europe, they carried out training exercises around the Melton area. This included parachute drops over Burrough Hill and at Empinghan in Rutland, river crossings at the Swan's Nest in Melton, and ground combat training at Eastwell. Other training took place in a bombed part of Battersea in London, and in Hull.

Morale of the troops was hard to keep up as they were put on standby for fifteen operations that were cancelled. To help with this, a boxing match was arranged between 11^th and 156^th Parachute Battalions and the soldiers kept fit and ready for action.