The Tenth Battalion Trail is not merely the title of this book – the trail really exists.

Some time ago we began the installation of several maroon heritage plaques to mark the locations where the 10th Battalion was billeted during 1944, before leaving in September for the disastrous Operation Market Garden or Battle of Arnhem. These locations are in Somerby, The Burrough Court Estate, Thorpe Satchville and Owston.

We then set about linking these various locations by a trail – in fact more than one  trail, routes that can be negotiated either by foot, on a bike or in a vehicle. The walking trail is 15 miles and takes in some quite glorious countryside. The walk takes you to the summit of Burrough Hill Fort which boast one of the finest panoramas in Leicestershire. You will visit the villages of Burrough on the Hill, Thorpe Satchville, Somerby and Owston and along the way are a number of places to eat and drink, also the village shop in Somerby. The walking trail is marked with 10th Battalion way-markers – keep your eyes peeled for these.

In order to find your way, whether you are walking, cycling, motor-cycling or driving, the guide book is invaluable. But not only does it point you in the right direction, it also offers information on places to stay, to eat and drink. There is a concise, yet comprehensive, history of the Battalion, as well as detailed information and history about the various locations, including the departure airfield – RAF Spanhoe, some 20 miles from Somerby.

BUY THE BOOK and WALK THE TRAIL, you will be helping Friends of The Tenth.

This project has not been cheap, the installation of plaques and way-markers and the production and cost of the guide book has cost just short of £10,000. You can help us to recover some of the cost merely by buying a copy of this terrific little book, which at £15 is excellent value. You can also, of course, make a donation to our charity on the home page of this website.

With 115 pages and more than 90 illustrations, mostly in full colour, the Tenth Battalion Trail is available to buy in the shop section of this website.

‘The Tenth Battalion Trail’ guidebook

We are hugely saddened to announce the tragic news that one of our most valuable and hardest working committee members, Nick Lucy, of Reach Marketing, passed away suddenly last Friday.

Nick has worked tirelessly and way beyond the call of duty for our cause and his consistently enthusiastic efforts on the behalf of Friends of The Tenth can account for our considerable attention by various media, social, TV, Radio and newspapers over the last year.

Our sincere condolences to his wife, Caroline and their families. He will be sorely missed.

RIP Nick – You were truly a great and dedicated friend of The Tenth.

FRIENDS Of The Tenth have achieved another important milestone in their mission to raise £75,000 for a commemorative sculpture . . . after being granted charitable status.

The group applied to the Charity Commission, the Regulator for Charities in England and Wales, to be legally registered in order to provide further impetus for their fund-raising activities.

That application has been successful, so Friends of the Tenth now has the registered charity number 1176669 which will be included on all its documentation and official correspondence.

With more than £17,000 already raised for the commemorative sculpture in honour of the 10th Battalion, the Parachute Regiment, this latest development is a further boost.

Group Chairman Alec Wilson, one of three Charity Trustees, commented: “To be legally registered as a charity now is an official hallmark for what we are trying to achieve with this mission.

“One of the immediate doors which it opens is our capacity to apply to HMRC for Gift Aid. If we can obtain that, it will make a considerable difference to how much we can raise.”

He added: “As much as anything though, it shows we are complying to good practice and that will be reassuring to members of the public when considering whether to support us.

“We are accountable and trustworthy, while the group’s constitution has clearly defined objectives. These are all important criteria of being able to obtain this registered status.”

As well the Group’s Chairman, the other two nominated Charity Trustees are Tim Hall-Wilson and Madeline Gibbard, who is Friends of the Tenth Secretary.

FRIENDS OF The Tenth have hailed the “incredible generosity” of fund-raisers who have helped them to take a significant step towards their £75,000 target for a commemorative sculpture to honour the 10th Battalion, the Parachute Regiment.

The appeal fund doubled to almost £15,000 within the space of a few days, largely due to a donation of £5,110 raised by the Pegasus Appreciation Group from an auction which was held among their members on Social Media during November.

In addition to that major boost, Friends of the Tenth also received further money from one of their major supporters, 10 Para, and £1,800 recently donated by Everards from proceeds of sales of a special guest beer, Myrtle, in September.

“Suddenly, that £75,000 target doesn’t seem quite as far away now, and that is due to the incredible generosity of people who have pledged their support to our cause,” commented Alec Wilson, Chairman of the Friends of the Tenth group.

“We can’t thank them enough, especially as we know so many of them are by no means finished yet with what they hope to raise for the appeal.”

“We are barely three months into our mission to raise this substantial amount, so we are delighted with the progress which has been made so far.

He added: “With people like Rich Greasley and Lee Crichton from Pegasus Appreciation Group and Terry Lowe from 10 Para on board, not to mention many others too who have given so much support, I know that we will achieve our aim.”

The Pegasus Appreciation Group chose Friends of the Tenth as their Charity of the Month for November when they held an online auction among the 2,400 members on their closed Facebook group which proved as popular as ever.

“The success of this latest Charity of the Month event means we have now raised over £70,000 from our auctions in 2017, which in itself will be encouraging to Friends of the Tenth as they aim to reach the £75,000 mark,” commented Greasley.

“It seemed quite appropriate for us to help this cause because many of our members have served in the 10th Battalion at some point or other over the years, and being local in Leicester, I was well aware of the launch of this particular appeal.”

He added: “We put together a selection of original, rare and limited-edition items for auction, and the support we got was absolutely tremendous.”

Friends of the Tenth have in turn shown their appreciation of the fund-raising undertaken by Terry Lowe which has led to the latest donation from 10 Para.

The group has already received proceeds from a 10 Para reunion weekend in October, while Lowe has added several donations from sales of items, including badges and t-shirts.

Now, they have presented a further £2,000 which had been held in the Croydon Parachute Regiment Association since it was raised by a Christmas function two years ago.

“Terry’s energy and enthusiasm for helping our cause is truly remarkable and we are indebted to both him and Colonel John Power for this latest donation,” said Wilson.

Pictured are (from left to right): Pat Fynn (Somerby Parish Council), Alec Wilson (Chairman of Friends of the Tenth), Rich Greasley (Pegasus Appreciation Group), Tim Hall-Wilson (Friends of the Tenth).