DAVINA BATES (1937–2025) and MICHAEL BATES (1935–2025)

We remember Davina and Michael Bates, who so sadly passed away within weeks of one another – perhaps unsurprising, as they were inseparable in life. We will dedicate two plaques in their memory, to be placed together on our oak Friends of Friends of The Tenth memorial post.

Davina was our Somerby stalwart – the very first to step forward in 2016 to support Friends of The Tenth, when the idea of a memorial to the Battalion was first brought before Somerby Parish Council. And of course, where Davina was, Michael was too – in all things, they were a team.

As one of the few remaining villagers who remembered the ‘Paras’ in Somerby during 1944, Davina was a living link to the past. She shared her childhood memories with humour and warmth – from watching young soldiers queue at her father’s bakery for cakes and pastries, to delighting Somerby schoolchildren in recent years with stories of wartime village life, including her famous tale of trying to eat her first banana (skin and all!).

Together, Davina and Michael gave so much of themselves to FoTT. Tirelessly spreading our story far and wide, and warmly welcoming veterans and their families back to the village. In Somerby and beyond, they became synonymous with all things relating to the 10th Battalion.

Their generosity was remarkable – not just through donations and thoughtful gifts (including the Stilton cheese and Melton pork pies they always brought to our gatherings) – but above all through their time, their energy, and their friendship.

A very special gift to our cause is the granite setts that now surround the sculpture in the Memorial garden. Once part of the original Somerby pavement, they were carefully gathered and preserved by Michael when the village pathways were ‘modernised’. Upon these very stones, the men of the Tenth once walked. In themselves, they stand as another memorial — to both Davina and Michael.

Davina often said her greatest wish was that Somerby would always welcome the ‘Paras’ and their families, just as it had during those nine months in 1944 before Arnhem. Long before our charity was founded, through their kindness, love, and dedication, Davina and Michael helped to keep that spirit of welcome alive.

At  All Saints church, Somerby, just outside the main entrance, you will see a Friends of The Tenth Rose, planted by them.

They were a truly lovely couple, who meant so much to us all, and whose loss will be deeply felt.

With love and gratitude,
Friends of The Tenth

We will, as usual, hold our annual commemoration this year at the 10th Battalion Memorial. We will also be ‘officially’ unveiling and dedicating the new Memorial Pathway which hold the names of the men who were part of the Battalion at the time of Operation Market Garden.

This is the itinerary –

‘ENGLAND TO ENGLAND via Holland, Germany & Belgium’ – The Arnhem War Diaries of Major Frank Lindley, 10th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment

An extraordinary first-hand account of the Battle of Arnhem, seen through the eyes of a no-nonsense front-line officer.

Major Frank Lindley, Officer Commanding Support Company, 10th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, kept a detailed and deeply personal diary during his captivity following the Battle of Arnhem. His entries provide a vivid, day-by-day chronicle of the battalion’s movements, actions, and struggles — from departure at Somerby to the fierce fighting at Ginkel Heide and the Oosterbeek Perimeter, culminating in his wounding and captivity as a prisoner of war.

Frank Lindley’s writing is direct, often dryly humorous, and always evocative. He captures not just military manoeuvres but the personalities, camaraderie, and courage of the men under his command. His words bring the battle — and its human cost — into stark relief.

This remarkable diary is enriched with biographical material outlining Lindley’s journey from working-class roots in Doncaster and early service in the Scots Guards as an enlisted man, to his wartime commission and postwar military career across the Middle East, West Africa, and the British Army of the Rhine. A veteran of 25 years, Lindley’s story is one of resilience, leadership, and integrity.

Lovingly compiled by his granddaughter, Jade Lindley, and Grahame Warner of Friends of The Tenth, this edition draws exclusively from Lindley’s original wartime archive, entrusted to his family.

Features:

• A4 softback, 84 full-colour pages
• Over 50 rare photographs and operational maps
• Unpublished personal diary entries
• Annotated with historical context and commentary

A must-read for military historians, Arnhem scholars, and anyone interested in the personal experience of war.

100% OF PROCEEDS TO THE CHARITY

Price £15.00 plus postage & packing

Click this safe and secure link or visit our website to buy a copy

https://friendsofthetenth.co.uk/product/england-to-england

An important statement from Friends of The Tenth

When we formed our charity, a main objective was to ‘name in tablets of stone all the members of the Battalion at the time of the Battle of Arnhem’.

This mission will be accomplished by September this year with the installation of a Memorial pathway. More than twenty York stone slabs will be laid in the Memorial Garden oval path.

Each stone will be inscribed with approximately thirty names. The total, of more than 600 names, will identify those who were serving with the battalion from mid to late 1944. The path will, of course, include those, already named on the Memorial, who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

The total cost is £27,000. We hope that you may be able to support this project. We have already received a hugely generous donation, covering more than half the cost, from our long-term supporter, Barratt Developments Ltd.

You may be a next of kin, family of one of those brave young men, or you may feel an association or have a connection. We will be very grateful if you wish to donate in memory of one individual soldier or all of them. You can donate and, if you wish add UK Gift Aid, by clicking this safe and secure link.

https://gofund.me/2297c349

Another way to support this project is to buy from our online shop where we have unique books and prints for sale.

https://friendsofthetenth.co.uk/shop/

During the course of the next few months, we will also be offering special items for auction