On Saturday 11^th September, Friends of The Tenth held a very well attended annual general meeting in Somerby Memorial Hall.

This was followed by an open afternoon and get-together in the Memorial Hall where the Charity’s historian and archivist, Grahame Warner, read the opening chapter from his forthcoming book, which is a comprehensive history of the Battalion – ‘Arnhem: Eight Days to Oblivion’.

During the afternoon, there was a sale of merchandise, especially popular were signed copies of ‘The Tenth Battalion Trail’.

Later, on Saturday afternoon, attention turned to the more serious business of the Remembrance Service at the 10^th Battalion Memorial, Burrough on the Hill.

The solemnity of the regular ‘At the Going Down of the Sun’ service was made even more poignant by the unveiling and dedication of a new and additional Memorial which remembers those of the post-war 10^th who lost their lives during their service.

Padre, Brian McAvoy led the service and gave special mention to recently deceased, Pam Henry-Lamm, widow of Battalion Intelligence Officer, Captain Myles Henry (KIA at Arnhem). Pam, from Auckland, New Zealand, who celebrated her 100^th birthday last November, has been such an important part in the story of the Tenth and was the greatest ‘long-distance’ supporter and inspiration in the creation of the Memorial. Few, who have watched, will ever forget Pam’s wonderful, filmed message played at the unveiling in September 2019.

Pam on her 100^th Birthday

Friends of The Tenth President, Jennifer Lady Gretton, laid the wreath to remember the, more than one-hundred, men of the 10^th who gave the ultimate sacrifice during WW2. Trustee and founder-member, Jeanie Holland, laid a wreath of the Battalion colours in honour of Pam Henry-Lamm, flags were later lowered to half-mast.

The post-war 10PARA Memorial         Colonel John Power and Padre, Brian McAvoy

The new Portland stone memorial for post-war 10PARA created by sculptor, Ivan Cudby, was unveiled by Nick Gunn, son of Major Douglas R Gunn who is remembered on the stone, and Colonel John Power of 10PARA. Colonel John’s inspiring words reminded every one of the unbroken chain and legacy that link the wartime and post war battalions.

The Airborne Riders at the 10^th Battalion Memorial

A glamorous old lady at the Memorial

The next day, Sunday, events moved to Somerby, the village that was the Battalion’s HQ and centre of all things in 1944, during the lead up to Operation Market Garden.

Children from Somerby School being inspected and congratulated by Major Sean Philips

Every year since 1945, a service has been held in All Saints Church and a parade of Paratroops through the village, led by the Seaforth Highlanders Pipes & Drums. Until very recently, the parade held veterans of the 10^th Battalion. Sadly now, to the best of knowledge, only one man from the Battalion remains standing, Victor Gregg. Vic, now 101 and quite frail, was unable to attend.

Forty-eight Paras march through Somerby

 The Seaforth Highlanders Pipes & Drums

The 77th Arnhem Service, All Saints, Somerby

Despite this year’s scaling down of events in the Netherlands, the 10^th Battalion was not forgotten.

Friends of The Tenth patron, Robert Voskuil and committee members, Liset Van der Vos and Arjan Vrieze with 10PARA’s Chris Dimond and Donal O’Brian, organised a wreath laying at the Battalion marker post on the Utrechtsweg, Oosterbeek.

The week before, Liset and son, Jelle, had remembered Pam Henry-Lamm by laying a beautiful posy of flowers on Myles Henry’s grave in the Arnhem Airborne Cemetery.

Flowers for Pam Henry-Lamm on Myles’ grave

Finally on Saturday 18^th September, the Airborne Riders, unable to journey to Arnhem, instead rode ‘Arnhem in Leicestershire’.

Following the Tenth Battalion Trail, they visited Somerby, Thorpe Satchville, Owston (wartime home of Captain Lionel Queripel VC) and Burrough on the Hill, where they laid a wreath at the Memorial. Their final RV was at Spanhoe Airfield, formerly RAF Spanhoe, the departure point for the 10^th Battalion on 18^th September 1944.

All Saints, Somerby

The Riders at the 10^th Battalion Memorial

Spanhoe Airfield

It’s a long way on this little fellow!

Pam Henry Lamm 1920 – 2021

It is with great sadness that we report the passing of Pam Henry-Lamm in Auckland, New Zealand. Pam passed away on Thursday 9th September, Pam would have celebrated her 101st birthday on the 10th November.

For the unveiling of the 10th Battalion in September 2019, Pam recorded this poignant yet uplifting video message which formed a major part of the film ‘Remembering The Tenth’, available from Friends of The Tenth.

Her daughter, Anna, told that after a fall on Tuesday and unsuccessful surgery, Pam died peacefully and without pain on Thursday 9th September. At the annual Memorial Service for the Battalion, on Saturday 11th September 2021, founder member, Jeanie Holland, laid a wreath for Pam. We have lowered our flags in Pam’s honour and memory.

Pam is the widow of the Battalion’s Intelligence Officer, Captain Myles Henry. Myles was killed in action on the 19th September 1944. He was killed during the carnage of the Battalion’s withdrawal across the Polish Glider Landing Zone.

This is Myles’ and Pam’s Story

Watch the video – click IMG 3336 below –

 IMG_3336

Watching the small platoon of D Company 4PARA, leaving the 10^th Battalion Memorial and heading off along the Tenth Battalion Trail, the hair on the back of my neck bristles as I feel the tangible pride of my father and his comrades looking down from that hallowed place of remembrance at Burrough on the Hill that overlooks the wartime DZ.

A lineage, just one year short of eighty, that began in the killing fields of El Alamein now so well represented by that line of young men on their way to the village of Somerby – the spiritual home of The Tenth.

The group was led by the new OC (Officer Commanding) of D Company, 4PARA, Major Sandy Rowell. The 4th Parachute Battalion is the Regiment’s reserve force and all the troopers, whilst fully trained and ready for operations (they have passed P Company and earned their wings and red berets) have full time civilian occupations.

We are delighted to welcome Sandy to FoTT as our Parachute Regiment Liaison Officer.

This is what Sandy had to say –“Many thanks for hosting 4 PARA, D Coy and providing just a very small part of the history of 10 PARA pre Arnhem at the spectacular and very moving memorial. We had a great day on the route and would like to thank those who opened the Church at Somerby and provided childhood memories of what 10 PARA got up to in the 9 months prior to them all deploying to Arnhem. The Pte’s and LCpl’s in D Coy, 4 PARA also had to provide wider regimental history when we arrived at each plaque. What a great trail to keep their memories alive for years and years to come! The trail guide is fantastic and I am sure the initial print will fly off the shelves; thanks to all those who created the book” Maj Sandy Rowell, OC D Coy, 4 PARA.

What a history, what a legacy these men carry on their broad shoulders. But! I hear you ask, El Alamein, how is that relevant to the history of the Regiment?

The brutal mauling and consequential losses of the 2^nd Battalion, The Royal Sussex, at the second battle of El Alamein during October and November 1942, led to its re-formation as a Volunteer Parachute Battalion, initially to be called ‘S’ Battalion (for Sussex). Army politics very quickly decreed that the ‘S’ was dropped, and the new battalion was to be – The 10^th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment.

From the original one hundred and fifty or so men and officers from 2RSR, which included names that would become legendary – Lionel Queripel, Myles Henry, are just two, the 10^th was brought up to strength by volunteers raised mainly by the efforts of the Tenth’s first and only commanding officer, Lt. Colonel Ken Smyth. In September 1943, the battalion experienced combat for the first time after being landed by sea at Taranto in Italy. At the end of that year the 10^th returned to England and on a snowy night, the 10^th December 1943, they arrived in East Leicestershire (‘High’ Leicestershire as it is known, due to its altitude relative to the rest of the county). This is where our story and the Tenth Battalion Trail begins.

Ken Smyth was never happy that his battalion was split amongst several locations, it would have been much preferable and easier to manage if, like the 156 Bn in Melton Mowbray, the 600 or so officers and men could have been accommodated as one unit. It was wartime and beggars are not to be choosers, so the 10^th was divided between the villages of Somerby, Burrough on the Hill and Thorpe Satchville. Even then, some men found accommodation in other close villages, the glaring example being Captain Lionel Queripel VC, who rented a tiny, basic cottage in Owston, a couple of miles from Somerby. Intelligence officer, Captain Myles Henry and his new bride, Pamela, thought themselves to be most fortunate to be billeted in a cosy little pub, the Stag and Hounds in Burrough on the Hill.

As any of you who have been soldiers would expect, the nine months that the 10^th spent in High Leicestershire was a combination of hard training and high jinks. For long after the war, this time was referred to by many veterans as ‘the best of times during the worst of times’ and it is no coincidence that this is sculptor, Graeme Mitcheson’s title of the 10^th Battalion York stone tryptic memorial at Burrough. The good times were to end the moment 582 men of the battalion boarded the 33 lorries that left Somerby for RAF Spanhoe in the early hours of September 18^th 1944.

Of those 582 men who left, only 36 returned two weeks later for the welcome home banquet laid on by the Land Army girls and villagers of Somerby. A number of stragglers came back in the following days and weeks, but most of the men of the 10^th were either killed, wounded and taken prisoner of war.

After the unveiling and dedication of the impressive, yet poignant, 10^th Battalion Memorial we (Friends of The Tenth) felt there was much more we could do to perpetuate the legacy and the idea was born of a trail linking the various locations important to the battalion’s history. Firstly, and with the permission of the owners, we fixed maroon heritage plaques which mark the buildings and sites used by the battalion in 1943 – 44. Because of the preponderance of footpaths and minor roads, it soon became clear that we could link these sites with not only a walk but also a cycle ride or drive. 10^th Battalion way-markers point the direction along the walking trail.

It’s a decent walk of about 15 miles which takes me, an older but keen walker, about 5 hours. The countryside is quiet, the views glorious and there are places to refresh, rest and lubricate along the way. You will be walking in the footsteps of heroes. I’m quite certain that when it is adopted by the Regiment as the 10PARA Tab, my time will probably be halved? I hope so!

And now, we have published a guidebook – ‘The Tenth Battalion Trail’. Not only does it do as it says on the tin – guide you including high resolution maps, but within is a concise history of the battalion, descriptions and histories of the various ‘stands’ as we call them, starting at the Memorial and ending at RAF Spanhoe. Particular attention is paid to some of the fascinating stories told by and about the members of the battalion during their time in High Leicestershire.

Alec Wilson, July 2021

This concise full colour volume of 114 pages and nearly 100 photos is a must read for walkers, military and local history buffs and those with a particular interest in the history and legacy of the Parachute Regiment. At £15 – a real bargain, snap one up from –

https://friendsofthetenth.co.uk/product/the-tenth-battalion-trail-guidebook/