Friends of the Tenth was registered as a charity in 2018 with a clear mission: to remember and honour the legacy of the WW2 10th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment – a unit destroyed during the Battle of Arnhem. Each September, we host a reunion and commemoration to mark the anniversary of that historic and tragic battle.
Our proudest achievement to date is the creation of a dedicated memorial garden, home to a number of poignant tributes. At its heart stands Graeme Mitcheson’s striking triptych sculpture, The Best of Times During the Worst of Times. One side captures the camaraderie, humour and good times the 10th Battalion shared during their nine months in Leicestershire in 1944. The other side bears the names of the Fallen, alongside a moving scene from the woods of Arnhem and the poignant inscription from ‘By Air to Battle,1945’ entitled – They fought on, they fought on.
This remarkable work has now been complemented by the addition of a memorial pathway, inscribed with more than 600 names of those who were serving with the Battalion at the time of the Battle of Arnhem, when they parachuted 60 miles behind enemy lines in a heroic but ill-fated attempt to secure the bridges over the River Rhine. Nearly 100 of them never returned.
From the outset, it was always our ambition to ‘name in stone’ all the men of the Battalion – not only those who fell, but also the survivors. Such a tribute maybe not unique, but is rare, and ensures that every man’s service and sacrifice will be remembered.
Thanks to the generosity of supporters – especially several next of kin of Battalion members – we have now raised the £27,000 needed to complete the pathway. We are particularly grateful to Barratt Redrow PLC for their outstanding donation of £15,000, and to Melton Mowbray Borough Council for their grant of £3,000.
The Memorial Pathway will be officially unveiled and dedicated during our annual service of commemoration and reunion on Saturday 13th September 2025
The 10th Battalion Memorial Pathway Donors
We thank the following for their generosity –
Barratt Developments PLC
Steve & Nic Gornall, Seaport Engineers Ltd
Andrew (Charlie) McColgan
Bryan Burnikell
Laura Briggs
Jeremy Heygate
Richard Chevis (In memory of: Cpl J W Chevis 6400518 ‘A’ Coy)
Alan James
Norman Bishop
Bill Stokoe
John Fitzgibbon
Derek Maylor
Terry Lowe
Nigel Gunn
Alexandra Dembitz (In memory of: Pte Denzil Meyer Keen 6292817 ‘A’ Coy KIA)
Sally & Les Dyos (In memory of: Pte Frank Burton 4975961 ‘A’ Coy)
Karen Medhurst
John James
Paul Pariso
Steve Infield (In memory of: Lt Gerald Infield, 3rd Parachute Bn Arnhem)
Sue Clapson
Andy Sloper
Denise Earnshaw
Richard Drake
Mark Burgess (In memory of: Lt William Burgess 172168 ‘B’ Coy KIA)
David, Alan, Clive, Paul and Colin Wilmott (In memory of: Pte Albert Wilmott 4078589 ‘B’ Coy)
Ian Maguire
Liset Vos-van Der Ven
Tom Pooley (In memory of: Pte Victor Gregg 6913933 ‘S’ Coy)
Roy Lewis
Julie Thompson
Darren Dunne
Christopher Bower (In memory of: Pte George Albert Bower, 4746376 ‘HQ’ Coy)
Jill Thomas
Royal Cornwall Branch Parachute Regimental Association
Celia Bishop
Margaret Winter
Roy Hill (In memory of: Pte William Courcha, 14665231 ‘S’ Coy)
Arjan & Liesbeth Vrieze (In memory of: L/Cpl Harry Dicken, 14410900 ‘HQ’ Coy)
Dave Howard
Richard Drake
Sally Lothian (In memory of: Pte William Courcha, 14665231 ‘S’ Coy)
Anonymous (In memory of: Tony Constable, 6402051 ‘S’ Coy)
Anonymous (In memory of: Pte Peter Wyke, 14219746 ‘B’ Coy)
Douglas Martin
Anonymous (In memory of: Pte Alex Wilson, 5573609 ‘HQ’ Coy)
Anonymous (In memory of: Pte William Barham, 1470057)
Dawn & Fred Wilson, the Burrough Court Estate
Anonymous (In memory of: Pte Denzil Meyer Keen 6292817 ‘A’ Coy KIA)
Anonymous (In memory of: Sgt Harry Houghton 3316885 ‘A’ Coy)
Anonymous (In memory of: C/Sgt Kenneth McThoy 6403389 ‘HQ’ Coy)
Brian Quarendon
Andy Shurbourne (In memory of: Pte Reginald Shurbourne 5617111 ‘B’ Coy)
Francis Holland
Jackie Dennett (In memory of: Pte Victor Gregg 6913933 ‘S’ Coy)
Lucy Jenks (In memory of: Lt Col Kenneth Smyth 36876)
Brian Macdonald
