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Introduction

This short article has been written as a small tribute to the good folk of Gelderland in the Netherlands and those members of the 1st The Battalion Border Regiment who took part in 'Operation Market Garden' in September 1944. Gelderland is that part of the Netherlands where Oosterbeek and Arnhem lie. The 1st Battalion of the Border Regiment formed part of the British 1st Airborne Division that attempted to take and hold the bridge at Arnhem, the last bridge crossing the Rhine that would have allowed the Allies to enter Germany before the winter of 1944 / 1945.

There were of course, other units who also formed part of the 1st Airborne Division at Arnhem, which are not referred to in this article. Their role in the airborne landings in the Arnhem area must be acknowledged and quite rightly has been written about by other researchers. The main reason for concentrating on 1st Border in this article is because the Regimental HQ of the Border Regiment has traditionally been based at Carlisle in my home county of Cumberland (now Cumbria).

The information for this article has been obtained from various sources, including personal visits to the Arnhem area in the Netherlands (the Oosterbeek / Arnhem area) and the Border Regiment and KORBR Museum at Carlisle Castle, Cumbria. More detailed information about the role of the Border Regiment in ‘Operation Market Garden’ can be found either at the Border Regiment Museum, or in one of three reference books concerning the Regiment, listed at the end of this article.

The Borders at Arnhem

Operation Market Garden began on Sunday 17 September 1944 and lasted until 26 September 1944. Soldiers serving with the 1st Borders took part in 9 days fierce fighting with the Germans. The 1st Battalion The Border Regiment was due to have been commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Tommy Haddon (Service No 5814). Lieutenant-Colonel Haddon’s glider took off with the first lift on 17 September, but it was forced to make a forced landing while still over Oxfordshire in the UK.

Taking off with the second glider lift on 18 September, Lieutenant-Colonel Haddon’s replacement glider this time had one wing shot off near Antwerp and a crash landing had to be made. This meant that while the battle for the Arnhem bridgehead was being fought by his unit, Lieutenant-Colonel Haddon, C.O. of 1st Border had to proceed by land after linking up with a battalion of the Dorset Regiment. He eventually managed to reach the Oosterbeek area alone late on the following Sunday, 24 September, and then had the great misfortune of being taken prisoner by the Germans a while attempting to find his unit the following morning, only hours before the unit withdrew back across the Rhine.

In the absence of Lieutenant-Colonel Haddon, Major Stuart Cousens (Service No 63589), formerly of the Royal Inniskillen Fusiliers, but at that time second in command of 1st Border, took over command of the battalion while the battle was taking place. Additionally, Major Charles F.O. Breese (Service No 66138) C.O. of ‘D Company’ took over as acting second in command of the battalion at the Battalion HQ, with Captain Bill Hodgson (Service No 129359) taking command of ‘D Company’.

Another officer with ‘D Company’ was Lieutenant Alan T. Green (Service No 247201), who commanded No 20 Platoon. Alan Green went on to write a detailed account of 1st Border at the Battle of Arnhem, drawing upon the contemporary War Diaries, other contemporary documents and later personal memories of many those who fought with the Battalion at Arnhem (see below). In addition to No 20 Platoon, ‘D Company’ of 1st Border during Operation Market Garden consisted of 21 Platoon, commanded by Lieutenant Philip S. Holt (Service No 295834), 22 Platoon commanded by Lieutenant George E.T. Brown (Service No 162499) and 19 Platoon commanded by Lieutenant John M. Bainbridge (Service No 138694).

What happened during the Battle of Arnhem between 17 September and 26 September has become legendary. It is not the intention in this article to describe in any great detail everything that happened to the 1st Borders during these nine days. Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery summed up the courage of all the British troops who fought in the battle by making the following tribute:

“In years to come it will be a great thing for a man to be able to say, ‘I fought at Arnhem’.”

The records show that 1st Border had 41 officers and 754 other ranks of soldiers who took part in Operation Market Garden. Nine days later, after withdrawal, on 26 September 1944 a roll call of men listed only 9 officers and 241 other ranks had returned. At that time, all the rest were either dead, wounded, missing or had been taken prisoner. The Battalion had a higher casualty rate of dead and wounded than any other Battalion in the 1st Airborne Division.

Of those Border Regiment officers mentioned in this section, as has already been noted Lieutenant-Colonel Tommy Haddon became a POW for the rest of the war. The Acting C.O. of 1st Border during the battle, Major H.S. Cousens managed to get evacuated with the remnants of the Battalion. Major C.F.O. Breese was wounded during the battle, but was able to evacuate. Captain W.K. Hodgson died of wounds sustained in the battle and was aged 24. He is buried at Oosterbeek War Cemetery (Grave Reference 1.C.2). Captain Hodgson came from Milnthorpe, Westomorland (now part of Cumbria).

Officers and men serving with ‘D Company’ also had a hard time during the battle, as is evident by looking purely at what happened to the Officers Commanding. Lieutenant A.T. Green (20 Platoon) was wounded several times and became a Prisoner of War. He managed to survive the war to rejoin the Battalion in 1945, and later did a lot of research work and has written or co-written a lot about what actually happened to the men in the regiment during the Battle of Arnhem.

Lieutenant P.S. Holt (21 Platoon) was killed in action and only 19 years old when he died. He now lies at rest in Oosterbeek War Cemetery (Reference 22.C.18). Also killed in action was the 28 year old Lieutenant G.E.T. Brown (22 Platoon) who originally came from Keswick, Cumberland (now Cumbria). Lieutenant Brown has no known grave but is commemorated on the Groesbeek Memorial near Nijmegen (Panel 4). Lieutenant J.M. Bainbridge (19 Platoon) was wounded and was made a POW.

There is insufficient space in an article of this nature to list what happened to everyone who served with 1st Borders during the Battle of Arnhem, but a good summary can be found in the first two references listed at the end of this article. Also, there are a few articles that have been submitted to the ����ý “People‘s War” project with more specific details about some of those who served with 1st Border in 1944.

In 1989, Lieutenant-Colonel Tommy Haddon wrote the introduction to Alan Green’s book about the battle, paying tribute to those who gave their lives in the battle, the wounded, those who cared for the wounded and the local Dutch people. Many Dutch people helped the Allied troops during the battle, and in some cases harboured soldiers from the Germans for many weeks or months after the withdrawal at great cost to themselves.

A strong bond that still continues

Ever since the Battle of Arnhem there has been a special bond between the Dutch people from the Arnhem / Oosterbeek area and all the troops that came to liberate them in the autumn of 1944, not just those from 1st Border. Many local people take great pride in looking after the graves of the Allied troops who are buried in the British War Cemetery at Oosterbeek. Additionally, the Airborne Museum at Oosterbeek is dedicated to ensuring the real story of what happened is not forgotten. This is based at the former Hotel at Hartenstein that became the Divisional Headquarters during the battle.

Ever since 1945, there has been a special commemorative service for those who fought in the Battle of Arnhem. The local Dutch people have welcomed back the old comrades of the Market Garden Association, their family and friends many times. With each passing year, the numbers with personal memories of what happened in September 1944 inevitably get fewer. At the time of writing this article (September 2005) there are many who do still remember. Their hope is that these memories will be passed on to future generations.

In the autumn of 1994, the 50th Anniversary year of ‘Operation Market Garden’ I was able to visit the Oosterbeek / Arnhem area. Even as someone born after the war, I was made very welcome by the local Dutch people particularly when they learned I spoke with a Cumbrian accent rather than a German accent! Many memories of the war years have been passed on to the younger generations in the Gelderland region of the Netherlands.

As part of the 50th Anniversary commemorations of ‘Operation Market Garden’ the Airborne soldiers who took part paid for a Memorial honouring the courage and friendship they had found among the locals. The hope of the all the British and Polish Airborne troops who had fought together against the Germans was that the strong bond with the Dutch people that began in September 1944 would live on. This is the wording on the Memorial:

TO THE PEOPLE OF GELDERLAND
50 years ago British and Polish Airborne soldiers fought here against overwhelming odds to open the way into Germany and bring the war to an early end. Instead we brought death and destruction for which you have never blamed us.

This stone marks our admiration for your great courage, remembering especially the women who tended our wounded. In the long winter that followed your families risked death by hiding Allied soldiers and airmen, while members of the Resistance helped many to safety.

You took us into your homes as fugitives and friends,
We took you into our hearts.
This strong bond will continue
Long after we are all gone.

1944 — September — 1994

These heartfelt words convey far better than anything I could write about the bond of friendship between the Dutch and their would-be liberators that began in 1944. This bond has been strengthened over the passage of time.

Conclusion

It is difficult, perhaps in truth impossible, for anyone without personal memories of the Battle of Arnhem to comprehend the full meaning of the bond between the Dutch people and the Allies who fought at Arnhem. Nevertheless, having learnt a little of what it means to those who do remember, it is something that should not be forgotten.

The Airborne Museum at the Hartenstein Hotel at Oosterbeek pays a fine tribute to all those who took part in the battle in 1944. One phrase sums up the feelings of the Airborne troops and the Dutch people for each other: “We took you forever into our hearts”.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff at the Border Regiment and KORBR Museum, Carlisle Castle, Cumbria for information, advice and guidance while researching information about the Border Regiment. In particular, I would like to thank the Curator of the Museum, Stuart Eastwood and the Assistant Curator, Tony Goddard for giving me some of their valuable time and suggesting where to find sources of information on the Regiment during both World War Two and the Great War.

As stated in the introduction, it is not possible in a short article of this type to give many specific details about the role of the 1st Battalion The Border Regiment at Arnhem. More information can be found in the three books listed below, while many of the original documents on which they are based are in the Border Regiment Museum Archives at Carlisle Castle. To commemorate the 60th Anniversary of ‘Market Garden’ in 2004 the museum held an exhibition that highlighted the role of the 1st Battalion in the battle.

These are some of the books that have information about the 1st Battalion The Border Regiment at Arnhem (unfortunately I understand they are out of print in 2005):

1. ‘1st Battalion The Border Regiment ARNHEM’ by Alan T. Green (1991) published by the Museum of The Border Regiment and the KORBR.

2. 'When Dragons Flew' by Stuart Eastwood, Charles Gray and Alan Green (1994) published by Silver Link Publishing Ltd.

3. ‘Tried and Valiant’ by Douglas Sutherland (1972) published by Leo Cooper Ltd (pages 183 - 192).

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