MR HARRY MARSTON (Late)
Veteran of the Second World War
Harry was born in 1927 into a happy but ever expanding family brood of seven children consisting of three brothers and four sisters, Harry subsequently becoming fifth in line.
Harry attended Bramley National School where he soon stood out as a keen and skilled sportsman especially in cricket and rugby League which culminated in Harry playing in the School rugby side which won the Yorkshire Cup.
Harry left school at the age of fourteen and gained employment as a box compositor with Alf Cooks the printers in Leeds. However Harry didn’t settle and gained an apprenticeship with Smith Engineers in Rodley which manufactured cranes.
The War was on and Harry being just sixteen felt he needed to be part of history. His answer was to catch the bus to Leeds where he walked into the Army Recruiting Office in Templar House, Lower Briggate and enlisted. Harry was just five months over his sixteenth Birthday, the Year was 1943.
Harry duly reported to Richmond Barracks in Yorkshire with two young Irish boys of the same age, one was called Carrol the other Boyle, both of whom had deserted from the Southern Irish Army and made their way to Leeds to Join the British Army. On completion of his basic training Harry was posted to the 11th Battalion the Green Howard’s. From now on it was continuous training and on D-Day +21 Harry entered the war as part of the 21st Army Group under command of General Montgomery. He and the rest of the Battalion arrived in the early hours of the morning at Lille in France by Glider, and the first thing Harry did was have a nervous leak!!
Shortly after arriving in France Harry’s Battalion moved north into Belgium and began operations against the Germans. These operations culminated in the attacks against Eindhoven and Nijmegen in the Netherlands under the command of General Horrocks. This phase of operations was part of the ill fated Operation Market Garden which had begun on the 17th September with an Airborne Assault led by the 1st (British) Airborne Division on Arnhem whose objective was to capture the bridge.
It was around the 22nd -23rd just south of the bridge at Nijmegen that Harry was seriously wounded. Having been treated in the Battalion Regimental Aid Post he was transferred to the 105th Canadian Field Hospital, and subsequently moved back to the 108 General Hospital in Brussels for further treatment and rest.
Having made a good recovery and very much to Harry’s surprise and delight he was posted back to England finally arriving at a transit camp outside Weymouth.
It was here that Harry first came into contact with the Parachute Regiment. He and fourteen other soldiers from his Battalion were informed that they were being transferred to the South Staffordshire Regiment. ’Like hell’ was the response to which they were given the alternative of joining the Parachute Regiment (if you can pass the selection) and if you fail that, you will certainly go to the South Staffs.
Harry joined the Airborne at Ringway where he palled up with a LEEDS lad, Vic Hessel who was a Sergeant Instructor in the RAF. Having passed the selection and gained his wings Harry was posted to the 6th Welsh (RWF) which was serving in Palestine and based at a camp near Tel Aviv. History and a fleeting friendship was about to catch up with Harry.
Reporting to the Company office he was astounded to meet one of the boys he had joined the Army with In Leeds. The boys name was Carroll and he was now a Company Sergeant Major in Harry’s Battalion, This meeting went on to lead to a long friendship between the two men, as did his great friendship with jack Ives, Jim Latimer, and Albert Mckuska who served on the North West Frontier as a soldier prior to the outbreak of the Second world war.
At the cessation of all Hostilities in Palestine in 1948 Harry returned to England and his Apprenticeship with Smiths Engineering in Rodley.
At the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 Harry was once again on his way to the Recruiting Office in Templar House Lower Briggate Leeds. However he was unsuccessful this time being told to B….. Off and give others a chance at seeing a bit of the world, or words to that affect.
In 1954 Harry married Patricia Bowyer and on the 18th of September this year 2005, Harry and Patricia celebrated their 51st Wedding Anniversary.
copyright
Peter Doran
