the village to rubble.
Capture and Escape
In this inferno, Paddy performed one of his most remarkable acts of
bravery. Spotting a wounded signaller in need of urgent care, he carried
him to a dressing station—unaware it had already been captured by
German troops. Paddy was taken prisoner and ordered to work as
a medical orderly. But captivity was never an option for him. On a
night of torrential rain, under cover of darkness, he slipped through a
window and crawled through sodden ground, evading German patrols.
Exhausted but determined, he rejoined the remnants of his division
near the river. He managed to reach Nijmegen, joining remnants of the
1st Airborne Division and received orders to lead the convoy down to
Louvain.
On the night of 25–26 September, in a monsoon of rain and under
relentless enemy re, the survivors of the 1st Airborne were withdrawn
across the Rhine during Operation Berlin. Of the 10,005 men who
landed at Arnhem, 1,485 were killed, 6,414 were captured, and only
2,398 made it back. It has been the subject of debate in the subsequent
years as historians seek to unpick the reasons for the failure.
For his courage and resourcefulness, Paddy was Mentioned in
Despatches, an honour recorded in the London Gazette on 10 May
1945.
After the War
After Arnhem, Paddy continued to serve with distinction. In early
1945, he completed parachute training at RAF Ringway, qualifying on
Course 151 (30 January – 16 February) and earning his wings. In May,
he deployed to Norway as part of Operation Doomsday, tasked with
disarming German forces and maintaining stability during the surrender.
Paddy remained in the Army after the war ended, his career spanning
some of the most complex periods of British military history. His postings
included:
• Palestine (1946–1948) during the nal years of the British
Mandate, a time of escalating violence and political turmoil.