Life Story
John Daniel Baskeyeld – always known as “Jack” – was born on 18
November 1922 in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England.
He was the son of Henry and Minnie Baskeyeld and grew up in a
working-class family. Before the Second World War, Jack worked as a
joiner and later at a local pottery factory. He was a quiet, modest young
man, deeply religious, and well-liked in his community.
Military Life
At the outbreak of the Second World War, Jack initially worked in a
reserved occupation. He became a butcher in 1940, and became the
manager of a co-op butchers in Pittshull. In 1942 he volunteered for
the British Army. He joined the South Staffordshire Regiment, later
becoming part of the 2nd Battalion, South Staffords, an airborne unit
trained for glider operations. By 1944 he had risen to the rank of Lance
Sergeant. Baskeyeld had his rst taste of action during Operation
Ladbroke, the glider phase of the Invasion of Sicily in 1943. Previous
to that, he spent time in North Africa with the 1st Airlanding Brigade.
They were not called on for the Normandy invasion in June 1944, and
so were ready and waiting for action as part of Market Garden.
Operation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden was Field Marshal Montgomery’s audacious
plan to seize bridges across the Netherlands and open a rapid route
into Germany. The British 1st Airborne Division, supported by the Polish
1st Independent Parachute Brigade, was tasked with capturing and
holding the vital Rhine bridge at Arnhem until relieved by advancing
ground forces.
The plan was high-risk. Airborne troops were expected to hold
their objectives for two to three days, but command had severely
underestimated German strength. The Allies dropped directly into the
path of two SS Panzer divisions, which were regrouping near Arnhem