Life Story
Major-General John Frost was one of Britain’s most distinguished
paratroop commanders, best remembered for leading a small but
determined force that held the northern end of Arnhem bridge for four
days during the Battle of Arnhem in September 1944. His deance
against overwhelming odds made him a legendary gure within the
British Airborne Forces.
.
Early Life
Born on New Year’s Eve, 1912, John was the son of General F. D.
Frost of the Indian Army. Growing up in India came with an early sense
of adventure. When he was only three weeks old his father shot and
killed a snake crawling up the side of his cot. When he was eight, the
train on which he and his governess were travelling to Baghdad was
attacked by mounted men ring at the gallop. He became an expert
rider at a young age, and by nine he was chasing jackals on horseback.
The Frost family returned to England during the First World War, in
which his father distinguished himself with the Military Cross and
ve mentions in despatches. Later postings took the family back to
Mesopotamia, where the young John began to learn Arabic and absorbed
a sense of the wider world that would serve him throughout his career.
Frost was educated initially at Wellington College, before transferring to
Monkton Combe School in Somerset as his parents were disappointed
at his lack of academic progress. It doesn’t seem that the young Frost
approved of this move, as he left the school of his Who’s Who entry.
On leaving school he decided to follow in his fathers military footsteps
and joined the army, attending the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.
Here he learned how to ride properly, as well as boxing, and the
standard sports for a young man of the era - shooting, shing and
golf.—disciplines that suited his adventurous spirit.