On this day 21st September 1944 1ST AIRBORNE DIVISION – ARNHEM By 21st September 1944, the 1st Airborne Division’s perimeter is holding firm on all sides, but is under pressure from tanks and assault guns, supporting S.S. Panzer Grenadiers. They are backed up by ferocious barrages from mortars and artillery of all calibres from 20mm to 150mm. The artillery is around the Old Church near the Rhine. The eastern side…
On this day 20th September 1944 1ST AIRBORNE DIVISION – ARNHEM Reinforced by around 1000 men of the 1st and 4th Parachute Brigades, the 2nd South Staffords and the 7th King’s Own Scottish Borderers, the horseshoe-shaped position (perimeter) is formed by the divisional troops, around 3600 men, little more than thirty percent of the troops which have landed. The force at the bridge had to give up and the Germans…
On this day 19th September 1944 1ST AIRBORNE DIVISION – ARNHEM The attempts, in the town of Arnhem, to fight through to the British Force holding the northern end of the main road bridge had failed, and the survivors fell back to the little village of Oosterbeek. The units which had been defending the DZ’ s and LZ’s had now moved towards Oosterbeek as well, having been almost overrun trying…
On this day 18th September 1944 – 1ST AIRBORNE DIVISION – ARNHEM German resistance on the first day was stronger than expected and only the 2nd Parachute Battalion, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel John Frost, got through to the main objective along with elements of other units. The Divisional Commander, Major General Urquhart, and Brigadier Lathbury were both missing, so command was now in the hands of Brigadier Hicks…
On this day 17th September 1944 – 1st Airborne Division – Arnhem At 1 pm, 17 September 1944, the gliders carrying the 1st Airlanding Brigade, divisional staff, transport and guns land at Landing Zone ‘S’. They were preceded by the pathfinders who marked the Dropping Zones and Landing Zones with large letters and had contact with the tug planes with radio beacons. One hour after the gliders landed the 1st…
When the Oxf and Bucks went “A Bridge Too Far” The Battle of Arnhem and the subsequent defence of the Oosterbeek Perimeter have passed into legend and the subject of numerous books and films, meaning that the story of the Operation is quite well known by most who have an interest in military history, what is probably less known is the contribution of the Regiment in Operation Market Garden. Operation…
Stories from the SOFO Archives: Flight Lieutenant Bernard “Pop” Green RAFVR, MC Decorated Great War Officer in the Ox & Bucks, and in the Second World War, a Great Escaper and Long March Survivor Bernard Green from Bourne End, Bucks survived both the Great War and the Second World War – just. 2nd Lieutenant Bernard Green served with distinction in the First World War at Ypres, and on the Somme…
Oral Histories – Air Raids, Anderson Shelters and Evacuation Since SOFO began we haven’t just collected objects and records. Volunteers have helped us record the memories of Oxfordshire people affected by historic conflicts in the form of recorded oral history interviews. You can hear some of these in use in the museum’s galleries when you visit (such as in our Liberation of Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp, Airpower and D-Day displays), and…
SOFO Museum’s Reminiscence Pod A successfully funded project – with help from the local community! With support from West Oxfordshire District Council and the Tesco Bags of Help scheme, SOFO installed a Reminiscence Pod in the main gallery in 2019. The pod was unveiled during a special Collections Day event held at the museum on 2 November 2019, with content developed and curated by our Collections Manager Peggy, along with…
Operation Pig Ark – Uncovering an Anderson Shelter in 2019 In 2019 members of the SOFO Museum Team collected an Anderson shelter roof from a farm in Deddington, Oxfordshire, where it had been repurposed into a pig ark. The metal was attached to large wooden blocks which were anchored to the ground, so our team had to carefully prise the metal away from the wood to free it. The roof was in several parts…
