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82nd
AIRBORNE MEMORIAL DAY
Braunstone Hall,
Leicestershire
2nd
September 2006
Earlier in the year a local
Leicestershire branch of the Royal British Legion asked me
if The First Allied Airborne Association could help with an
event taking place in September in Braunstone Park. The
Legion Secretary was a good friend of Ann Becker, the widow
of our late association president Warrant Officer Ed Becker,
505th PIR, so I was not initially surprised that
this branch of the Royal
British
Legion
knew of us.
The event was a park event; not
particularly WWII based, but laid on to develop the history
of the park, which has been there for many centuries. Of
course in WWII the park played a very important part.
During the Second World War,
Braunstone Park
was put to agricultural use.
Wheat, barley and potatoes were
some of the crops grown while sheep grazed the remaining
pasture
land.
The Local Home Guard was based in Braunstone Hall, the park
keeper being amongst their detachment. Mr. D.C. Hamilton
remembers being on sentry duty when a land mine was dropped
and exploded on the park. The park keeper was on duty at the
time of the incident and was duly dispatched to locate the
mine, which he did when he fell into the crater in the pitch
black of night!
Between 1943 and 1945 the 168 Battery of the Royal Artillery
and the 52nd/53rd Field Regiment Royal Artillery were
stationed on the park. The 53rd Regiment coming directly
from active service in Italy in June 1945.
Throughout this period Braunstone Hall School remained open
coping with the many difficulties that arose from being
surrounded by a “friendly invasion”.
On 14th February 1944, the American 82nd Airborne Division
arrived in Braunstone with Major General Mathew B. Ridgeway
as their Divisional Commander. Victoria Park was the major
camp in Leicester with the Divisional Headquarters on
Braunstone Park. The War Room was set up and staffed
twenty-four hours a day. The nissen huts, erected in advance
of their arrival, were to be their home for the coming
months.
The 82nd Airborne Division was formed on the 15th August
1942 for service in North Africa. They had been on active
service in Sicily and Italy before the troops were pulled
out to come to England in preparation for “Overlord” and the
D Day Landings in Normandy.
During their stay in Braunstone, General Gavin was appointed
Commander of the 82nd, becoming the youngest General since
the American Civil War.
After the war, due to the severe housing shortage,
the camp was used to house displaced families until
permanent homes could be found for them.
It was due to the World War Two History of
the Park, especially the Hall that encouraged the Legion to
concentrate their efforts in marking this part of the parks
history with Military displays illustrating WWII and in
particular the 82nd Airborne Division.
This event was to take place at the beginning
of September, right in the middle of several major events,
so attendance was not expected to be high from the group,
however support was mustered from other Airborne related
groups and come the day several groups such as the 82nd
Living History Association and 508th PIR Living
History Group joined FAAA at the Park.
The area in which we had been given to
display in was very appropriate as this was the area where
in WWII the main Braunstone Camp was situated, the concrete
road laid for the camp still survived and it was not very
hard to imagine how it would have been sixty odd years
before.
On arrival,
the weather was appalling and it was feared it would be a
washout, however after about an hour the rain eased off and
eventually stopped and work went ahead to erect a few tents
and get a display arranged. The 82nd LHA and
508PIR LHG were terrific in their enthusiasm and without
them there would have been little for the public to see.
The FAAA went to work on setting up the Flag poles in the
memorial Garden, one flying the American National Flag of
the period and the other of the 82nd Airborne
Division. The location marked where early in the sixties
the memorial stone to the Division was unveiled and the
memorial garden open. The memorial stone and plaque now
reside in the walled garden behind the old stable block, a
depressing sign of the times I fear!
All in all a good day for us, the rain held
off and we did our bit to help the people of Braunstone
remember what went on here in WWII. A godsend was Kate and
Shelly’s WVS stall providing hot tea and Coffee all day, boy
how those girls work.
As to the hall, well it is in a sorry state
and I would guess that if any of the 82nd Staff
who worked there could see it today they would be very upset
to see such a fine building looking the way it does now.
However part of our job was to highlight the recent historical
importance of the building and it is hoped that one day soon
the money that we know is there can be used to restore this
fine structure to it original splendid condition.
We will be back when that great day comes.
Lee Bowden
First Allied Airborne Association
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