Lance-Sergeant Harold PadfieldNiall Cherry, British representative of the Society of Friends of the Airborne Museum Oosterbeek, informed us about the loss of Arnhem veteran Harold Padfield.
Harold was a member of the 1st Parachute Squadron Royal Engineers and a staunch defender of the van Limburg Stirum school at the road bridge.
He was also Secretary of the Arnhem Veterans Club.
Recently he was diagnosed with cancer and had moved into a care home.
At the age of 93 he died on december 13th 2014.
His book on his life story 12 Mules and A Pegasus only came out in October this year.
Our sympathies go out to his family and friends!
Another hero passed away.
Details about his career:Harold Padfield enlisted into the Royal Engineers and volunteered for airborne forces during World War II.
He qualified as a military parachutist on course 40, which ran at RAF Ringway from 1 to 11 December 1942, having completed ground training at Hardwick in the preceding week.
Delays were experienced by the course owing to bad visibility and fog. Balloon descents were made in a wind of 12 to 16 mph and a thick mist, making exits from the balloon cage invisible from the ground!
Harold Padfield joined B Troop, 1st Parachute Squadron Royal Engineers, as a reinforcement in North Africa and deployed on operations to Sicily, Italy and Arnhem, where he served as a Lance Sergeant.
He was captured by the Germans, after fighting in the bridge area at Arnhem for four days and held as a prisoner of war at Stalag XIIA.
After a posting to 20 Bomb Disposal Sqn, Harold joined 1st Airborne Sqn RE in 1946 and served with them in Palestine, where he was promoted to Sgt of C Troop. He was later awarded a Mention in Despatches for actions in the field in 1948.
On returning to the UK in mid-1948, he was posted to the 9th Independent Airborne Squadron RE, with whom he served in Germany as Sergeant, 3 Troop.
Harold was promoted to Staff Sergeant in 1952 and later posted to 25 Engineer Regiment.
