1st Parachute Brigade

2nd Battalion – under Colonel John Frost

Bill Mason (regimental number 11007192) jumped at Arnhem on the 21st plane that went in on 17 September 1944. He was 21 years old. His wife, Violet, was pregnant. Bill was dropped about seven miles from Arnhem. The first time he came under fire was in the streets leading into Arnhem where the Dutch people were coming out cheering the regiment on. From nowhere, sudden machine gun fire rattled down the centre of the road and up the front of a house they had just ran past, eventually reaching the houses just before the bridge. Bill was in the mortars and the mortar pit was about 100m from the bridge. They were under constant sniper attacks every time they ran backwards and forwards to the pit. Bill was in house 12 on a corner. The command post was house 14 where Colonel John Frost was located. Due to bad planning such as batteries not charged for the radios and ammunition shortages, the 2nd Battalion gave their all – but rifles cannot beat tanks and after three days Bill was taken prisoner. Garry his eldest son was 6 weeks old when Bill came home after 9 months in a prisoner of war camp.

Prisoner of war number 075309.

Only the few.