The 5^th Parachute Brigade Headquarters, Defence Company.

The 5^th Parachute Brigade returned from Germany at the end of May 1945, and was sent straight on leave. When they returned to camp at Bulford, it was to the news they would be the ‘lead element’ for the 6^th Airborne Division going to the Far East.

This would entail the expansion of the then 5^th Parachute Brigade Headquarters, Defence Platoon into a Company. Reinforcements came from within the Brigade via volunteers, but at a stroke the unit was brought up to strength by the posting of two Officers and over ninety Other Ranks from the 2^nd Parachute Battalion, on the 28 June 1945. ^[1]

The Company Commander was to be Major John Webber, who had previously served as the Second-in-Command of ‘A’ Company, 7^th Parachute Battalion in Normandy. His actions in Normandy had earned him the award of the Military Cross.

The Defence Company Second-in-Command was to be Captain Dennis Rendell, who had previously served with ‘A’ Company, 2^nd Parachute battalion in North Africa, where he earned a Military Cross. He was captured there and then escaped from an Italian POW Camp and made it back to England, which earned him the award of a Member of the British Empire.

The three Platoon Commanders were Lt’s. D.O. Appleton, J.G. Reidy and A.H. Owen, plus a supernumerary officer, Lt. J. Lloyd. ^[2]

The Company Sergeant Major was to be W.O.II. Edward ‘Ted’ Dent. He had been one of the Army Parachute Instructors at RAF. Ringway, before the RAF. took over the running of all parachute training. He then volunteered to serve in a Parachute Unit and was posted to the 2^nd Battalion. He served as the Provost Sergeant for part of his time with the battalion, but by 1944 he was the Company Sergeant Major for ‘A’ Company.

By the end of July 1945 the Brigade Group was on its way to India, and was to set up in Bombay, and in September 1945 the Brigade took part in Operation ‘Zipper’. Upon completion of this they were withdrawn to Singapore.

In December 1945 the Brigade moved to Batavia, to undertake Internal Security operations. It was whilst here that Pte. Thomas Healey, of the Defence Company, died on the 4 January 1946. The stay in Batavia was cut short when the Brigade was re-deployed to Semarang in Java, with the advance parties flying there on the 9 January. They would remain there on Internal Security duties until early May 1946.

On the 5 May 1946, as the Brigade was moving back to Singapore there was an accident at the Nee Soon Transit Camp at 1800 hours, and two members of the Defence Company were killed, Pte’s. Frederick Brown & James Dinsmore.

The Brigade were then warned off for a move to the Middle east on the 30 June 1946, and all units are concentrated in Palestine by the end of July, beginning of August 1946. However, this is when the Brigade is informed that it is to be disbanded.

The disbandment of the whole of the 5^th Parachute Brigade Group, and therefore the Defence Company, was completed at 1200 hours, 31 August 1946 at Camp 22, Nathanya, Palestine.

NOTES:

[1] 2^nd Parachute Battalion. War Diary. Appendix A. June 1945.

[2] Field Return of Officers. 5^th Parachute Brigade HQ. September 1945.

Written and researched by Robert Hilton