Private. Stanley Aylward. 156 and 8th (Midlands) Parachute Battalions.

Stanley Aylward enlisted into the 6th Battalion, The Queen’s Royal (West Surrey) Regiment (Territorial Army) on the 2 November 1938, at Bermondsey in London. At this time he gave his date of birth as 9 March 1921, aged 17, and had been working as a labourer.

He was officially discharged from the TA on the enlistment into The Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment) on the 22 February 1939, when he gave his age as 18, and date of birth as 9  March 1920, and further declared his T.A. Service.

Stanley was posted to the HLI Depot on the 2 March 1939, and then to the 1st Bn, HLI on the 1 September 1939 With them he went to France, as part of the BEF (British Expeditionary Force) on the 29 September 1939. At this time the 1^st Bn, HLI was the Regular Army battalion in the 127^th (Manchester) Infantry Brigade, of the 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division.

However, on the 9 January 1940 he was posted back to the Infantry Training Centre in the United Kingdom, and then on the 30 January 1940, he was posted to the 11th Bn, HLI He then transferred to the Reconnaissance Corps and later joined the 51st Recce Regiment, and proceeded to the Middle East on the 17 June 1942. He is then listed as disembarking in Egypt on the 11 August 1942.

He had been promoted to unpaid lance Corporal on the 15 June 1940, with the paid rank of lance Corporal being authorised on the 27 August 1940, but on the 27 March 1941 he reverted to the rank of Private, at his own request, when he transferred to the Reconnaissance Corps.

He was then posted back to the HLI on the 14  January 1943.

Stanley then volunteered for Airborne Forces and was posted to the 156 Parachute Battalion on the 16 February 1943.

He did parachute course K25, which was conducted at Ramat David, Palestine in March 1943, and he completed five parachute descents to qualify as an Army Parachutist. [1]

He took part in ‘Operation Slapstick’, the 1st Airborne Division’s landings at Taranto, Italy in September 1943.

On the 22 November 1943 he embarked on the HMT ‘Staffordshire’, along with his unit, for return to the UK, disembarking at Liverpool on the 10 December 1943. He would be billeted at the Spinneys, Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire.

He was posted to the Depot and School Airborne Forces on the 6 July 1944, and then to the Airborne Forces Holding Unit on the 15 August 1944.

Stanley then joined the 8th Parachute Battalion on the 2 October 1944.

He was wounded on the 24  March 1945, on Operation ‘Varsity’: “I was wounded at Wesel, over the Rhine, coming down and was shot in the knee and I could not walk far, so I got in a shell hole, pulled a parachute over me and went to sleep until I was picked up by the medics.” [2]

He was released to the Section ‘B’ Reserves on the 15 June 1946, and then discharged from further military service on the 2 September 1946.

He was serving with The Parachute Regiment, reserve Battalion when he was provided with his Testimonial by the Commanding Officer on the 27 March 1946, and his ‘Military Conduct’ was noted as ‘Good’. In January 1970 he wrote to the Ministry Of Defence disputing this and his ‘Military Conduct’ was upgraded to ‘Very Good’.

After he left the army he joined the 156 Parachute Battalion Old Comrades Association and the Parachute Regiment Association.

Military History Sheet.

Country. From. To. Length of Service.

Home. (TA) 02/11/38. 22/02/39. 113 days.

Home. (Regular) 28/02/39. 28/09/39. 218 days.

France, BEF 29/09/39. 08/01/40. 102 days.

Home. 09/01/40. 16/06/42. 2 years and 159 days.

Middle East. 17/06/42. 01/08/43. 1 year and 46 days.

North Africa. 02/08/43. 09/12/43.* 130 days. (*embarked for UK)

Home. 10/12/43. 23/03/45. 1 year and 104 days.

NWE 24/03/45. 03/05/45. 41 days.

Home. 04/05/45. 12/05/45. 9 days.

NWE 13/05/45. 15/06/45. 34 days.

Home. 16/06/45. 14/06/46. 364 days.

‘B’ Reserve. 15/06/46. 02/09/46. 80 days.

Medals awarded.

1939-45 Star.

Africa Star (8th Army Clasp).

Italy Star.

France/Germany Star.

War Medal 1939/45.

Defence Medal.

NOTES:

Main source of information - Service Records.

[1] Parachute Course Report. Ramata David. March 1943.

[2] Letter to Ken Greenough. 1980s.

Written and researched by Robert Hilton and John Howes.