“Curly” had a rare sense of humour and nothing seemed to worry him. We used to envy him in tight situations, like the last day at Arnhem, when he dug me out wounded from my “crumbling” slit trench, found a jeep and whisked me off to the F.A.P., named “Gelders Hoff” near Sonner Berg Castle, all at great risk to himself. “Curly” subsequently escaped across the river and I believe he was the only from ‘C’ Troop to achieve this feat!

He came every year to our reunions at Donnington with his old mate “Ginger,” “Bulham” was killed at Arnhem. When “Ginger” died and he himself was in poor health, his son would drive him to meet his old friends. “Absent Friends” will have a special meaning this year; we have lost “Nipper, Lucky and Curly.”

 “WHOA MOHAMMED” OLD FRIENDS - TOM HICKS