Sergeant. Patrick Diver. 6 Platoon, B-Company, 4th Parachute Battalion.

Patrick Diver was born on the 5 August 1912, and enlisted into The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers on the 10 November 1930 and was serving with the 1st Battalion in India, when he volunteered for Airborne Forces. [1]

He was posted to the 151 Parachute Battalion and did Parachute Course 17 at RAF New Delhi, which started on the 31 May 1942. He completed the Course to qualify as an Army Parachutist. [2]

When the battalion moved to the Middle East he was eligible for the ‘Python’ scheme and returned to the United Kingdom.

At this time he was still a Private in rank, and attended Parachute Course 57 at R.A.F. Ringway, 22 March to 11 April 1943, where he completed the Long Course of eight descents, to qualify – for the second time! – as an Army Parachutist. His Instructors comments: ‘Good, and a reliable man’. [3]

He was posted to the 4th Parachute Battalion and went to North Africa in May 1943. In September 1943 he took part in Operation ‘Slapstick’, which was the naval landing at the Southern Italian port of Taranto.

By now he was a Corporal and Acting Sergeant in 6 Platoon, B-Company, and on the 15/16 September 1943 he took part in the action at Laterza Bridge, for which he was awarded the Military Medal. [4]

It was announced in the London Gazette on the 13 January 1944, and the Citation reads:

‘During the raid on the Laterza Bridge on the night of the 15th/16th September, Cpl. Diver was a Bren gun Corporal in the leading Section of the Assault Platoon. The raiding party came under Mortar & M.G. fire and the Bren No 1 was wounded. Cpl. Diver not only took over the Bren gun, but also greatly assisted the control of the Section in the assault? to the objective.

When the Pl was later ordered to withdraw Cpl. Diver was then last gunner to leave the position & continued to give covering fire to his Pl till it was under reasonable cover in spite of enemy Mortar & M.G. fire. His coolness and courage throughout the action was an inspiration.’

On the 15 August 1944 he took off in a Dakota aircraft of the 64th Troop Carrier Group, USAAF, from Ciampino Airfield in Italy, and jumped onto DZ ‘O’ in Southern France as part of Operation ‘Dragoon’. His was one of the sticks that was dropped accurately, and he rallied his Section and joined up with the Platoon Commander, Lieut. Nigel Riley. [5]

On the 14 October 1944 he took off from Brindisi Airfield in Italy, and jumped onto a DZ at Megara in Greece to take part in Operation ‘Manna’.

He was discharged from further military service on the 6 January 1946. [1]

NOTES:

[1] The Parachute Regiment, Transfer & Enlistment Book 06, page 39.

[2] Parachute Course Report, RAF New Delhi. June 1942.

[3] Parachute Course Report, RAF Ringway. April 1943.

[4] Announced in the Battalion War Diary 26 October 1943 and in the London Gazette 13 January 1944.

[5] See ‘One Jump Ahead’, by Nigel Riley. 1984.

Written and researched by Robert Hilton