Fred Wainwright Kinsey was born in Derby and entered into the building trade upon finishing his schooling.

He was enlisted into the Royal Artillery (Field) in 1940 and in 1942, Fred volunteered for the Airborne Forces. Fred was parachute jump trained at RAF Ringway on parachute course 94/95, which ran between 6 and 20 December 1943. His instructor said that Fred was

“keen, confident and cheerful. [He] jumped well and would make a good NCO.”

Upon joining the 21st Ind Para Coy, Kinsey served in North Africa, Italy, Holland, Norway and Palestine, rising to the rank of Sergeant. Most notably, Fred was with the Company during Operation Market Garden in September 1944. He managed to withdraw across the Rhine after this action.  After being demobbed from Palestine in 1946, Fred resumed his work in the building trade, becoming a building contractor and holding high positions in local trade organisations. Fred died in August 1987 at the age of 69.