In October 1939, Thomas Hood Robertson enlisted in the Royal Army Service Corps. As he had a driver's license, his job was to drive lorries through France to take troops and supplied to the front. During the evacuations at Dunkirk Tom Robertson drove his lorry to the west coast port of St Nazaire to sail to Britain. The ship next to his (The Lancastria) was hit with a bomb down each funnel and she sank with 3,000 lives lost out of the 5,000 men onboard.

Between July and November 1940 Tom trained in the UK before being posted to the Middle East taking part in the Syrian Campaign as part of “Operation Exporter” which involved overthrowing the French garrison loyal to Vichy France and raising the Free French flag over Beirut and Damascus. Tom continued to drive supplies as far as Basta near the Persian Gulf and Baghdad.

In 1942 Tom began training at Karbrit on Course K33 to train for the Parachute Regiment in readiness for action in Italy. 

After the conquest of Sicily in June 1943, Tom Robertson was amongst the second British landing at Taranto as part of "Operation Slapstick.” A member of the British 1st Airborne Division, he entered Taranto harbour and saw the Italian fleet sail to Malta with their guns pointing down towards the water and displaying white flags as an act of surrender.  

On home leave over Christmas in 1943 he married his sweetheart, Jean Sinclair.

On 17 September 1944, as part of "Operation Market Garden", now L/Cpl Tom Robertson, HQ Company, 156 Parachute Battalion, 4th Parachute Brigade, 1st Airborne Division was dropped west of Oosterbeek as one of the initial pathfinders under the command of Major Michael Page.  Major Page was tragically killed in action on 20 September 1944, along with three other brave men that were on the aircraft with Tom on the 17th. 

Tom was captured on 23 September 1944 and sent to Stalag XII A. On 11 October 1944 he was transferred to Stalag IV B where he remained for the rest of the war. 

Tom returned home to Glasgow after the war to meet his now 6-month-old son for the first time. He left the regular Army to join the reserves 16 February 1946

Operations: Italy, Arnhem

Service history: 15/10/1939 – 15/06/1942, Private, RASC

15/06/1942 – 31/05/1945, Lance Corporal, 156 Parachute Battalion

Published with information kindly supplied by Andrew Robertson