Donald McIntosh was born on the 11 January 1922, and came from Hurstpierpoint, Hassocks in Sussex. He was a Fitter before he joined up. ^[1] He enlisted into The Duke of Wellington’s Regiment on the 4 August 1938. ^[2]

Donald volunteered for Airborne Forces in late 1941 and was posted to ‘B’ Company, 2^nd Parachute Battalion, which was then in the process of forming up at Hardwick Hall, in November 1941. On the 18 November 1941 he was sent with the rest of ‘B’ Company to R.A.F. Ringway, where they commenced their parachute training on Course No 2. This was completed on the 30 November, having completed two balloon and five Whitley aircraft descents, to qualify as Army Parachutists. ^[2]

He also attended Advanced Parachute Course No 2 at RAF Ringway, 14 to 19 January 1942. Here he carried out a balloon descent by night and two from a Whitley aircraft, but this time with a short tactical exercise in Section and Platoon level after landing. ^[3]

He took part in the North African campaign, starting with Operation ‘Torch’, in Algeria and Tunisia in October 1942, through to May 1943.

As a Corporal, with 5 Platoon, under the command of Lieut. W.E. Tite, he then took part in Operation ‘Fustian’, which was the parachute assault to capture the Primosole Bridge over the River Simeto, to the South of Catania in Sicily, on the night of the 13/14 July 1943.

Donald was reported as a Prisoner of War on the 14 July 1943, having been captured by German Forces. He was interrogated by them in Sicily, and then transported to Italy, where he was held for a few weeks before being sent to Germany.

He was sent to Stalag VIIIB at Ober Silisia in Poland, arriving there on the 15 August 1943. He was given the POW No. 27817. On the 4 March 1944 he was transported from there to Stalag XXA at Thorn in Poland, arriving there on the 6 March. Finally he was sent to Stalag 357 at Falingbostel in Germany on the 10 August 1944, arriving there two days later. He and two others escaped whilst being transferred to the Camp on the 6 April 1945 and made it back to the Allied lines. ^[1]

Extract from his POW questionnaire:

4). ESCAPES attempted:

Did you make any attempted or partly successful escapes? (Give details of each attempt separately, stating where, when, method employed, names of your companions, where and when recaptured and by whom. Were you physically fit? What happened to your companions?)

Only the one off the march into Germany. (Successful.) Companions, Sgt. Hopkins. Sgt. Wright. Both of the 2^nd Parachute Regt. I was not fit. ^[4]

He was released to the Class ‘Z’ Reserves on the 1 August 1946. ^[2]

NOTES:

[1] POW questionnaire. April 1945.

[2] The Parachute Regiment, Transfer & Enlistment Book 04, page 16.

[3] Parachute Course Reports. R.A.F. Ringway. December 1941 & January 1942.

[4] 1595426. Sgt. Ellis Hopkins. Served with B-Company, 2^nd Parachute Battalion. Captured in North Africa in April 1943.

It has not been possible to ascertain exactly who Sgt. Wright is.

From Don McIntosh (son). October 2025.

"My mum and dad; he was Donald Simpson McIntosh, 2 Para Bn, B-Company, she was Violet Pricilla Pelling. They met at Ringway whilst she was a parachute packer and dad was stationed there. He would always take a chute that she had packed, although I remember being told by mum that one occasion after some tiff, she told him she would put a blanket in his chute and at that point, he didn’t take her chute. I believe I’m right in saying that her wedding dress she made from a silk chute. He survived three major missions being captured in Sicily in July 1943 (6 months after my birth).

Whilst being transferred from Stalag 357 he and [two] colleague’s escaped and managed to get back to Allied lines. His return to England was announced to my mum by a message being flashed up on the cinema screen of the local cinema. I imaging that would have been a wonderful surprise! Gone to watch a film and suddenly her name is flashed up on the screen saying your husband is home. How amazing!

My father died in 1995 and my mother in 2002."

Researched and written by Robert Hilton