Private. Edward George Tyler served with 2nd Parachute Battalion.

Edward Tyler was born on the 24 May 1923, in Braintree, Essex. He worked as a steel moulder before joining the Army. [1]

He enlisted into The Suffolk Regiment on the 17 July 1941. [2]

Edward volunteered for Airborne Forces and was posted to Hardwick Hall on the 2 November 1942, and then moved to RAF. Ringway on the 12 November, where he commenced his parachute training the next day on Course 37. He completed the Long Course of 7 descents to qualify as an Army Parachutist on the 27 November 1942. [3]

He was then posted, as a reinforcement, to the 2nd Parachute Battalion, which was in action in Tunisia, North Africa. He fought throughout the rest of the campaign as an ‘infantryman of the line’, until the German and Italian Forces surrendered in May 1943.

Edward then took part in Operation ‘Fustian’, which was the parachute assault to capture the Primosole Bridge across the River Simeto in Sicily, on the night of the 13/14 July 1943.

Unfortunately he was dropped well to the North of the intended drop zone, and was taken prisoner to the North of Catania on the 15 July 1943 and sent to a series of POW Camps. The first one was PG66 in Italy, where he arrived on the 19 July 1943. Here he was given the POW No. 7082. [1a]

On the 23 August 1943 he was moved to PG 73 at Carpi in Italy, arriving there two day later. However, after the Italians signed the armistice, he was now moved by the Germans to another POW Camp, in Austria, on the 13 September 1943. This was Stalag XVIIIA at Wolfsberg, but he only remained there until the 22 October 1943, when he was sent to a Work Camp (10084/GW) at Malnitz, Austria. He remained there on trench digging duties until the 28 September 1944, when he was moved to Obervellach (11079/GW), where he remained until the 12th May 1945, working as a general labourer. [1]

POW questionnaire, question 5. SABOTAGE: Did you do any sabotage or destruction of enemy factory plant, war material, communications, etc, when employed or working-parties or during escape? (Give details, places and dates.)

‘All we could do in the way of sabotage, was to break shovels or picks, at working camps’.

At the end of his POW questionnaire he made the following statement: ‘On the 9th May 1945 my camp was informed of the end of the war. Next day an officer from the 5th Army came to us in a jeep, and told us to stay in our Lager. He asked if we were fit and had we enough food. When he had gone we got orders from the British M.O. of the Stalag Hospital, telling us to get our own transport and report to the Camp. We got lorries that were abandoned, and reported to the M.O. We were then sent to Klagenfurt Airport, we flew then to Naples. Arrived at B2 Report camp on 16/5/45.’

After his liberation and return to England he was released to the Class Z/T Reserves on the 7th January 1947. [2]

He re-enlisted into the Royal Corps of Signals on the 29 September 1947. [2]

NOTES:

[1] POW questionnaire. 17 May 1945.

[1a] German POW Card.

[2] The Parachute Regiment, Transfer and Enlistment Book 01, page 58.

[3] Parachute Course report, RAF Ringway. November 1942.