Lance Corporal Alfred Farnfield's account of the events on 26th September 1944.

The following is a statement from Lance Corporal Alfred Farnfield.

“It was during the withdrawal from the Oosterbeek perimeter by the remnants of the 1st Airborne Division that I attempted to cross the River Rhine in one of the last boats to make the crossing. It was the morning of the 26th September 1944. The boat was full of soldiers, two of whom, Private’s ‘Bert’ Newman & ‘Bert’ Felton, were in my company, and I knew them both personally.

We were approximately half way across the river when we were fired on by [the] Germans. I immediately climbed out of the boat and into the water, advising the others to do the same, but they refused. Moments later the boat was hit by machine gun fire, and I presumed that all those aboard were killed. The boat then drifted down river and I swam to the South bank”.