Private James A Worrall

Pte James Ambrose Worrall was born in Lynn, Boston, Massachussetts of English parents, and joined The Suffolk Regiment in 1939 lying about his age (16). He later volunteered for airborne forces and qualified as a military parachutist on Course 37 which ran at RAF Ringway during November 1942.

He subsequently joined the 1st Parachute Brigade in North Africa as a reinforcement and was posted to C Company, 2nd Parachute Battalion.

James fought with the Battalion throughout the rest of its campaigns in Europe including the Battle of Arnhem in September 1944, where he was with C Company and taken prisoner near the bridge.

As Prisoner of War No 91659, he was held in Stalag XllA until the camp was over run by Russian troops 6 months later. The Russians machine gunned many prisoners, captured and removed survivors. James and two others managed to escape and spent several days making their way back to Allied lines, eventually coming across US troops.

James died in Missourri on 16 December 1993.

I have three cassette tapes of his talk to the American POW Association of Missourri as an American POW in the British Army.