Lieutenant Ian MacDonald

Ian G MacDonald was the son of Hugh and Margaret MacDonald of Glasgow. Pre war he had been a Territorial in the Royal Signals and was commissioned when he volunteered for airborne forces. 

After volunteering for the airborne forces 2Lt MacDonald attended Parachute Training Course 74 which ran at RAF Ringway from 23 July to 3 August 1943. The course reports state: ‘2/Lt MacDonald Good type of Officer, good example to men, finished well.

For Operation Overlord in Normandy in June 1944, Ian landed in Glider 5 of the Coup de Main force as the Parachute Liaison Officer tasked with linking up with the 7th (Light Infantry) Parachute Battalion when it dropped in. A task which, according to Major Howard, proved difficult following the scattered nature of the drop.

Ian was attached to the headquarters company and took part in the fighting around Pegasus Bridge in the subsequent days. He was wounded in an attack in the woods around Herouvillette and died of his wounds on 29 June 1944 aged 23.

Lt Ian MacDonald is buried in Ranville War Cemetery in plot IIIA B9.