Private Joseph J Mawdsley

Joseph James Mawdsley was born on the 22nd April 1925 in the village of Aughton, near Ormskirk Lancashire.

Joe’s family had a tradition of farm work, and after initially working as a van boy he became a ‘Market Gardener’ soon after the start of the war.  Classed as a reserved occupation, Joe would not be conscripted when he turned 18, but after watching all of his friends enlist, Joe signed up to join the Army on the 18th November 1943 and was posted to The Kings Regiment at 19 Infantry Training Centre, Formby.

Whilst completing his basic training at Formby, an officer from the 1st (Airborne) Battalion, The Border Regiment visited the Infantry Training Centre looking for re-enforcements.  The battalion had taken part in the Airborne assault of Sicily 8 months earlier and had suffered severe casualty levels and now needed to be reinforced for the forth coming invasion of mainland Europe.  The officer stood in front of the recruits and said, "I need twenty five recruits to join the Airborne Forces." Then proceeded to point at twenty five young men saying the words you, you, you and that was it, Joe was now an Airborne Soldier.  Joe was posted to the 1st (Airborne) Battalion, The Border Regiment on the 28 March 1944 and left home for what was probably the first time to join his new Regiment at Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire.

Now stationed at Burford, the Battalion was billeted in pigsties on a local farm and having completed his Glider Training, and after a number of cancelled Airborne Operations Joe emplaned for Operation Market Garden on the 17th September 1944.

Joe and members of his Platoon under the control of Corporal Bunting left RAF Broadwell at 10:05 hours in Glider Chalk Number 183 piloted by Glider Pilots Staff Sergeants Foster and Ward.  Soon after take-off the glider pilots started to experience difficulties in low cloud and where forced to cast off 10 mins into the flight resulting in the glider landing in a field on the outskirts of Cricklade, just North of Swindon.  Thinking that was it, the war was over for Joe before it had even started, the troops were collected and taken back to Barracks where they were told, get ready again, you are going in with the 2nd lift.

Once again piloted by Staff Sergeants Foster and Ward, Joe’s second attempt to get into battle was more successful, and as a young 19 year old with less than 12 months Army service Joe and his glider landed on the outskirts of Wolfheze on the afternoon on the 18th September.  Once all of the 2nd lift was on the ground the Battalion set off for their objective of protecting the west side of Arnhem, but after marching only 3 miles Joe and the men of A Company came under heavy fire forcing them to take up defensive positions in the Graftombe area of the Sonnenberg Estate in North West Oosterbeek where they remained for 2 days.  Having finally left the woods, on the 20 September Joe and the men he was dug in with where attacked by German armour and, under the instruction of Corporal Bunting, Joe was sent across the road to collect detonators for their PIAT weapons.  Whilst Joe was crossing the road he was hit by a bullet and suffered a severe gunshot wound to his left shoulder and back. Joe and other wounded members of the company where given refuge in the cellar of a Dutch house where they lived off fruit and nuts provided by the family of the house.  With the remnants of the 1st Airborne Division now ensconced in the defensive pocket around the Hartenstein Hotel, Joe and his wounded colleagues where behind enemy lines and after 4 days and nights they heard the Germans outside of the house and the men were taken out of the cellar and lined up outside as Prisoners of War.

After being taken prisoner Joe was taken to the Willem III Kaserne Barracks in Apeldoorn. The barracks had been converted to a hospital and later became known as the Airborne Hospital.  It was manned by German, Dutch and captured British Medical Staff and Joe was operated on by a German doctor who removed the bullet from Joe's shoulder.  Joe remained in the Airborne Hospital until the 6th October when he and many other wounded soldiers were loaded into cattle trucks for the journey to Prisoner of War Camp Stalag XIB at Fallingbostel.   Arriving at Fallingbostel on the 9 October, Joe was given Prisoner of War number 118609 and was admitted to the Camp hospital where he remained for a period of 2 months after which he was transferred to the main Camp.  Following the liberation of the Fallingbostel Camps on the 16th April 1945, Joe was transported to Brussels from where he eventually flew back to the UK on 26th April 1945.

Joe later described his time in Fallingbostel as “Ropey to say the least.  We had very meagre rations.  I went into the camp weighing 11 stone and came out at eight stone and sometimes my wounds were dressed with just toilet roll”.  The poor medical treatment in the PoW camp caused his wounds to break open and become badly infected and Joe spent many months rehabilitating in the UK and was again admitted to Military hospital on the 27th April 1946.  After a period of convalescence leave, Joe was finally medically discharged on the 27 December 1946 having served for 3 years and 40 days, and was given the following testimonial “A keen hard working willing and steady man. He is reliable and honest”

Joe eventually recovered from his wounds and married his beloved wife Florence on the 17 September 1955, 11 years to the day that his War had started. Joe’s love of gardening remained and, as well as tending his own garden, he started to work for many people in the area surrounding Aughton.  It was whilst working in a local garden he had a chance meeting with a joiner called Joe McAllister. Conversation started and it soon became apparent that they had a lot in common other than the fact that they were both called Joe.  Both men had fought at Arnhem (Joe McAllister with the 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment), both men had been Prisoners of War at Stalag XIB Fallingbostel, both men now lived around the corner from each other in Aughton and both men had married girls named Florence.  The legend of Liverpool’s two Arnhem Joe's was born and they remained lifelong friends.