Lance Corporal Wilfred Downes

Wilfred Downes was the son of Wilfred and Kate Elizabeth (Hickton) Downes; husband of Martha E (Shaw) Downes, married July 1938. He enlisted in the Royal Armoured Corps, and volunteered for airborne forces.

Lance Corporal Downes successfully completed parachute training at RAF Ringway and was posted to 6th (Airborne) Armoured Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps, and took part in Operation Varsity (Rhine Crossing).

L/Cpl Downes was killed in action on 3 April 1945, aged 36, and was given a field burial at Osnabrook, Germany and was re-interred to Reichswald Forest War Cemetery on 23 May 1947.

If you are part of L/Cpl Downes’s family and would like to complete this biography, you can apply to the Curator to do so. To do this you will need to become a member of ParaData and select the 'friend or family member' option on the registration form.

If you would like to find out more about becoming a member please visit our registration page.

Members of ParaData can submit their material by clicking on the 'Add content to this article' button on the right.