Private Albert E Baker

Albert Edward Baker was born on the 18 March 1921 and came from Bristol. [1]

He enlisted into the British Army on the 26 February 1942, and was serving with the Royal Artillery when he volunteered for Airborne Forces. [2]

After the selection process at Hardwick Hall, he was sent on Parachute Course 99, at RAF Ringway, 19 January to the 3 February 1944. This was a reinforcements course for the Airborne Division’s, and they would carry out two balloon descents by day, five aircraft descents from a Whitley aircraft, and a night descent from the balloon to qualify as an Army Parachutist. His Parachute Instructors comments: “Best man in stick, deserves promotion”. [3]

Upon completion of his course he was initially sent to the No 1 Airborne Forces Holding Unit, and then after a few weeks he was posted to the 1st Parachute Battalion then stationed at Grimsthorpe Castle in Lincolnshire.

At this time the Battalion was taking in reinforcements, to replace the losses in North Africa and Sicily, and men were assigned according to previous military experience. Being a trained artillery man, Albert was sent to the Mortar Platoon.

On the 20 May 1944 Albert married Doris May Derrick, aged 19, also from Bristol. The following year she gave birth to a son, Kenneth, who Albert never saw. [1]

On Sunday, 17 September 1944, he boarded a Dakota aircraft, of the 61st Troop Carrier Group, United States Army Air Force, at Barkston Heath aerodrome, with half of his platoon, the other half being in another aircraft. They were bound for Drop Zone ‘X’ near Renkum in Holland as part of Operation ‘Market-Garden’.

After all the men had arrived in the rendezvous, the Battalion had to wait a short time for the other two Battalions, the 2nd and 3rd to move off and then they set off for their objective – the high ground just on the northern outskirts of Arnhem. However, at Wolfheze Station they caught up with the rear element of the 1st Airborne Reconnaissance Squadron who were held up by a German unit that was blocking the track along which the 1st Battalion was to advance, so the Commanding Officer, Lieut-Colonel. David Dobie, decided to divert to the north. But, again he ran into enemy forces, and had to turn off his intended route, and it went on like this throughout the night of the 17th to the 18th, with constant skirmishes with the enemy.

It was during one of these skirmishes that Pte. Albert Baker was killed.

He is known to have been killed near the railway embankment in the area of Oosterbeek Hoog Station, in the early hours of Monday, 18 September 1944.

Aged 23 years old, the son of Albert and Christine Baker, of Bristol, he has no known grave. Albert had a son, Kenneth, who was born after Albert's death. 

He is Commemorated on the GROESBEEK MEMORIAL, NETHERLANDS, Panel 8.

NOTES:

[1] Information supplied by Kenneth Baker (son) & Catherine Lines (granddaughter).

[2] The Parachute Regiment Transfer & Enlistment Book 16, page 76.

[3] Parachute Course Report, RAF. Ringway. February 1944.

Profile photo shows Pte AE Baker in 1942.