Company Sergeant Major John A Darbyshire

John Arthur Darbyshire was born on 9 January 1914 in Manchester.

He enlisted with the Royal Signals on 10 November 1937. Lance Corporal Darbyshire saw service in France with the 42nd Divisional Signals in 1940.

He was granted the War substantive rank of Sergeant on 8 April 1943 having held acting rank for 180 days. WS/Sgt Darbyshire was then posted to the 1st Airborne Divisional Signals on 15 April 1943.

On 15 May 1943 he embarked for service overseas, and disembarked in North Africa on 26 May 1943.

He returned to the UK in November 1943 and was billeted with the Divisional Signals at Caythorpe in Lincolnshire. As part of the Seaborne Echelon for the 1st Airborne Divisional Signals he embarked at London Docks on 13 August 1944. He landed in France on  17 August and proceeded to the staging area at la Mine near Bayeux.

At the end of August, with the news of a forthcoming airborne operation they began preparations for a move and then at the beginning of September began the move across northern France and on into Belgium until they were poised in Northern Belgium for Operation Market-Garden to begin.

On 21 September their column at last moved up to Nijmegen and on the 26 September they linked up with the remnants of the airborne element that had been withdrawn from Arnhem. On 29 September they returned to the UK.

In April 1945 he was appointed Company Sergeant Major (CSM).

Sgt Darbyshire was posted to Y list on 24 November 1945, and released from service on 29 January 1946.