Major Kenneth W Powell

Kenneth W Powell came from Warwickshire, and enlisted into Royal Norfolk Regiment (later became First East Anglian and then Royal Norfolk) in 1935 and quickly transferred to The Coldstream Guards serving with the 3rd Battalion in Palestine in 1937.

In 1938 Ken sustained a gunshot to the head, which he referred to as a glancing blow and returned home to UK. 
In 1939 Ken transferred to Irish Guards and was  commanding a detachment of the King’s guards at Buckingham Palace on September 3,1939 when war was declared. 

In 1940, he sailed with 1st Battalion Irish Guards aboard The Monarch of Bermuda to Norway. 
In April/May 1940 Ken was in command of ship’s guard aboard a Polish The Chobry (used as transport ship) when it was attacked by German bombers off the coast of Norway. 
In February 1943, Ken attended Advanced Officers Core Training Unit No 165 at Dunbar and on  March 9, 1943 he was commissioned to Lieutenant in the Royal Norfolk Regiment and posted to Chichester.  In August that year he transferred to The Glider Pilot Regiment and in the early part of 1944 he completed flight training at various aerodromes.

On June 5th, 1944, in advance of D-Day, he piloted by night, one off the Horsa gliders taking off from Brize Norton and landing at Ranville Bridge in Normandy (according to records at The Pegasus Memorial museum his co-pilot was Jenkin).

In 1945 he was promoted to Captain and soon after the war ended, in June 1945 he was invited to be an historical advisor and features in "We're moving out tonight" scene, in the film "Theirs is the Glory" which was filmed in the bombed-out ruins at Arnhem.

He completed the parachute jumping course at Upper Heyford, Oxford in 1947 and in  April 1949 he joined the selection staff at Aldershot. 
In July 1949 he was posted to Airborne Forces to become the chief selections officer for The Parachute Regiment.

On  13 April, 1953 he joined the Parachute Regiment and assumed command of the Parachute Balloon Training Company at Cardington.   
Ken served post war in Palestine and in Cyprus.

26 March 1967 The Gazette records "Major KW Powell formerly of The Royal Anglian Regiment, to become Captain"

26 January 1968 he relinquished his command and was granted the honorary rank of Major.

10 June 1969 4 Welch Bn (TA) before retiring from the army 1 April 1969 and was regranted the honorary title of Major.

Ken died in 1986.