Major David Alexander Breese MBE TD

Major David Alexander Breese MBE was born in 1920 in Warrington, Cheshire. He fought with the 3rd Parachute Squadron, Royal Engineers in Normandy as a Lieutenant and later served with the 1st Airborne Squadron, Royal Engineers in Palestine. After the war, he served in a civilian role with the Territorial Army and was a founding member of the 300 Parachute Squadron, Royal Engineers (TA). 

Breese completed his parachute jump training on the 57th course from the 22nd of March to the 11th of May 1943. This was a fairly arduous course, as many were in the early days of Ringway. It "lasted a full 3 weeks, due to phenomenally bad parachuting weather [...] fortunately the coincidence of a large number of social functions on the Camp with the time of their training helped to keep the men happy and cheerful". Breese was described as a "Good pupil and leader" and was commissioned from a cadet to a Lieutenant on the 30th of April 1943. 

During Operation Overlord, Breese was a section commander in no.1 troop of the 3rd Parachute Squadron RE. He was the right-hand man of Major Tim Roseveare, and they were both present in the jeep which hurtled through Troarn en route to destroy the bridge. After they had accomplished this task, they drove north to Bures where Breese determined the town was occupied. The contingent turned around and eventually took to the woods before reaching Le Mesnil crossroads. 

Unfortunately, Lieutenant Breese was listed "missing on way to 8 Bn HQ" in the area of Ecarde near Le Mesnil on the 16th of June. However, he was probably taken prisoner a few days earlier, apparently after riding a motorcycle into enemy territory. He ended up in Stalag 5A but returned home when the war ended. 

After the war, Breese served in Palestine as the commander of B troop in the 1st Airborne Squadron, Royal Engineers. He was promoted to Captain on the 15th of July 1947, but soon returned to his civilian career as an architect. Nevertheless, he stayed in the 131st Airborne Engineer Regiment (TA) and became a founder of the 300 Parachute Squadron, Royal Engineers (TA). He was made a Major in this capacity on the 1st of August 1955. Breese received a Territorial Efficiency Decoration on the 15th of January 1957 and an MBE on the 1st of January 1960. 

Major Breese married Margaret Gwyneth Owen (1930-1989) in 1952; they had a son called Gareth Owen Breese. He died on the 29th of August 2009, aged 89.