Private John Lathbury

Private John Lathbury served with 22 Platoon, D Company of 2nd (Airborne) Battalion, Ox and Bucks Light Infantry, after training at Bulford. He took part in the coup de main glider landings intended to capture the Caen and Orne canal and river bridges in Normandy, for the D-Day landings on 5-6 June 1944.

Pte Lathbury was onboard Horsa Glider Number 4, piloted by SSgt Lawrence, with SSgt Shorter as his Second Pilot and flew to Normandy on 5 June 1944, taking off at approximately 2245hrs. Their target was the Orne River Bridge.

Glider Number 4 was scheduled to land first, but was pulled off course by its tug aircraft and landed shortly after midnight by a bridge over the River Dives some 8 miles to the east. Although losing some men in skirmishes along the way, the crew and gliderborne troops successfully fought their way through the flooded Dives valley and back to Hérouvillette, to eventually rendezvous with the rest of the Battalion in the early hours of 7 June 1944.

Pte Lathbury was captured however, and spent the rest of the war as a Prisoner of War. He later reported being set to work digging out a white fluffy substance (later discovered to be raw asbestos) which is believed to have ultimately contributed to his death.

John Lathbury returned to march over Pegasus Bridge on the 50th anniversary commemorations in 1994. He visited the graves of many friends and even returned to the house where he was initially held as a POW. The family still owned the house, and remembered the night!

John Lathbury died in October 1997.

Further reading

A detailed record of the glider landings is held here: Click here.