Private Alan W Scott

Private Alan Worton Scott was born in Yorkshire and lived in Northwest London, son of James and Lily Scott, of Finchley, Middlesex. He initially served with 9th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment before volunteering for Airborne Forces.

He answered the call for volunteers on the formation of No 1 Parachute Brigade in 1941 and, after completion of the selection course at Hardwick Hall, was posted to the 2nd Parachute Battalion then in the process of forming up, and assigned to C Company.

Along with other members of C Coy he attended the first parachute training course for personnel of No 1 Parachute Brigade at RAF Ringway in November 1941. He returned to Ringway with C Coy for the brigade's first advanced training course involving a night descent from a balloon and aircraft descents with arms containers in January 1942.

Shortly after returning from their advanced training, C Coy began intense training and preparation for the Bruneval Raid, a daring parachute operation into enemy occupied France to capture components from a German Würzburg radar installation.

Private Scott was a member of Lieutenant John Timothy’s 'Rodney' Section for the raid and flew in the Whitley aircraft numbered Z9215 and flown by Squadron Leader Meade. They landed successfully on the assigned drop zone and moved to their positions to ‘mask’ the enemy forces at the nearby farm complex. Upon completion of this task they acted as escort for the Royal Engineers and Flt/Sgt Cox RAF to the beach and the embarkation point, where the group came under fire from pill boxes and casualties were sustained.

Private Scott was killed in action on 28 February 1942, aged 24 years old, and is now buried at St Marie Cemetery, Le Havre, France.