Sergeant Albert L Sparkes

Albert Leslie Sparkes was born on the 23 June 1919 and came from Brighton in Sussex. He was the son of Mr and Mrs Albert Sparkes of Brighton.

Albert Sparkes enlisted into the Royal Sussex Regiment on the 30 January 1939, [1] and served with the 2nd Battalion in the Western Desert 1941-42, seeing action at the Battle of El Alamein.

He volunteered for Airborne Forces in late 1942 and did his parachute course at RAF Kabrit in Egypt, after which he was posted to the 10th Parachute Battalion.

He is shown on a photograph in ‘The TENTH, a record of the 10th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment’, by R. Brammall on plate No 4, as Sgt. ‘Bailey’ Sparks in February 1943.

He is likely to have taken part in the operations in Southern Italy, near the port of Taranto in September 1943.

By September 1944 he was a Section Commander in 17 Platoon, ‘D’ Company, under the command of Lieut. Peter Mackenzie.

He jumped onto Drop Zone ‘Y’ at Ginkel Heath on Monday the 18 September 1944 and took part in the 10th Parachute Battalion’s actions in the Battle of Arnhem. He was wounded and taken prisoner on the 25 September, and sent to Stalag XIB at Falingbostel in Germany, which he reached on the 28 September. Here he was given the POW Number 117739. [2]

On the 24 October 1944 he was transferred to Stalag VIIIC at Sagan in Poland. This Camp was evacuated by the Germans in February 19445, in the face of the advancing Russian Forces, and the prisoners were forced to march to the West. Many of them caught severe illnesses on this march and were in a very poor state of health by the time they were liberated by advancing American Forces.

On the 10 January 1945 he was awarded a Mention In Despatches for his actions at Arnhem. [3]

He was repatriated back to the United Kingdom sometime in April-May 1945, and officially discharged from the Army (under King’s Regulations) on the 17 January 1946.

He died on the 13 August 1947, from pulmonary tuberculosis in Brighton Municipal Hospital, aged 26, and has a military headstone in Brighton City Cemetery (Bear Road), Section; ZFU Grave 52. [4]

NOTES:

[1] The Parachute Regiment, Transfer & Enlistment Book 07, page 18.

[2] POW Record Card.

[3] Listed in the London Gazette on that date.

[4] CWGC & ROH Listing.