Major Gerald McDonough

Major Gerald Albert McDonough was the son of Major A D McDonough and Mrs McDonough, of Beacon Hill, Hindhead, Surrey.

He attended the Imperial Service College, a public school in Windsor, attaining the rank of Cadet Serjeant in its Officer Training Corps. He was granted a commission on 29 May 1929 and initially served with the Royal Tanks Corps, later transferring to the South Lancashire Regiment.

Gerald McDonough was promoted to Lieutenant in January 1934 and Captain exactly five years later.

He volunteered for the airborne forces shortly after the formation of No 1 Parachute Brigade and was attached to the 4th Parachute Battalion. Major McDonough attended the 8th preliminary parachute training course for the Brigade at RAF Ringway which ran from 10 to 24 February 1942.

A total of 239 men from the 1st and 4th Battalions were on the course, and between them they completed 1096 aircraft descents and 471 balloon descents. Visibility during the course was consistently poor and the ground very hard owing to frosts.

Unfortunately, Major McDonough was one of two men to die on this course as a result of fatal injuries sustained from a parachuting accident on his third aircraft descent. He had also previously completed two balloon descents without incident. The Officer Commanding and the instructors of the Parachute Training School made descents immediately after the fatal accidents to instil confidence in the course cadre.

Major McDonough died on 18 February 1942, aged 32 years old, and is now buried at the Southern Cemetery, Manchester.

Cemetery photograph reproduced by kind permission of CWGC.