Sergeant Arthur H Cain BEM

Arthur Henry Cain enlisted into The Royal Warwickshire Regiment before volunteering for airborne forces.

After training at Hardwick Hall, Cpl Cain attended RAF Ringway for Parachute Course 71, which ran from 5 to 17 July 1943. The course cadre, which comprised of 224 trainees, maintained a good morale in spite of four days delay between the 1st and 2nd balloon descents and reports of two fatalities. Each student was required to complete eight descents, including 3 from balloon with one at night. The course instructors' notes record ‘Cpl Cain: Good NCO. Good control, quick reaction.'

On qualifying as a parachutist he was posted to A Company, 8th Parachute Battalion, which formed part of the 6th Airborne Division and was preparing for the invasion of Europe. Arthur Cain fought in Normandy where he was taken PoW.

He was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM), which was announced in the London Gazette in June 1946, for his efforts in maintaining morale in his PoW camp.

Arthur Cain served in Palestine after repatriation and was demobilised into the Army Reserve in October 1946. He later re-enlisted into 13th (Lancashire) Parachute Battalion (TA).

Profile photograph kindly supplied by Bern and Fay Robins.