Lieutenant Andrew J McDermont

Andrew Johnston (Jack) McDermont was born in 1919 in Stirling, Scotland  was the only son of Mr & Mrs James. T. McDermont, from Tredinnock, Stirling.

He went on to serve in Arnhem as Lieutenant. Andrew 'Drew' Johnston McDermont 3 Platoon, A-Company, 2nd Parachute Battalion

He originally served as 2990674. Pte AJ McDermont in the Argyl & Sutherland Highlanders which he had enlisted into on the 1 July 1940. [1]

Andrew was a Corporal, serving in the 15th Bn, The Argyl & Sutherland Highlanders (which was raised in 1940 as a Home Defence Battalion), in early 1942 when he volunteered for Airborne Forces and did Parachute Course 10 at RAF Ringway, 16 – 27 March 1942, as a member of C-Company, 4th Parachute Battalion.

Andrew went to 164 Officer Cadet Training Unit on the 27 November 1942. [1]

He was granted an emergency commission, as a Second Lieutenant in The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders on the 30 March 1943, and then transferred to The Parachute Regiment on the 2 April 1943. He was promoted to war Substantive Lieutenant on the 27 September 1943.

He is listed in the 2nd Parachute Battalion’s War Diary as being posted to the battalion on the 19 October 1943, whilst it was in Italy. He and Lieut. Grayburn had been at the battalion’s Rear Party Base at Sousse in Tunisia. By this stage the battalion was in reserve, along with the rest of the 1st Parachute Brigade and the 1st Airborne Division. Lieut. McDermont was assigned to A-Company.

Apart from normal training, a few exercises and the normal round of guard duties to perform, the battalion did not see any further action in Italy and by the 18 November they started the move from Barletta to Bari, and then onwards to Taranto. From there they sailed to Algiers where the battalion remained until the 27 November, when they embarked on HMT Samaria and sailed for the United Kingdom, arriving at Liverpool on the 9 December 1943.

From here the battalion travelled by train to its new billets near Grantham in Lincolnshire, with A-Company going to Easton Hall.

It was here that Lieut. McDermont was put in charge of 3 Platoon and with them he boarded a C47 Dakota aircraft of the 314th Troop Carrier Group, USAAF at Saltby aerodrome on Sunday, 17 September 1944. They would fly to DZ ‘X’ near Renkum in Holland as part of the 1st Lift of Operation ‘Market-Garden’.

He parachuted successfully onto the DZ and then made his way to the RV Point. Lieut. Robin Vlasto was the commander of 1 Platoon: ‘Tony Franks, Jack Grayburn, L/Cpl Kitchener and Cpl Menzies (Coy Cook) and myself set off to our Company area through the woods. Move down a side and reach the bend on the main road without incident. Get down and take stock of position. At any rate we are in our correct position at the Bn RV without having fired a shot, but where the hell has the rest of the Company gone to? There seem to be a good many trucks and motor-bikes starting up down the end of the road, so Cpl Kitchener fires a couple of bursts and things quieten down. Digby turns up with the rest of the Company and orders Jack [Grayburn] and Mac [McDermont] to take up position on the road and me to get my Platoon together and accounted for.’

Later on, between 14.20 and 15.00 hours, Lieut. Vlasto states: ‘Pass through Mac’s Platoon, who seems to have had quite a party on the road. He shot up two truck-loads of Jerries coming round the corner and a staff car, which was trying to turn round, but didn’t quite make it. About 20 prisoners and masses of blood and bodies littering the road. We move off fairly cautiously, but owing to the distance to go, cannot afford to waste any time.’

A bit further along the route of advance, and Lieut. Vlasto states that the, ‘Colonel passes [us] in a carrier and goes up to Digby. It is hoped to bring up 4 jeeps and with these I will take my Platoon into the town as far as Den Brink, consolidate [the] position and send jeeps back for the rest. Jeeps don’t arrive, so we continue marching, but the maps are bad and we are not very sure of our position. Order of march: 2 Pln, ‘O’ Group, 3 Pln, 1 Pln, Rear Coy HQ. Come to a ‘T’ junction and Jack seems rather lost, but goes left, just as Digby, Mac and myself approach it some Jerries concealed in woods ahead open fire and we get down, sharpish!! There is a good deal of rifle fire and some mortar bombs fall fairly close, but it doesn’t seem to be very determined resistance. Jack goes in under a smoke screen and Mac moves round the left and enemy shift off fairly quickly – quite as per pamphlet and Digby is as pleased as punch.’

The advance continues right into Arnhem, Lieut. Vlasto: ‘Jack’s Pln detailed to move into town by main road, Mac’s, Coy HQ and my Pln by small path just below main road. 21.30 hrs approach the harbour as it is getting pretty dark and everywhere seems completely deserted. Move round by the pontoon bridge, which seems to be completely deserted except for 2 guards, who are taken with us (one being shot in the belly and left groaning). Move right up to within one block of bridge, Mac’s Pln is fired on from area of bridge by very indifferent enemy. This is silenced quickly and I go into the square with Digby. “The Rally” is sounded for Jack and everyone else who is yet to arrive, but they are already waiting at foot of bridge. 22.30 hrs. The whole Company is assembled at the foot of bridge and amid the most awful row things are organised.’

After the attempt to take the South side of the bridge, Lieut. McDermont and his Platoon took over the defence of a house on the North-eastern side of the main road bridge at Marktsraat, which dominated any approach along the routes from the North-east and East.

Pte. George Stubbs was the 2-inch mortarman in 3 Platoon Headquarters: ‘We in Pln HQ entered the house nearest the Bridge on the west side, but were soon sent up the steps on the ramp where we dug in and had quite a busy time, until we were ordered to the house on the east side at daylight the following day. We were driven out by armour, but retook it shortly after, losing our Pln Officer (Lt. McDermont) and Radio Man (Pte. McAuslan), both men dying of their wounds. Once again we were driven out, I vaguely recall Lt. Grayburn directing us under the ramp, where we held out until overrun on Wednesday afternoon, I think, and taken prisoner.’ [2]

The house was retaken by members of 2 Platoon, led by Lieut. Jack Grayburn. One of the men taking part was Pte. Charles Barraclough and he wrote to George Stubbs in 1996: ‘The last recollection I have of you was at the first house we occupied east of the Bridge, on the Tuesday, Lieut McDermont was in a bad way on the staircase and ‘Jock’ McAuslan was dead on the cellar floor. We were only there a short time, when Lieut Grayburn suggested we take another building a short distance further east.’

Accounts from the veterans differ, most of them believed he died of his wounds soon after the action on the 19 September, but he is recorded as being taken to the Arnhem Municipal Hospital, where he died of his wounds on the 22 September and he was initially buried there by the Padre’s Daniel McGowan and Alan Buchanan.

Andrew was married in 1943, in Brentford, Middlesex, to Beatrice PH Cripps and they had one son.

He now lies at rest in the Arnhem/Oosterbeek War Cemetery, 6. D. 7.

NOTES:

[1] The Parachute Regiment, Transfer & Enlistment Book 04, page 15.

[2] Letter to Bob Hilton from George Stubbs. 18 February 1996.