Corporal Arthur Maybury

Arthur Maybury was born at Jhansi, Central India, the son of Arthur & Edith Maybury.

He enlisted into The Royal Berkshire Regiment on the 20 June 1940 and gave his civilian occupation as journalist. Although his service records give no details of his education, they record that he spoke French, German and Italian. On 6 August 1940, after training at the Infantry Training Centre, he was appointed Lance Corporal.

Having made the decision to volunteer for Airborne Forces he was posted to the 2nd Parachute Battalion at Hardwick Hall Camp near Chesterfield, on the 8 November 1941, and then sent for parachute training at RAF Ringway near Manchester on the 17 December. On the 23 December, while making his sixth training jump, his parachute was caught in a stiff breeze and started to oscillate; despite an attempt to correct the problem he landed sideways and fractured his left leg. The accident resulted in his hospitalisation until 14 February 1942 and on discharge he was posted back to the 2nd Para Battalion and promoted to Corporal on 24 March. In August he attended and passed an interrogation course and was recommended for further training.

On 27 September 1942 he was transferred to the Royal Signals as a Cipher Operator and posted to the Headquarters, 1st Parachute Brigade, which consisted of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Parachute Battalions. The brigade embarked for French North Africa (Operation Torch) on 30 October, landed with 1st Army near Algiers and fought through the Tunisian campaign.

In July 1943 he took part in Operation ‘Fustian’, the 1st Parachute Brigade’s parachute assault to capture the Primosole Bridge in Sicily. In August 1943 he was posted to 1st Airborne Divisional Signals and remained with them until he was posted back to UK, in December 1943.

On 18 May 1944 Corporal Maybury transferred to the Intelligence Corps and was posted to the 89th (Parachute) Field Security Section, attached to 1st Airborne Division. The section was initially based at a public house in the village of Harlaxton, near Grantham, but later moved to Wellingore. They were split into three sub-sections, one each for the Headquarters of 1 Para Bde, 4 Para Bde and 1st Airlanding Bde. In the run up to D-Day the section were involved in military security for the division and preparations for the expected invasion of Europe. Although they took no part in Operation Overlord they were warned for several airborne operations, all of which were subsequently cancelled.

Cpl Maybury dropped into Arnhem with the 1 Para Brigade Sub-Section, commanded by the Field Security Officer, Captain John Killick, which entered the town with Lt Col Frost’s 2 Bn Parachute Regiment on 17 September. On the approach to the bridge, Maybury was running across a square when he was mortally wounded in the stomach and separated from the remainder of the Sub-Section. He was taken with other wounded men to the nearby Huishoudschool, a small private school, and treated by a Dutch civilian doctor, Dr Jan Zwolle, but died of his wound that night. Unaware of Maybury's fate, Captain Killick led a patrol of six men from No 6 Platoon, B Company back to the area where he had become separated but failed to find any trace of him.

Before Maybury died Dr Zwolle had searched him and found a ‘Black List’ of members of the Dutch Nazi Party living in the Arnhem area; such lists were provided to FS Sections to enable them to round up known or suspected enemy sympathisers for arrest and interrogation. Dr Zwolle was later arrested by a German patrol and the list discovered; he was summarily executed along with four other Dutch civilians.

Cpl Maybury was reported missing to his next of kin, his mother Edith, on 25 September 1944.

Cpl Maybury was initially buried in the back garden of the Huishoudschool but was eventually re-interred at Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery, Netherlands age 30.

Cpl A Maybury 1 Para Bde Sigs Report , July 1943

Stick 10.  i/c L/C Taylor (Missing)

To Signal Officer, 1st Parachute Bde

From 5345308. Cpl. Maybury.

  Sir,

The following, to the best of my knowledge, is what happened to the members of the above stick on landing on Op. HUSKY FUSTIAN.

  Numbers were as follows (1) Maj. Byng-Maddick (2) Pte O'Donnell (3) Captain Bolland (4) Tel. Skinner (5) L/C Taylor i/c (6) Sgmn Evans (7) Sgmn Clarke (8) Cpl Maybury (9) L/Bdr Greeney (10) Sgt. Maj Milsom Q.M.S.I.

  We dropped at 0030 hrs 14 July at 600 feet and were subjected to fire from a M.G. firing explosive tracer and another firing ball during the whole of the descent.  This continued sporadically during our forming up and verey lights were fired to light us up.  I remained within a few yards of my chute expecting to be joined by Nos 1 to 7 in the normal manner.  Nos 4 to 7 joined me (Skinner Taylor Evans Clarke) and we lay down in a circle waiting for Maj Byng-Maddick, Capt Bolland and O'Donnell.  After about 15 mins No.9 (Greeney) came up and said he had landed near Italians and had shot one.  Sgt Maj Milsom says that No 9 tripped and fell in the matting, hence the gap between us.  It seemed to us that Mr Milsom must have dropped behind the MG and Greeney said he had not been able to contact him.

  We waited in a ditch on the DZ for another half an hour but no-one else turned up and we decided we were on the wrong DZ far N of the correct one for we took the square of blazing buildings to be Catania 'drome and could not identify any landmarks.  We decided to make East to the coast road and coastal plain and from these strike South.  First of all it was necessary that I should destroy my cipher equipment and I crawled into a furrowed field and spent 45 minutes tearing it into small pieces and burying it.

  By this time the others should have been ahead of me to the East and I pushed on expecting to find them.  I found only Evans who had left the others.  He and I continued Eastward until we came up with the 2nd BN, with which we stayed until 10.30.

  According to Pte O'Donnell who contacted the two officers Taylor Skinner Clarke and Greeney eventually came up with them.  This party met Mr Golden and others, forming one large party which got shot up and separated later.  This is all I know of them.  I saw Mr Milsom the following day and he said he had found some of the containers in water, probably a dyke.  I have not seen L/C Taylor, L/Bdr Greeney, Clarke or Skinner any more during the operation or since.

  Sir,

A. Maybury, Cpl. 5345308.

Field.

25/7/43.