Private Frederick Sainty

Private Frederick Sainty, son of Frederick Henry and Minnie Rose Sainty, of Clapham, London, originally enlisted with the East Surrey Regiment, before transferring to airborne forces with 2nd (Airborne) Battalion, Oxs and Bucks Light Infantry.

Some of battalion were attached to the Defence Platoon of HQ 1st Airborne Division and in September 1944, Pte Sainty took part in the Battle of Arnhem, during Op Market Garden. One of the few from 1st Airborne Division to escape from the battle, he remained with the Divisional Defence Platoon and in early May 1945, he was amongst the troops sent to Norway as part of Op Doomsday to keep order and disarm the German forces in the region.

On 10 May 1945 Short Stirling, LK297, l9-G took off from RAF Great Dunmow at 0355 hours, bound for Gardermoen airfield in Norway. The aircraft crashed at Andtjernâsen, ten miles north of Oslo, plowed down the hillside and exploded.  The weather conditions at the time were terrible, with thick fog and rain compounding problems created by the poor signal from the Eureka beacon at Gardermoen. The crash killed all on board, including the six crew members, Air Vice-Marshal J R Scarlett-Streatfield, and 17 members of the British 1st Airborne Division, who where being transported to Oslo as part of Operation Doomsday.

The aircraft was not found until 21 June 1945, when soon afterwards they where buried at Vestre Gravlund in Oslo. In 1995 a large memorial marker was raised at the crash site.

Private Sainty died on 10 May 1945, aged 22 years old. He is now buried in a collective grave at Vestre Gravlund, Western Civil Cemetery, Oslo, Norway.