Acting Sergeant George B Wilson

George Wilson served with the Essex Regiment until volunteering for airborne forces in 1942.

He took part in parachute training course 47 at RAF Ringway. The course lasted from 18th January until 1st February 1943. It was noted he was of a "Cheerful disposition - Satisfactory Performance" 

Upon successful completion of the course, Private Wilson was posted to the 9th (Essex) Parachute Battalion, The Parachute Regiment. 

Corporal Wilson took part in Operation Overlord (Normandy). He was part of the force tasked with taking out the Merville Gun Battery. After his plane came under heavy anti-aircraft fire, the pilot took evasive action taking them off course. When the pilot came round for a second run at the drop, they were quite far from the original DZ. Cpl Wilson dropped and was declared missing until he returned to England on the 19th August 1944. He recalled his drop in a statement noting:

"After baling out at 0100 hrs on 6 Aug 44 I landed in a tree in a wood West of BARNEVILLE (N.W. EUROPE, 1:250,000, Sheet 7, L5315). I was hung up and I cut myself loose. I landed on my head and was unconscious until daylight. I then left the wood and contacted a farmer who gave me some food. I hid in a hedge until Sgt. SMITH came along."

Following this Cpl Wilson transferred to the West Yorkshire Regiment, where he served for a year and a half  before demobbing in April 1946.