Sapper Joseph McManus

Sapper Joseph McManus volunteered for airborne forces in 1943. He completed parachute course 86 at RAF Ringway in October 1943.

His course comments were:

"Has done very well, fast stick jumper, reliable, fits anywhere in sticks".

At that time he was listed as serving with 3 PARA Sqn RE, but later transferred to 591 (Antrim) Parachute Squadron RE.

Trevor McManus recalls this about Joseph's service:

"His initial Parachute training took place at Ringway Airport in Manchester where he broke his arm jumping out of a moving truck whist learning to land properly, he quickly recovered and completed his initial training there.

I believe that they went to Scotland for further training.  As he was from the Royal Engineers he was part of the group that were trained to build Bailey bridges to cross rivers as quickly as possible. 

On 6 June 1944 he was part of Orne crossings, I am unsure as to whether he was with the 6 gliders that captured Pegasus Bridge or at the bridge further downstream, or was part of the reinforcements. My Grandparents said that he talked a lot about Pegasus Bridge.  He was wounded in Normandy a few days later and was repatriated back to hospital in England and convalesced in Preston before rejoining his Squadron.

He then fought in the Ardennes and took part in the liberation of Brussels, where he was billeted with a local family before he returned home on leave.

He took part in Operation Varsity on the Rhine Crossings and was in the first wave of gliders to land but was killed by German machine-gun fire."

Sapper McManus died on 24 March 1945, during the Rhine Crossing, during Op Varsity, aged 29 years old.

He is now buried at Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, in Kleve, Germany.

Awaiting service records for clarification of service