Sergeant Leonard C Barham

Leonard Charles Barham was the son of William John and Harriet Amelia Barham, of West Ham, Essex and brother of Para Pte William Barham.

On leaving school Leonard started an apprenticeship in the printing trade. At the outbreak of the Second World War he enlisted into The Essex Regiment.

Cpl Barham volunteered for airborne forces in late 1942 and attended RAF Ringway for parachute course 45, which ran from 4 to 13 January 1943. The instructors’ comments state ‘Cpl Barham: ‘Very good NCO. Good jumper, right type’.

He was posted to 7 Platoon, S Company, 1st Parachute Battalion and later jumped into Arnhem as a section commander in 7 Platoon on 17 September 1944 during Operation Market Garden.

Three days later his brother Pte William Barham of the 10th Parachute Battalion was killed in action on the same operation.

Len Barham was later captured by the Germans and held as a prisoner of war.

He was demobbed in October 1946 having reached the rank of Sergeant and returned to the printing industry. There he met he future wife Florence.

In 1961 Leonard and Florence moved to the United States of America, eventually becoming American citizens.

After 54 years of marriage Leonard died in April 2004 in Sacramento, California.