Lieutenant Patrick W A MacKey

Lt  Patrick Wallace Alexander Mackey (known as Pat) was the son of Frank Alexander Mackey and Ethel Finlay Mackey, of Farnham, Surrey.

He was granted an emergency commission on 20 April 1940 after service in the ranks and completion of training at an Officer Cadet Training Unit. He initially served with The Royal Scots, transferred to The Highland Light Infantry in 1942 and joined The Parachute Regiment in February 1943. He subsequently served with the 10th Parachute Battalion.

Pat took part in battalion operations, as part of 1st Airborne Division, in Italy from September 1943 until they embarked for England on 24 November in preparation for the campaign in North West Europe.

In the event, because of a number of cancelled operations, the battalion did not go back into action again until 1st Airborne Division's airborne assault to capture the Rhine crossings at Arnhem as part of Operation Market Garden in September 1944. By this time Pat Mackey was serving as the Commander of 4 Platoon, A Company.

The 10th Battalion made an opposed parachute drop under enemy fire on the second day, Monday, onto Ginkelse Heide (Ginkle Heath). Pat Mackey was the third man to jump in his stick and on landing met with his Platoon Sergeant, Tex Banwell, at a weapons container along with a number of other men from his platoon.

Under fire they crawled through the heather towards the woods at the edge of the heath, where they spotted a Spandau machine gun firing from the cover of a wood cart.

Pat Mackey broke cover and valiantly charged the machine gun but was cut down and killed instantly along with Sergeant Bennett.

Lt Pat Mackey died on 18 September 1944, aged 24 years, and is now buried at Ede General Cemetery in the Netherlands.