Company Sergeant Major Victor D Williams

Victor D Williams enlisted into the South Staffordshire Regiment and served with the Headquarters Company (HQ Coy) in India in 1940.

He volunteered for airborne forces and served with A Coy, 2nd Battalion, The South Staffordshire Regiment (2nd Bn, South Staffs).

Sgt Williams went on Operation Husky as commander of no 8 Platoon, A Company. He went in on Horsa Glider no 129 which crash landed south of the landing zone. No 8 Platoon successfully occupied the high ground of their original objective a railway bridge west of the Ponte Grande on 9 July 1943. Sgt Williams platoon mounted an attack on the bridge the next morning but it was heavily defended and they were captured. Fortunately they were shortly released by the 2nd Northants from 17 Infantry Brigade.

After fighting in Italy the 2nd Bn South Staffs sailed for the UK on 26th November 1943 on board The Duchess of Bedford. They docked in Liverpool on 10 December and went by train to Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire.

During early 1944 the 2nd Bn South Staffs trained at Woodhall Spa and received visits by both General Montgomery and The King in the March.

A Company Sergeant Major Williams saw active service on Operation Market Garden and was captured at the Hartenstein Hotel (now the Airborne Museum).

As a Prisoner of War CSM Williams was sent to Stalag 2A at Neubrandenburg, Germany.