Sergeant James Donald Beasant qualified as a military parachutist while serving as a Private on course 87 which ran at RAF Ringway from 13 to 25 October 1943.The course cadre comprised of 291 trainees and eight of these were injured on the course. James impressed the course instructors who recorded the following notes "good jumper, worked hard, fine spirit and personality".

He was posted to 13th (Lancashire) Parachute Battalion and served with No 5 Platoon B Company.

He served with the Battalion in Normandy, the Ardennes, on the Rhine Crossing and in the Far East.

He was awarded the Legion d' Honneur at the French Embassy in 2004.