From left: Reg Curtis and Eric Simpson
First Parachute Battalion. Reg and Eric fought together in Africa and Italy.


Eric: “We really got to know each other in Arnem (Belgium), in Sept. 1944. We were supposed to take the bridge and hold it for two days. We held it for four, and held a perimeter for nine days, until eventually they told us to get out. Reg was badly wounded, he had his leg off, and we were both taken prisoner. We were quite young when we went in, but when we got out of Arnem, we were senior citizens. It was hell. They threw everything at as. As a paratrooper you have 24 hours: you have to be in and out with the element of surprise. We never had the element of surprise; we dropped eight miles away from our target. We had enough ammo for 24 hours. We had to take the guns off the German’s and use their guns. We held for nine days, and they (the British army) still didn’t come for us, still didn’t get to us”.