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short history of 10 PARA (V) Our sincere appreciation goes to members of HQ 4 Para for providing us with this synopsis on the history of 10 Para.
The Battalion was raised at Kabrit in the Suez Canal Zone in December 1942. It was formed around a nucleus of 200 Officers and men who had volunteered for parachute duties from 2nd Battalion The Royal Sussex Regiment. The Battalion was initially commanded by Lt Col KBI Smyth, South Wales Borderers, and together with the 11th Parachute Battalion and the 156th Parachute Battalion formed part of the 4th Parachute Brigade, commanded by Brigadier Hackett.
In March 1943 the Battalion move to Remat David in Palestine where training facilities were better, and where aircraft and equipment were available. Two months later the Brigade moved again, this time to Tunisia to join the rapidly growing 1st Airborne Division. The next four weeks were spent in intensive preparation for Operation HUSKY the invasion of Sicily. In the event the 4th Parachute Brigade was landed at Taranto.
10 PARA, having initially formed part of the bridgehead which allowed the safe landing of the remainder of the Division, were soon released to pursue the withdrawing German forces. The Battalion was engaged in particularly fierce fighting against the German 1st Parachute Division at Castellaneta. It was at this time that a particularly aggressive fighting patrol from 10 PARA induced a superior force of Germans to withdraw from the important airfield at Gioia Del Colle, thus allowing its occupation by the RAF in time to provide urgently needed fighter cover over the Salerno landings.
In mid-September 10 PARA was withdrawn to a leave camp near Bari, and after a short rest were moved, together with the remainder of the 1st Airborne Division, back to the United Kingdom, throughout the following year the Battalion spent its time preparing for but then being excluded from, the operations on the mainland of Europe. It was a frustrating time shared by all units of 1st Airborne Division.
Then in September 1944 came Operations Market Garden. For this operation 10 PARA were to be dropped onto secure DZs on D+1 (Monday 19th September 1944). Due to low cloud and fog over the UK airfields which delayed take off of the transport aircraft, 4th Parachute Brigade was five hours late arriving over the DZs. It has sustained some casualties from enemy flak batteries which had been more active than when the first lift had flown the approach to the DZs. By early afternoon however, the three battalions of the Brigade were dropped onto insecure and savagely contested DZs. On landing 10 PARA was immediately involved in fighting a well organised and determined enemy. The Battalion gathered itself to fight its way towards Arnhem. Resistance was stubborn and there were heavy casualties. By the Tuesday morning it was evident that the Brigade could not sustain its advance towards the town on its original planned axis. It was therefore ordered to withdraw South and resume the advance along the Heelsum-Arnhem road. During this manoeuvre 10 PARA suffered heavy casualties from prepared German positions. The fighting was heavy and unrelenting as the Battalion fought to hold the road and rail junction at Wolfhezen. During this battle the Battalion became fragmented, but eventually just after mid-day on the 20th Lt Col Smyth led the remnants of the Battalion into the Divisional perimeter at Oosterbeck. 10 PARA fought on with the remainder of the Division within the rapidly diminishing perimeter until the night of Monday 25th when the survivors withdrew across the lower Rhine, only thirty six members of 10 PARA made that crossing. It was during the Battle of Arnhem that Capt L E Queripel, one of the original volunteers from the Royal Sussex Regiment, won the Victoria Cross on the 19th September.
So few men remained in the 10th/11th and 156th Battalions that 4th Parachute Brigade was not reformed after Arnhem. The survivors from the Battalions were posted to the three Battalions in 1 PARA Bde, those from the 10th being posted to the 2nd Battalion.
The Territorial Army was reconstituted on 1st January 1947, and the 16th Airborne division (TA) was raised. 10 PARA was reformed on Thursday 1st May 1947 and designated the 10th Parachute Battalion TA (City of London). Sgt Tex Banwell was the only member of the original 10th Battalion to join the post was 10th Battalion, and to this day he is still an Honorary Member. During the last 35 years 10 PARA (V) has trained all over the world and has fulfilled numerous mobilisation roles and commitments. It was formerly part of 44 Parachute Brigade (V) until the formation’s demise.
10 PARA is the only Territorial parachute battalion which can claim, in its own right, to carry on the associations with its wartime counterpart. Because of this the Battalion has retained remarkably strong links with the people of Arnhem; who have warmly hosted them each year since 1947 on the occasion of the annual Memorial Visit/Exercise. The current deployment of the Battalion is as follows:
Battalion Headquarters The Duke of York’s Headquarters 1 Company White City 2 company Croydon/Blackheath 3 Company Finchley 4 Company The Duke of York’s Headquarters Support Company Aldershot Headquarter Company The Duke of York’s Headquarters Mortar/Recce
Platoons Leigh on Sea
The Battalion received its first colours from Field Marshal The Viscount Alanbrooke at the Tower of London on 27th July 1952. New colour were presented by The Colonel in Chief on 3rd June 1983 at The Duke of York’s Headquarters Chelsea. The old Colours are now laid up in St Lawrence Jewry next Guidhall in the City of London. On July 1 1999, 10 Para was amalgamated with 12 Para and 15 Para (Scottish) in the final reorganization of the 4th Parachute Battalion. 10 Para is still represented by No. 10 Company based in White City, London. |
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