Sergeant Maurice A Tisdale

Sergeant Maurice Alfred Tisdale was the son of Alfred James Edward Tisdale and Maude Tisdale, of Moseley, Birmingham.

He enlisted into The Royal Warwickshire Regiment and was serving with the 13th Battalion as a Corporal when it was turned over to airborne duties to become the 8th (Midlands) Parachute Battalion, part of the 3rd Parachute Brigade in the newly formed 6th Airborne Division in 1943.

After training at Hardwick Hall he attended Parachute Training Course 44 which ran at RAF Ringway from 28 December 1942 to 8 January 1943. The course notes record that "once mastered, he was a perfect exponent. A fine keen type."

Tizzy was a musician and formed a trio with two of his 8th Battalion comrades, Allan Reading, who was later to win a Military Medal and "Jackie" Evans.

The battalion took part in the Normandy landings in June 1944. According to Allan Reading's account, Tizzy broke his arm in the period leading up to Overlord, and was told he could not go. He made a fuss about this, and was eventually allowed to go in a glider, with orders to raise a flag on a church.

Unfortunately, both he and Jackie Evans were killed within the first week of the campaign.Sgt Tisdale served in HQ Coy during the Normandy campaign and was killed along with Pte Woodhouse in the 8th Para Battalion HQ area by enemy shelling.

Sgt Tisdale died, aged 25 years, on 11 June 1944 and is now buried in Ranville War Cemetery, Calvados.

Cemetery photo courtesy of CWGC.