Private Ernest F Heywood

Ernest Frederick Heywood came from Surrey, and was a pre-war regular solider serving with the Royal Army Ordnance Corps who later volunteered for airborne forces in 1943.

He attended RAF Ringway for parachute course 91, which ran from 11 to 26 November 1943 and qualified for his parachute wings after undertaking eight descents. He was posted to the 12th (Yorks) Parachute Battalion on completion of his parachute training.

Pte Heywood was part of the spearhead force for Operation Overlord, which marked the commencement of the liberation of north-west Europe, on 6 June 1944. He dropped onto DZ N, near Ranville in Normandy, France, and was badly wounded sometime during the next week’s fighting.

He was evacuated back to Southampton General Hospital, England, where he unfortunately died of his wounds.

Pte Ernest Heywood died on 14 June 1944 and is now buried at Southampton (Hollybrook) Cemetery.