Driver Harold Gregory

21 Sep 1944

Driver Harold Gregory was the son of John and Florence Gregory, of Heywood, Lancashire, and husband of Eileen Gregory, also of Heywood. He served with 253 (Airborne) Composite Company, Royal Army Service Corps and took part in the Battle of Arnhem, during Op Market Garden.

He died on 21 September 1944, aged 28 years old. He is now buried at Oosterbeek War Cemetery, Arnhem.

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Service History

Harold  Gregory

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Jonathan Gregory said:
Wing Commander Harrison , 190 Squadron's CO, and his crew were leading the Fairford re-supply serial to the Oosterbeek drop zone area in Stirling LJ982
with fuselage code L9-N. The crew consisted of:

Wing Commander Greame Harrison, Pilot
Warrant Officer Thomas Brierley, RNZAF, Second Pilot
Warrant Officer Donald Mathewson, RNZAF, Navigator
Flight Sergeant Robert Percy, Flight Engineer
Flight Lieutenant Norman Skinner, Wireless Operator
Flying Officer Neil MacKay,Bomb Aimer
Pilot Officer Jaque de Cordue, RCAF, Rear Gunner.
The two air despatchers of 253 Airborne Divisional Composite Company, RASC were Lance Corporal Leslie Caldecott and Driver Harold Gregory.

As lead Plane of the third re-supply serial arriving in the Oosterbeek area, German Fighters, some of them chasing Pilot Officer Bebarfield's Stirling
must have singled out LJ982 as an interesting target. Dropping his supplies to the Airborne troopsin the Hartenstein Hotel area, Wing Commander Harrison's
aircraft, turning to port to start its reciprocal course was quickly shot down by the prowling German Fighters. Harrison must have ordered his crew to bale out
immediatly but time war allready running out. Flight Lieutenant Skinner was initially buried at Renkum cemetery, north of the river Rhine and its assumed that
he baled out just prior to the aircraft crossed the river Rhine. Flight Sergeant Percy was the ony crew member who managed to bale out. He must have jumped
too low and died shortly after, very near to the crash site of LJ982 which crashed 500 meters north of farm 'de Slop' of Mr. De Hartog at Zetten. Thus none of
the nine men survived.
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