John T Rollingson

Lance Corporal John Thomas Rollingson  was the son of John Thomas Rollingson and Frances Rollingson; and husband of Phyllis A. T. Rollingson, of Rayleigh, Essex.

L/Cpl Rollingson originally enlisted into the 10th Battalion, The Essex Regiment. This was turned over to airborne duties in December 1942 and renamed the 9th (Essex) Parachute Battalion. It was assigned to the 3rd Parachute Brigade of the 6th Airborne Division.

14 Officers and 158 other ranks, including L/Cpl Rollingson attended the 47th parachute training course held at RAF Ringway from18 January to 1 February 1943.

It is believed that he parachuted into France as part the Defence Platoon protecting 3rd Parachute Brigade's Headquarters for Operation Overlord and died early in the Normandy campaign.

L/Cpl Rollingson died on 7 Jun 1944, aged 28, and is now comemorated on the Bayeux War Memorial.

Memorial photograph reproduced by kind permission of CWGC.