Private Richard Drape

Private Richard ‘Dick’ Drape served in the King’s Own Scottish Borderers prior to volunteering for airborne forces at the formation of 1st Parachute Brigade.He was posted to C Company 2nd Parachute Battalion and qualified as a military parachutist on the first training course run for brigade personnel in November 1941 at RAF Ringway.

Later, in February 1942, Dick took part in the Bruneval raid, a daring parachute operation tasked with capturing components from a German radar system in enemy occupied France and bringing them back to the UK for British scientists to examine.

Dick was part of Jellicoe Section under the command of Lieutenant Peter Young and Sergeant Gregor McKenzie, and flew to the drop zone in a converted Whitley bomber (Nu 9127). The raid was a complete success and Dick returned safely to the UK.

He went with the battalion to North Africa in November 1942 where he took part in another parachute operation behind enemy lines at Depienne. This time he was not so fortunate and he was captured and held as a prisoner of war (POW) on 30 November 1942. Initially imprisoned in Italy, he escaped but was recaptured by the Germans. Dick was eventually sent to a POW camp in Germany, Stalag XIB, and given the POW number 138659.

Upon repatriation to the UK he transferred to the Royal Army Service Corps and was then discharged from Regular Army Service on the 5 July 1945.