Lance Sergeant Thomas E Graham

Thomas Edward Graham was the son of Thomas & Elsie Jane Graham and born in Whitehaven, Cumberland.  .

In 1939, he was living in Burnley, Lancashire, when he volunteered for The South Lancashire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's Volunteers).

He transferred to the 3rd Parachute Battalion C Company 9 Platoon, after completing his parachute training on course 66 between 25 May to 4 June 1943 at RAF Ringway. The course report records Corporal Graham as 'being enthusiastic and hard working'.

Lance Sergeant Graham was shot whilst taking part in an ambush on a German lorry in the Bilderberg area of Arnhem on 17 September 1944, aged 24.

An extract from Sgt Mason's account of C Coy's move to Arnhem bridge records:
"1800 - Passed through "B" Coy who had been held up and swung left towards the railway.  Our orders were to get through to the Bridge.  I was the leading section commander.  We were advancing up a third class road and ran into a German DR whom we captured. We left the bike and sent the prisoner back to Bn HQ with Pte Davies 35 who had a gammy leg.  About ten minutes later, before reaching the railway, we came to a fork road and met a German M/C with two men up. We killed them.  We then found that we had lost the other two platoons. We did not want to go along the railway as this was in a cutting.  So, we went along the road which ran parallel with the railway.  After about 20 yards we saw one of our own jeeps coming towards us filled with Germans.  We got down but they opened up on us and wounded Pte Tindle in both legs.  We left Pte Madigan RAMC with him.  The jeep turned round and made off, leaving one man behind to snipe down the road.  We took him prisoner immediately and kept him with us.  We proceeded down the road, and on hearing a truck coming up from behind us laid ambush.  Pte Gooseman wounded the driver and set the truck alight.  It was carrying amn.  The driver got out and L/Cpl Newbury killed him.  Sgt Graham stood up to shoot at another German riding in the back of the lorry, but the German shot him first.  Sgt Graham was very seriously wounded in the stomach.  That German was then shot by Cpl Burton."

L/Sgt Graham has no known grave but is recorded on Panel 8 of The Groesbeek Memorial at Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery.

War Diary extract courtesy of Mark Hickman and the Pegasus Archive. Profile photograph courtesy of Lynne Ryan.