Old Bloxhamist, Captain Alex Young, Participates in International Commemoration of WWII
An Old Bloxhamist has taken part in an international commemoration of one of the most important events of the Second World War.
‘Alex Young, who left Bloxham in 2007, showed ample evidence of his leadership skills while at school, as he was School Captain and Captain of Rugby as well as a senior NCO in the school’s CCF, and he is now a Captain in the Parachute Regiment, where he commands a Machine Gun Platoon. Alex recently made the journey to Arnhem in Holland last week along with 220 other soldiers from 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment to commemorate the battle for Arnhem Bridge. In September 1944 British paratroopers and glider crews jumped and flew into Arnhem to attempt to seize the bridge over the Rhine as part of Operation Market Garden. This is the event made famous by the book ‘A Bridge Too Far’, and the film of the same name.
Soldiers from the UK, Poland, Italy, USA and Germany, among others, made the trip to Arnhem and were hosted by the Dutch Army’s 11th Air Manoeuvre Brigade. They jumped onto Ginkel Heath drop zone on the 19th September ‘ the original jump took place there on 17th September 1944. Participating nations used this as an opportunity to jump with each other’s parachutes; Captain Young was fortunate enough to jump twice, once with a German parachute and once with a Dutch parachute.
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