Matthew's Military Moments

5th June 1944 - Airborne Assault

On this day, 82 years ago, members of the 6th Airborne Division and the 6th Airlanding Brigade took off from airfields across Britain. Codenamed Operation Tonga, Britains Airborne forces were key to the success of Operation Overlord as they were tasked with securing the eastern flank of the invasion area.

At Merville Battery, several artillery pieces were encased in bunkers and could fire onto the soldiers and armour of the 3rd Division landing at Sword Beach. So, it was planned that 3 Platoons of A Company, 9PARA as well as Engineers with Explosives to blow open the casemates, would land by a Coup de Main Glider Assault on the battery, whilst the rest of the battalion would land by Parachute and come up to reinforce the company which had landed by glider.

In addition to this, A Coy, 1st Candian Parachute Battalion also landed alongside 9PARA to provide flank protection and cover their withdrawal. As well as this, on the main DZ, a section from 4th Airlanding Anti Tank Battery with 6pdr guns, engineers from 591 (Antrim) Parachute Squadron, and medics from 3 Section 224 Field Ambulance. The 6pdr guns were a backup in case the doors to the gun case mates couldn't be blown open by explosives.

Meanwhile, further inland, at the Orne River and Benouville Canal (later Pegasus Bridge), would be assaulted by D Coy 2nd (Airborne) Battalion Oxs and Bucks Light Infantry, in a Coup de Main op, who would be reinforced by 7PARA, who would arrive 3-4 hours late.

The first casualty of D-day and what was to become the Battle of Normandy Lieutenant Herbert Denham Brotheridge at the Benouville Bridge (which would later become Pegasus Bridge). A British Army officer who served with the 2nd Oxs and Bucks LI. He was struck in the back of the neck by Machine Gun fire and died of his wounds in the earlier hours of the 6th of June. His body was laid to rest in a civilian graveyard in Ranville Churchyard.

A few from a rather hot May Bank Holiday Weekend at the Chiltern Open Air Museum with the Napoleonic Association and the 95th Rifles, 2nd Bn. Rifles Living History Association as well as many others.

NCO Vehicle Commander

11 Troop, C Squadron, 43rd (Wessex) Reconnaissance Regiment, C. April 1944 on Exercise prior to the Normandy Landings.

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❗️NOTE - This is a Historical Recreation designed for education only❗️
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This Vehicle Commander is dismounted, and is seen here with the following:

- RAC Pattern Steel Helmet and Liner
- Standard British Army Battledress
- Blanco No.103 coloured stripped down pistol order consisting of Belt, Ammunition Pouch and the RAC Pattern Dropleg holster with a shortened strap taking it off of the leg, with a .38 Webley Revolver and additional rounds.
- Dust Goggles
- Binoculars and Map Case

As well as his Regimental insignia and Beret with 2" Green Square behind the Reconnaissance Corps Cap Badge, as was worn by the 43rd Recce Regt.

He also sports a Yellow and Green Lanyard worn on the left arm, this was an unofficial piece of Regimental insignia but nonetheless there is evidence that this was worn.

This Memorial sits just set back from the intersection of the Brussels-Charleroi and Braine-l'Alleud-Ohain road at what was the centre of the Duke of Wellingtons position at the Battle of Waterloo on the 18th June 1815 and is dedicated to the 27th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Foot.

Raised from the defenders of Enniskillen in 1688, the regiment carried a proud Irish tradition into one of the most decisive battles in European history, and significantly was the only Irish Regiment present on the day!

After exhausting marches from Ghent through torrential rain, the Inniskillings reached Waterloo on the evening before the battle. Positioned in the centre of Wellington’s line (see square marked 27 on Image 2 just below the crossroads on the left hand side), they endured hours of devastating artillery and musket fire while holding formation under repeated French cavalry attacks. Their steadfast discipline in square formation became legendary, despite horrific losses.

By the end of the battle, the regiment had suffered approximately 65% casualties — 486 officers and men killed or wounded out of a strength of 747. This was among the heaviest losses suffered by any British regiment at Waterloo. Witnesses described the Inniskillings “lying literally dead, in square,” still holding the line after the fighting had passed over them.

Their sacrifice helped preserve the centre of Wellington’s army at the critical moment of the battle. Wellington himself later declared that the 27th “saved the centre of my line at Waterloo.” The regiment’s courage and endurance became a defining part of the legacy later carried forward by The Royal Irish Regiment.

Looking Forward to this! It will be my first time back in Normandy since 2019!

The Garrison Artillery Volunteers will be in Normandy at the beginning of next month for a few days.

It was an absolute privilege to speak today at the Waterloo Association’s “Waterloo: Real and Imagined” event at the University of the West of England.

I was delighted to present my talk, “Mythbusting the British Drummer: The Reality of Britain’s Napoleonic Signallers,” exploring the real role of drummers in the British Army and challenging some of the myths that still surround them.

The day was packed with fascinating talks and fresh perspectives on the Battle of Waterloo—both the reality of the campaign and how it has been remembered over time. Highlights included Gareth Glover’s "Wellington’s Artillery in the Waterloo Campaign" and Martin Aaron’s "Waterloo: Insights from the Archives,” which offered some brilliant insights from primary sources.

A thoroughly inspiring day and a great reminder of how history is constantly being re-examined and reinterpreted.