Private Tony Constable

Private B.A. "Tony" Constable, Mortar Platoon, Support Company, 10th Parachute Battalion. A veteran of Dunkirk, he joined the Battalion at the time of its formation in the Middle East. At Arnhem, he received a shrapnel wound to his leg and was taken prisoner, spending the remainder of the war at Stalag XIB at Fallingbostel. On his return he married his wife, Margaret, and worked as a gardener, first for a convent in Sussex, and later at Lowesby Hall, then Greenalls in Waltham, and McDowells in Rearsby. He went on to work on the gardens at Pera in Melton before his retirement. His daughter, Julie Newman, said of him: "Dad was a private person I suppose. I once went to a reunion in Holland with him and my mum. There was some kind of museum building which the Dutch people took us to. Dad sobbed and said 'I've seen too much'. He loved gardening and looking after his own garden right up until he couldn’t manage it anymore. He had a greenhouse and he loved growing flowers and vegetables. He was also interested in wildlife and birds, with a love for owls in particular, and as he got older he used to love watching cricket. He was a very loving and caring person and he had a good sense of humour right until the end. He was quick-witted in his comments and he'd always see the funny side of things." Tony Constable died in Leicester on the 26th January 2016, aged 97.

Tony Constable with his niece in September 2014, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of Operation Market Garden, at Somerby where the 10th Battalion had been based.