Sergeant Anthony Bolland
Unit : No.7 Platoon, "C" Company, 11th Parachute Battalion
Army No. : 69129
Sergeant Bolland was captured several days after his C-47 was shot down, but escaped and, having been sheltered by the underground, was subsequently evacuated across the Rhine on the 22nd October 1944 with Operation Pegasus. The following is his MI9 report:
Name: 4123427 Sgt. Bolland, Anthony.
Unit: 3rd Battalion Parachute Regiment, 1st Airborne Division. [Note: This is his unit after the 11th Parachute Battalion was disbanded]
Captured: near Bennekom, 22nd September 1944.
Escaped: Bennekom, 24th September 1944.
Left: Eindhoven, 26th October 1944.
Arrived: U.K., 26th October 1944.
Date of Birth: 12th May 1917.
Army Service: Since 2nd October 1934.
Peacetime Profession: Regular Army.
Private Address: 38 Alexander Pope Street, Liverpool 3.
I was despatcher in a Dakota aircraft which was shot down by Flak about two miles S.W. of BENNEKOM (N.W. EUROPE 1:250,000, Sheet 2A and 3A, E 5980) at 1410 hrs on 18 Sep 44. About ten of the airborne troops, including Cpl. KNOWLES, Ptes. PAGE and JAMES and three of the crew of the aircraft (names unknown) were killed in the aircraft.
Lt. BELL, L/Cpl. SMITH, Ptes. THORNE, BARRETT, and CROWLEY, and two others (names unknown), all of 11 Bn. 1 Para Regt., 1 Airborne Div. baled out before me. Cpl. HOUSHAM, 11 Bn., 1 Para Regt. was missing and I do not know what happened to him. I baled out and was the last man to leave the rear of the aircraft.
I landed near the crashed aircraft, but as my knee was injured, I was unable to move. L/Cpl. SMITH joined me and assisted me to a nearby ditch, where we discovered Pte. THORNE. The other two assisted me, and we went to the crashed aircraft, which was about 250 yards away. We discovered Pte. JAMES lying beside the aircraft. He died shortly afterwards. We also saw Cpl. KNOWLES and Pte. PAGE lying in the burning wreckage.
A few minutes later Dutch civilians came to us and informed us that Germans were approaching from WAGENINGEN (E 5978). These civilians then took the three of us to a farm, where we met Lt. HALES, U.S.A.A.F., the pilot of the aircraft, and Pte. BARRETT. Later that evening Ptes. BARRETT, SMITH and THORNE were moved to another farm. I did not see any of them again.
Lt. HALES and I remained at the farm until the Germans set up a Flak battery nearby on 22 Sep. The farmer instructed us to go along the road and a boy would meet us to escort us to another farm. We left the farm at 1800 hrs on 22 Sep, but we did not see the boy at the appointed place. We then decided to attempt to reach the ARNHEM (E 77) area.
We walked North across country. After travelling about two miles we were halted by German sentries. Lt. HALES dropped to the ground, but I was captured by the two Germans and taken to a trench. Lt. HALES was not discovered. I was kept in the trench until 0400 hrs on 23 Sep and then taken to the outskirts of BENNEKOM, where I was locked in a small room. No-one came near me until about 0600 hrs on 24 Sep. During this time I was not supplied with food, but there was a pitcher of water in the room.
At 0600 hrs on 24 Sep I was given a meal. At 0900 hrs I removed the wooden slats covering the broken window of the room and climbed out of the window. I ran into a nearby wood and hid there for about two hours. During this time there was no sign of any search for me.
I then walked through the wood and met a Dutch farmer who took me to a shed in a field. He gave me food and hid me in a bundle of hay. I remained there until evening, when two members of the underground movement came to the shed and took me to the farm where I had first stayed. I again met Lt. HALES who had returned there.
We remained there together until 13 Oct, when we were taken to BARNEVELD (E 5396) in a horse waggon bearing Red Cross markings. We were disguised as wounded civilians. On arrival at BARNEVELD we were taken to a house, where we stayed until about 21 Oct.
On that day we travelled by bicycle escorted by a Dutchman to a wood near RENKUM (E 6276), where we met a large party of airborne troops.
The remainder of my experiences are as related by Major TATHAM-WARTER in his report (S/P.G.(H) 2777).