© WW2 Market Garden -
John “Jack” Baskeyfield was born on November 18 1922, as a son of Daniel and Minnie Baskeyfield, in Burslem, Stoke-
John joined the 2nd battalion of the South Staffordshire Regiment which was a part of the 1st Airlanding Brigade, part of the 1st Airborne Division. Within the 2nd South Staffordshire Regiment John was put in the anti-
The 1st Airborne Division wasn’t used for the Normandy invasion, so the division had to wait until they received their marching orders. They received the order to get ready when Field Marshall Montgomery planned Operation Market Garden. John, with his unit, was supposed to land by glider close to Arnhem, capture vital bridges over the river Rhine and defend them until they were relieved by armor of British XXX-
Due to a shortage of planes the 2nd South Staffordshire Regiment was split between two lifts. Most of the Regiment was able to land their gliders on the landing zone at Wolfheze. John and his crew retrieved the AT-
The British encountered more and more problems during their fight for the bridges. The 1st Airborne Division was stuck on the outskirts of Arnhem, with only a handful of soldiers defending the northern end of the Arnhem bridge. The Germans launched their counter offensive and the men of the 2nd South Staffordshire Regiment’s anti-
On September 20 the Germans launched determined attacks against the Lonsdale force, trying to encircle the British troops at Oosterbeek. John Baskeyfield was in charge of two 6 pounder anti-
Horsa gliders of the 2nd South Staffordshire Regiment, part of the 1st Airlanding Brigade, at Wolfheze.
Men of the 2nd South Staffordshire Regiment anti-
A 6 pounder anti-
John Baskeyfield’s Victoria Cross action depicted in a painting by artist Terence Cuneo.
Lance Sergeant John Baskeyfield
2nd South Staffordshire Regiment, 1st Airlanding Brigade, 1st Airborne Division
Place and date: Oosterbeek, the Netherlands, 20 September 1944
On 20th September 1944, during the Battle of Arnhem, Lance Sergeant Baskeyfield was the nco in charge of a six-
The enemy developed a major attack on this sector with infantry, tanks and self-
In the course of this preliminary engagement Lance Sergeant Baskeyfield was badly wounded in the leg and the remainder of his crew were either killed or badly wounded. During a brief respite after the engagement Lance Sergeant Baskeyfield refused to be carried to the Regimental Aid Post and spent his time attending to his gun and shouting encouragement to his comrades in neighbouring trenches.
After a short interval the enemy renewed the attack with even greater ferocity than before, under cover of intense mortar and shell fire. Manning his gun quite alone, Lance Sergeant Baskeyfield continued to fire round after round at the enemy until his gun was put out of action. By this time his activity was the main factor in keeping the enemy tanks at bay. The fact that the surviving men in his vicinity were held together and kept in action was undoubtedly due to his magnificent example and outstanding courage. Time after time the enemy attacks were launched and driven off. Finally when his gun was knocked out Lance Sergeant Baskeyfield crawled under intense enemy fire to another six-
The superb gallantry of this nco is beyond praise. During the remaining days at Arnhem, stories of his valour were a constant inspiration to all ranks. He spurned danger, ignored pain and, by his supreme fighting spirit, infected all who witnessed his conduct with the same aggressiveness and dogged devotion to duty, which characterised his actions throughout.