'Unbelievable effort' to keep WW2 memories alive

John Grayburn's father was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery in World War Two

The son of a World War Two officer awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross has praised "unbelievable efforts" to tell his father's story.

John Grayburn's dad, Lt John Grayburn, led a platoon defending Arnhem Bridge in the Netherlands against overwhelming Nazi forces in 1944.

A project telling the stories of airborne crews who trained in Lincolnshire during the war has been unveiled by South Kesteven District Council.

"It's just unbelievable people are putting in so much effort to keep their memory alive, it's wonderful," Mr Grayburn said.

Men of 3 Platoon, 'A' Company, 2nd Parachute Battalion, on a route march near Grantham, just before the operation in Arnhem

An information board about Easton Walled Gardens' involvement in World War Two was unveiled at an event on Thursday

The Soldiers From The Sky project, organised by the council, commissioned research into the ways stately homes, airfields and churches were used during the war.

An information board at Easton Walled Gardens, near Grantham, was unveiled on Thursday, which pays tribute to the heroism that won Mr Grayburn's father Britain's highest military accolade.

It is also telling the story of the location's role training airborne crews who parachuted into the Dutch city for the Battle of Arnhem, which was part of Operation Market Garden - an ambitious military offensive designed to speed up the invasion of Nazi Germany and shorten the war in Europe.

Mr Grayburn said he knew very little about his father's time in Lincolnshire during the war.

"I knew he was here, I have his diary and it mentions coming here, but I didn't know anything about what training they were doing while they were here. How they kept the morale up," he said.

"I think it's crucial people remember what happened."

Brian Riley, heritage advisor for Soldiers From The Sky, said he felt "greatly privileged and delighted" to be involved.

He said he hoped the project would "shine a light on a less well-known aspect of Lincolnshire's heritage".

He said: "We focus on trying to fill in the gaps of what the lads did to prepare for action.

"They would attack farmhouses and other buildings just to carry out tactical exercises to make sure all their skills, all their drills, were properly understood.

"My own father was in airborne forces in the Mediterranean during the war, so I feel a personal connection with what some of the guys went through.

"It's been fascinating to learn the stories, filling gaps in my own knowledge and help, hopefully, contribute to filling in gaps in the knowledge of other people."

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