Joes Bridge            
 
 

By the late 2722858 L/Sgt. John (Jack) Brett
3rd.Btn IRISH GUARDS

"There have been many accounts of what happened at Joe's Bridge, and I have scoured the Internet for information. I have also seen the film "A Bridge Too Far" many times but what follows is one Mick's eye-witness account of how it really was in Belgium on that day in September 1944"  (Ivor)

Jack's words:                                                                                           
 "After a farewell speech by General Horrocks, 30 Corps left Neerpelt in the direction of Valkenswaarden. After only 3  miles at  the most we came to a halt, the road was blocked and we were just  sitting ducks. In fact we were ambushed, it was  not 'Tank country'  and we could  not deploy, we did have infantry riding the Tanks  at the time, they were on  all eight Sherman Tanks. Two troops had set  off  that morning with a Firefly to each troop, and we didn't expect the German 88mm Anti-Tank guns  to be waiting for us,  but they were, and as always the Germans took out the  second Tank. The brass-hats had  said, or thought, it would be a straight drive to Eindhoven, but  it was not to be, we lost some fine men on that little sortie.

I myself got  injured and held  things up for 40 minutes, which didn't help. I was a L/Sgt with the Lorried Infantry and our job was to protect the tanks, to deploy and recce where tanks could not go.
 A mate had called out for a Medic, and I went to assist him. A hand-grenade was thrown at us from behind cover, but we both survived our injuries."
         As related to Jack's friend Ian Bailey Ex-REME and Royal Australian Infantry Regiment (Vietnam) 

 Under the  command of Lt Col Vandeleur, the bridge at Waal was captured and held, and  a plaque  now in the wall  shows the date as being 10.SEPTEMBER.1944. The bridge was rebuilt  after WW2, but the scene is very much the same as it was in 1944. The plaque below the southern edge of the bridge  records it's famous  name, and the Irish Guards Memorial is on the north bank,  reached  from  a side-road from the N69 to Valkenswaard.

  30 Corps met up with Polish troops at 8am on Friday 22nd September, 72 hours behind schedule.
The Polish troops had been dropped the day before near Driel, south of the perimeter across the Rhine.

Jack has listed the boys he left  behind as follows,

  2718372  GDSN  N.MALLON.       2724057    GDSN    T.C.WATSON.      2723677 GDSN  M.DEE      

  2723046    GDSN. WACKERS.       2718606    LSGT   J.WATTERS.          2723025. LCPL. MJ.DELANEY

  2717391 WO 2  WJ.PARKES.         2723581.   GDSN.   J.   JOHNSON.     2718040. GDSN  J.  DOYLE. 

                                                           2723975.   GDSN.   A.   GREENHILL.

THE  ABOVE ARE IN OOSTERBEEK CEMETERY.

   2722803   LSGT. M. McSORLEY.      2722509.  GDSN.   E.  GREEN.

   2722126.   GDSN.  J.   CRUTHERS.       2722593.  GDSN.  R.O.FOX.

   and  LIEUT WCT. MAL FETRIDE.

   THERE  ARE ALSO THREE UNKNOWN SOLDIERS.

THE  ABOVE ARE IN ARNHEM CEMETERY,   3rd  BATT., IRISH GUARDS.

Jack Brett passed away in November 2004

"QUIS SEPARABIT"