John Waddy (British Army officer) facts for kids

Colonel John Llewellyn Waddy was a brave British Army officer. He was born on June 17, 1920, and passed away on September 27, 2020. He fought in some very important conflicts. These included the Second World War, the time when Britain was in charge of Palestine, and the Malayan Emergency. After all his service, he became the leader of the famous SAS.

John Waddy joined the British Army just before World War II began. He first served in India. Later, he joined the Parachute Regiment. He fought in Italy in 1943. After that, he returned to the United Kingdom. He was part of the Battle of Arnhem, a very tough fight. There, he was hurt and became a prisoner of the German army.

After the war, John Waddy stayed in the army. He served in Mandatory Palestine and during the Malayan Emergency. For his bravery in Malaya, he was mentioned in official reports. He then led different groups in the Parachute Regiment. He was even given an award, becoming an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1963. He was one of the first people to lead the SAS. He helped the SAS grow and take on new roles. Later, he worked as a military advisor in places like Washington DC and Vietnam. After leaving the army, he advised Westland Helicopters. He also helped with the movie A Bridge Too Far.

Early Life and Training

John Waddy was born in Taunton, Somerset, England. His birthday was June 17, 1920. His father, Richard Henry Waddy, was also a military officer. John went to school at Wellington College, Berkshire. Then, he trained to become an officer at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.

World War II Adventures

Starting in India

On July 3, 1939, John Waddy became a second lieutenant. He joined the Somerset Light Infantry. Two months later, he was sent to India. He sailed from Britain on the same day World War II began. He was promoted to captain in September 1940.

His time in India was mostly spent on training. He really wanted to see action. In August 1941, he got his chance. He joined a new British Parachute Battalion. In October, he became the intelligence officer for the 151st Parachute Battalion. Parachute training in India was basic. Jumps were made from old Vickers Valentia biplanes. He earned his jump wings on the same day Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. Just two months later, he was badly hurt in a training jump. He was in a coma for three days.

Fighting in Italy

In October 1942, his battalion went to North Africa. It was renamed the 156th Parachute Battalion. It became part of the new 4th Parachute Brigade. Waddy became the brigade's intelligence officer. The brigade moved to Palestine in February 1943. Then, in June, it went to Tunisia. There, it joined the 1st Airborne Division.

The 4th Brigade did not fight in the Allied invasion of Sicily. But on September 5, the whole Division sailed to Taranto in Italy. They successfully captured the port. Waddy's battalion was at the front of the attack.

The division moved north over the next few weeks. They were chasing the German 1st Parachute Division. In one fight, Waddy found an Italian Howitzer gun. He used it to stop German soldiers from attacking. He fired the gun directly at a building where they were gathering. Waddy was promoted to major in October. He took charge of a company of soldiers. A month later, the 1st Airborne Division went back to the United Kingdom.

The Battle of Arnhem

The 1st Airborne Division's next big mission was in September 1944. This was during Operation Market Garden. The Allies wanted to use airborne troops. Their goal was to capture important bridges in the Netherlands. This would open a path into Germany. The 1st Airborne Division was supposed to capture bridges at Arnhem. Waddy's 4th Parachute Brigade would protect the city's northern areas.

The brigade was set to arrive on September 18. But fog in England caused a four-hour delay. This delay actually saved their planes from German fighter jets. However, the planes faced heavy anti-aircraft fire as they neared the drop zone. Waddy remembered seeing the faces of German gun crews. He saw many explosions and escorting planes attacking the guns. His own plane was hit but kept going. Despite the plane shaking, Waddy and his men jumped. They landed under heavy fire on Ginkel Heath. Waddy's radio operator lost his radio as he jumped.

On the ground, Waddy learned the situation was getting worse quickly. His battalion was almost alone. They moved along a railway line. They met other troops before being attacked by a German fighter plane. Near Oosterbeek, they met German tanks and stopped for the night.

The next morning, Waddy's company was ordered to advance. They were told there wouldn't be much resistance. But in fact, the company before them had been almost destroyed. Waddy saw many dead soldiers as he moved forward. As his company advanced, they were stopped by a German gun. Waddy led a small group to attack it. But a German sniper saw them. A friend was killed instantly. Waddy, without his machine gun, could only fire his pistol. The sniper shot him in the groin. Waddy had to pretend to be dead for a moment. Then, a tall soldier carried him back to his company's base. The attack stopped because of strong German forces. Waddy's battalion had lost so many men it was like a single company.

At the aid station, doctors didn't think Waddy would survive. He was taken to a main hospital in the Tafelburg hotel in Oosterbeek. He had surgery in the hotel's billiard room. A day later, he was moved to a house nearby. The aid stations were on the front lines. They were constantly under fire. Waddy was wounded two more times. A mortar shell piece hit his left foot. Later, another hit caused injuries to his face and shoulder. At one point, German soldiers occupied his building. A British sniper shot a German soldier. A German sergeant then lectured the British about shooting at a Red Cross house. When the house caught fire, he was taken outside. German medics then took him to Apeldoorn.

Waddy spent six weeks in a German hospital in Apeldoorn. He was impressed by the kindness of the German staff. He almost had his foot removed. But a nurse took out the splinter with forceps. Once he was better, he was taken to a prisoner camp. This was Stalag VII-A. He stayed there until the camp was freed in April 1945.

After the War

John Waddy stayed in the army after the war. In September 1945, he was sent to Palestine. He worked to deal with Jewish terrorist threats. In July 1947, he was wounded again. This time, it was by members of a group called the IZL.

After almost seven years with the Parachute Regiment, he was moved in March 1948. He spent the next four years in different staff jobs. He was in Greece, then Taunton, and later in Egypt and Libya. In July 1952, he became a major. Two months later, he went to Malaya. He was a company commander there for a year during the Malayan Emergency. He was officially recognized for his actions.

After returning from Malaya, Waddy went to RAF Staff College. He also trained soldiers for the Somerset Light Infantry. He then rejoined the Parachute Regiment. He was sent to Canada for an exchange program. In 1958, the Parachute Regiment was allowed to keep its own officers. Waddy quickly applied. He was sent to Jordan and then Cyprus. He was the second-in-command of the 2nd Battalion. He said it felt like being back with family.

In 1960, he became a lieutenant colonel. He was put in charge of the Parachute Regiment's training center in Aldershot. During this time, he created a new training camp in Brecon. This camp later became the Infantry Battle School. In 1962, he became a chief instructor at a small arms school. In 1963, he was given the award of Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his leadership.

In late 1964, Waddy became the Colonel SAS. This job later became Director SAS. He was promoted to full colonel. Waddy was important in developing new roles for the SAS. He also wrote a paper about the SAS's future. He predicted they would be involved in fighting terrorism and gathering information. These predictions later came true.

After short periods in Washington D.C. and Fort Benning, Waddy went to the British Embassy in Saigon in 1970. He was a defence advisor there. He saw the Vietnam War firsthand. He returned to Britain in 1972.

After the Army

Waddy left the army in 1974. He became a military advisor for Westland Helicopters. He worked there until he retired in 1989. He found the work interesting. But he was disappointed that the Army didn't show much interest in helicopters.

In 1975, the movie A Bridge Too Far began production. Waddy took six months off from Westland to be the main Military Advisor for the film. He was in charge of training a group of fifty men. These men acted as soldiers in the movie. Waddy helped them look and act like real soldiers.

Waddy and other military experts helped make sure parts of the film were historically correct. As a thank you, actor Edward Fox named his driver "Waddy" in the movie. John Waddy also had a small appearance in one of the final scenes.

John Waddy often returned to Arnhem, where the big battle took place. In 1954, he was given a damaged silver cigarette case. It had his name on it. When he cleaned it, he found it was a gift from his father to another officer who died in the battle.

From 1982 to 1996, Waddy led tours of the Arnhem battlefields. He gave talks to students from the Army Staff College. He did this again when the Defence Academy restarted the tours in 2008. He wrote a book about the battle in 1999 called A Tour of the Arnhem Battlefields. He was known as an expert on the battle.

By his 100th birthday in June 2020, John Waddy was the last surviving officer from the Battle of Arnhem. He celebrated at his home in Taunton. He received visits from the Parachute Regiment and a Dutch official. The official gave him the Dutch Thank You Liberators Medaille. John Waddy passed away peacefully on September 27, 2020.