519:, east of the River Rhine, on the north-east perimeter of the 6th Airborne Division's landing zone. The Germans met the landing gliders with ferocious fire in the air and on the ground; the 2nd Ox and Bucks lost 400 killed or injured out of a total battalion strength of 800 men. Tillett's company was reduced to 3 officers and 58 men. In the battle of the landing area his company captured and held all its objectives. He continued to lead his company in the advance across Germany to the
650:, Hampshire. He wrote a brief history of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry from the regiment's origins in 1741 and 1755 to the Royal Green Jackets up to 1992. He was the last-known surviving 2nd Ox and Bucks (the 52nd) officer to have taken part in the gliderborne air assault landing on Normandy, on D-Day, 6 June 1944. Tillett organised and regularly attended the regimental commemorations of the anniversaries of the battle for Normandy at
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In
November 1944, Major Howard received serious injuries following a road traffic accident and Tillett, promoted to major, replaced him as OC of D Company. He was to lead the company in the Ardennes: the
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470:. After holding the line on the Breville ridge and sustaining many casualties, Tillett and the 2nd Ox and Bucks in August 1944 took part in the British break-out and advance to the
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who was later to succeed
Tillett in command of the battalion. Tillett, in the rank of local brigadier, subsequently commanded the whole of the Ugandan Army. He later served in
41:
531:. They were ordered to continue to pursue the enemy rather than investigate further; the Camp Guards having by this stage fled. At the end of the war Tillett was present at
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began, and was given the service number of 145422. He was posted to the 2nd
Battalion, Ox and Bucks (also known as the 52nd), which had recently returned from
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during the Second World War. The gliders carrying the 2nd Ox and Bucks, including the glider carrying
Tillett and D Company HQ, landed in daylight, north of
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Gliderborne: The Story of the 2nd
Battalion, The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (The 52nd) in World War II
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626:(SHAPE). He retired from the army in 1969 and served as a retired officer mainly involved in officer recruitment for the
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598:; the effects of which were to subsequently cause him health problems. In 1959 Tillett became second-in-command of the
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of the 2nd Ox and Bucks early in 1944 and was closely involved in the planning of the coup de main operation, led by
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unit. Transferring from the 1st
Airlanding Brigade, alongside the 1st Ulster Rifles, to help form the newly created
578:, in 1949. Tillett served with the 1st Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, 43rd and 52nd, from 1953 at
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Tillett became curator of the
Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry Museum at Slade Park Barracks,
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Tillett, JMA (1993). An
Outline History of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry 1741 – 1992.
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586:. In 1955 he became an instructor in the Nuclear Weapons Tactical Wing of the School of Infantry,
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organisation, which made him an honorary member. In
Germany, he saw army manoeuvres in the
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which convinced him that war was approaching and he enlisted in the 4th/5th
Battalion,
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486:, Wiltshire, in early September 1944, after three months of nearly continuous action.
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658:, Germany. He was the administrator of the Darell-Brown Memorial Trust. He lived in
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He married Joan Lawson in 1943 with whom he was to have two sons and a daughter.
263:. He was one of the last surviving British Army officers to have served with the
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Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (The 43rd/52nd Regiment of Foot)
590:, Wiltshire. He witnessed the British atomic weapons tests which took place at
482:. The battalion, along with the rest of the 6th Airborne Division, returned to
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466:, at approximately 21.00hrs, along with the rest of the battalion, as part of
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and became Commanding Officer of the 1st Ugandan Rifles, formerly the 4th
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with the 2nd Ox and Bucks and the rest of the 6th Airborne Division (see
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454:. On 6 June 1944, Tillett's glider, piloted by glider pilots from the
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on 24 March 1945. Operation Varsity was the last major battle on the
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Colonel John Tillett died on 14 December 2014, aged ninety-five.
813:
The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry War Chronicle
774:
The Pegasus Diaries: The Private Papers of Major John Howard DSO
442:(OC) of the battalion's D Company to capture two vital bridges:
412:, the battalion spent many months in training for the eventual
17:
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based at Knook Camp, near Warminster. He was later posted to
388:. The battalion was now part of the British Army's expanding
291:, on 4 November 1919, just under a year after the end of the
614:, Uganda. One of his junior officers in the battalion was
404:, which itself was one of three brigades of Major General
342:(Ox and Bucks) on 24 August 1940, eleven months after the
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on a school hockey tour in 1936, where he encountered the
275:, on 24 March 1945. He later commanded the Ugandan Army.
890:
Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry officers
745:
Go To It! An Illustrated History of 6 Airborne Division
875:
British military personnel of the Palestine Emergency
358:. The brigade, comprising the 1st Battalions of the
253:
the capture of the Caen canal and Orne river bridges
295:. His father, Major A. R. Tillett, served with the
251:officer who had a critical role in the planning of
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48:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
799:The Last Drop: Operation Varsity 24–25 March 1945
642:and had a key role in the development of the new
476:6th Airborne Division advance to the River Seine
354:, which in December 1941 was converted into the
340:Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
220:Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
8:
842:(Supplement). 27 August 1940. p. 5275.
760:Armageddon: The Battle for Germany, 1944–45
700:One More River: The Rhine Crossings of 1945
247:(4 November 1919 – 14 December 2014) was a
574:. He returned to England and attended the
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885:Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley
624:Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe
527:, Tillett and his company discovered the
419:, in which it would play a leading role.
108:Learn how and when to remove this message
815:Vol 1V 1944/45. Gale & Polden. 1954.
57:"John Tillett" British Army officer
825:
870:British Army personnel of World War II
546:, and his Russian counterpart Marshal
732:. Famous Regiments Series Leo Cooper
523:. During the advance, in woods, near
325:54th (East Anglian) Infantry Division
7:
562:In September 1945, he was posted to
46:adding citations to reliable sources
772:Howard, John; Bates, Penny (2006).
654:and of the River Rhine Crossing at
644:Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum
507:: the air assault landing over the
350:. The battalion formed part of the
568:6th Airborne Division in Palestine
14:
895:People educated at Ipswich School
787:Massy-Beresford, Michael (2007).
600:1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd)
323:(TA) unit serving as part of the
542:, commanding the Anglo-Canadian
529:Bergen-Belsen concentration camp
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900:Military personnel from Ipswich
370:and Ox and Bucks, commanded by
279:Early life and Second World War
33:needs additional citations for
880:British colonial army officers
366:and the 2nd Battalions of the
352:31st Independent Brigade Group
1:
905:Royal Green Jackets officers
392:and underwent training as a
368:South Staffordshire Regiment
245:John Maurice Arthur Tillett
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797:Wright, Stephen L (2008).
743:Harclerode, Peter (2000).
715:Pegasus Bridge 6 June 1944
499:, holding the line in the
450:in the opening minutes of
259:, 6 June 1944, during the
141:14 December 2014 (aged 95)
910:Suffolk Regiment soldiers
776:. Pen and Sword Military
713:Ambrose, Stephen (1985).
554:for his wartime service.
283:John Tillett was born in
271:, on 6 June 1944, and in
576:Staff College, Camberley
535:for the meeting between
717:. Simon & Schuster
552:mentioned in despatches
758:Hastings, Max (2004).
728:Booth, Philip (1971).
548:Konstantin Rokossovsky
540:Sir Bernard Montgomery
398:6th Airlanding Brigade
377:, was now part of the
356:1st Airlanding Brigade
915:British Army colonels
698:Allen, Peter (1980).
608:King's African Rifles
456:Glider Pilot Regiment
410:6th Airborne Division
379:1st Airborne Division
330:However, Tillett was
299:. He was educated at
265:6th Airborne Division
184:Years of service
622:, Canada, and at HQ
417:invasion of Normandy
42:improve this article
679:The Daily Telegraph
628:Royal Green Jackets
572:Palestine Emergency
497:Battle of the Bulge
360:Royal Ulster Rifles
234:Palestine Emergency
839:The London Gazette
801:. Stackpole Books
747:. Caxton Editions
688:. 5 February 2015.
681:. 27 January 2015.
440:Officer Commanding
400:, under Brigadier
386:Frederick Browning
505:Operation Varsity
490:Operation Varsity
468:Operation Mallard
336:second lieutenant
273:Operation Varsity
269:Operation Mallard
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695:. 27 March 2015.
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375:George Hopkinson
344:Second World War
321:Territorial Army
317:Suffolk Regiment
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297:Suffolk Hussars
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484:Bulford Camp
478:), known as
448:Horsa Bridge
426:
406:Richard Gale
332:commissioned
329:
309:Hitler Youth
303:and went to
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249:British Army
244:
240:
230:World War II
226:Battles/wars
178:British Army
124:John Tillett
104:
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40:Please help
35:verification
32:
15:
865:2014 deaths
860:1919 births
834:"No. 34934"
660:Micheldever
610:, based in
509:River Rhine
501:Netherlands
436:John Howard
327:, in 1937.
854:Categories
820:References
691:Obituary.
684:Obituary.
677:Obituary.
672:References
656:Hamminkeln
652:BĂ©nouville
648:Winchester
634:Later life
588:Warminster
521:Baltic Sea
517:Hamminkeln
427:He became
146:Allegiance
98:March 2016
68:newspapers
693:The Times
592:Maralinga
580:OsnabrĂĽck
564:Palestine
372:Brigadier
338:into the
187:1937–1969
616:Idi Amin
558:Post-war
525:LĂĽneburg
464:Normandy
460:Ranville
429:adjutant
423:Normandy
362:and the
164:Service/
503:and in
305:Germany
289:Suffolk
285:Ipswich
242:Colonel
196:Colonel
82:scholar
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640:Oxford
620:Ottawa
604:Uganda
533:Wismar
414:Allied
207:145422
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612:Ginja
474:(see
472:Seine
452:D-Day
433:Major
348:India
334:as a
257:D-Day
89:JSTOR
75:books
803:ISBN
778:ISBN
763:ISBN
749:ISBN
734:ISBN
719:ISBN
704:ISBN
446:and
319:, a
212:Unit
192:Rank
138:Died
130:Born
61:news
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