Thomas Allen Conlin joined the Regiment on 13^th March 1943.

Lance Bombardier John B. Bogan was one of the men who belonged to Lieutenant Conlin party.

“I travelled by glider with a jeep and two trailers, the Gun Position Officer, Lieutenant Conlin, his runner Lance/Bombardier A.E. Blackford and the driver Bombardier A. Hodgkinson was with me in the glider, I was wireless operator for F Troop, Gun position.

We were in the first lift and had a fairly uneventful trip. Our glider made a perfect landing and we were able to unload very quickly. I saw a few gliders come to grief in particular a Hamilcar which had turned over. The paras were landing at the same time. We started to drive away from the glider and immediately came under machine gun fire, we went to the ground and I found subsequently two bullet holes were I had been sitting.

We spent the night on the landing zone and moved forward to Oosterbeek early on the Monday setting up the Gun Position near the river side and close to Oosterbeek church.

It was then found that the wireless sets were virtually useless, which I imagine was due to the unsuitable terrain as they operated quite well in Italy the previous year. One of our guns had failed to arrive but the remaining three were able to give support fire on the south end of Arnhem Bridge.

During the days I was able to help in carrying casualties to the Aid Post which was gradually filling up, Bombardier Hodgkinson had suffered an arm wound and the last I saw him he was helping the medical staff”.

On the 24^th Lieutenant Conlin was hit by shrapnel from a mortar bomb. He was hit in his legs and his hands, but refused to be moved to the First Aid post, instead he kept running the troop from his command post just inside the back door of the church. He was eventually taken prisoner.

From the book Officers of the 1st Airlanding Light Regiment Royal Artillery during the Battle of Arnhem 17th - 26th September 1944  (2016- Philip Reinders)