--- title: "Frederick W. Johnson" description: "D-Day, Normandy and Beyond veteran Frederick W. Johnson shares his memories of WW2." url: "https://www.normandy1944.info/stories/frederick-w-johnson" date: "2026-07-20T18:29:02+00:00" language: "en-GB" --- ![Frederick W. Johnson](https://www.normandy1944.info/component/ajax/?p=cache/d3/Frederick-W-Johnson3-d3da44b7.jpg&src=images/veterans/british/frederick_w_johnson/Frederick-W-Johnson3.jpg&thumbnail=240,300,&hash=4542f5a6) Rank: Lance Corporal # WW2 veteran Frederick W. Johnson - British - 1st Parachute Battalion - Market Garden, Holland - 17th September 1944 - Survived? Wounded but survived ![1st Airborne Division](https://www.normandy1944.info/media/yootheme/cache/d8/Pegasus-para-patch-ST-uk-d8c602a2.png) #### 1st Airborne Division ## Mortar man My Dad enlisted In the Anti Aircraft Battery Territorial Army in 1938 he was 17 years old he lied about his age. As a Gunner he was now trained on anti-aircraft guns. On the 1st September 1939 with the threat of War looming all Territorial Army units were mobilised and the terms of a soldiers engagement were changed to for the duration. The Battery was now termed Heavy and was trained and equipped 3.7-inch anti-aircraft guns. He was attached to the 338th Search Light Battery. Having applied to join Airborne Forces he was posted to the Depot & School Airborne Forces which he successfully completed. He was sent on Parachute course 101 at RAF Ringway. Was said to be a good stick man. He was posted to the 1st Parachute Battalion on the 9th March 1944. He was assigned to the Mortar Platoon. On the 17th September 1944 he took off aboard a C47 Dakota aircraft of the 61st Troop Carrier Group. Mortar Platoon of the 1st Parachute Battalion, commanded by Lieutenant G. E. Guyon, dropped into Arnhem the Netherlands with the rest of the 1st Airborne Division, as part of Operation Market Garden. His destination was D.Z. X near Renkum in Holland. He fought throughout the ensuing battle to secure a crossing over the Lower Rhine at Arnhem. He was flown back to England on the 30th September. The 1st Parachute Battalion suffered extremely heavy casualties. On the 7th May 1945 he emplaned for Demark as part of Operation Doomsday, the Liberation Forces dealing with the handing over of surrendering German Forces. He was released to the Territorial Reserves. --- ### 1st British Airborne Division The 1st British Airborne Division, which included the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 10th, 11th and 156th battalions of The Parachute Regiment under the command of Major General R E Urquhart was dropped near Arnhem to seize the road bridge over the Neder Rijn. [](#) [](#) ###### Veteran's personal file ![British Airborne beret badge](https://www.normandy1944.info/media/yootheme/cache/3c/1st-Parachute-Regiment_UK-3c1933e8.png) British Airborne beret badge Nicknamed: The Red Devils --- The compilation and structure of this website are protected by copyright. The historical stories and personal accounts published here remain the sole intellectual property of the individuals who shared them. No content may be reproduced without prior permission from the webmaster. [ Add your story ](https://www.normandy1944.info/contact) --- Updated on: 18 September 2022 --- ###### Frederick W. Johnson's personal photographs Click on a picture for enlargement --- [ ![1st Airborne Division](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/patches/Pegasus-para-patch-ST-uk.png)#### 1st Airborne Division ](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/patches/Pegasus-para-patch-ST-uk.png) [ ![British Airborne beret badge](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/patches/1st-Parachute-Regiment_UK.png)#### British Airborne beret badge ](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/patches/1st-Parachute-Regiment_UK.png) [ ![1st Airborne Division paratroopers and gliders during the Battle of Arnhem.](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/veterans/british/frederick_w_johnson/frederick-johnosn-arnhem-1944.jpg)#### 1st Airborne Division paratroopers and gliders during the Battle of Arnhem. ](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/veterans/british/frederick_w_johnson/frederick-johnosn-arnhem-1944.jpg) Frederick W. Johnson's personal medals ![1939-1945 Star](https://www.normandy1944.info/media/yootheme/cache/09/1939-1945-Star-0945c9ee.png)1939-1945 Star ![War Medal 1939-1945](https://www.normandy1944.info/media/yootheme/cache/06/War-Medal-1939-1945-06a59ab9.png)War Medal 1939-1945 ![Efficiency Medal (Territorial)](https://www.normandy1944.info/component/ajax/?p=cache/b3/Efficiency-Medal-Territorial-b3f72f58.png&src=images/medals/british/Efficiency-Medal-Territorial.png&thumbnail=185,257,&hash=ddb92de7)Efficiency Medal (Territorial) [](#) [](#) #### Cite this historical page I aim to provide accurate, open-access accurate historical records. If you are using this content for academic research, articles or educational projects, please use the citation below to credit this source. Click the button below to copy the direct URL for your research or citations. ![ Cite this historical page ](https://www.normandy1944.info/media/yootheme/cache/ea/d-day-normandy-beyond-location-eae699e4.png) ###### Share this page on social media The stories on my website are meant to educate people about WW2. You can help by sharing them with your family and friends on your social platforms. Thank you so much for your assistance. - [](https://www.facebook.com/Normandy1944) - [](https://www.instagram.com/Normandy1944) ## Schema ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Article", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://www.normandy1944.info/stories/frederick-w-johnson" }, "headline": "Frederick W. Johnson", "description": "D-Day, Normandy and Beyond veteran Frederick W. Johnson shares his memories of WW2.", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://www.normandy1944.info/" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Normandy1944.info – D-Day, Normandy and Beyond", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://www.normandy1944.info/images/logo/D-Day-Normandy-1944-WW2-logo.png" } }, "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Frank C. Everards", "url": "https://www.normandy1944.info/blog/how-it-started" }, "datePublished": "2022-09-17T16:43:48+02:00", "dateCreated": "2022-09-16T16:43:48+02:00", "dateModified": "2022-09-18T13:48:49+02:00" } ```