We are relatives and friends of 11th Parachute Battalion officers and servicemen, who have joined
together to create a permanent and living memorial to those who served in the battalion and, most especially those that fought for
our freedom not only in the battles in and around Arnhem and Oosterbeek in Gelderland, Netherlands but also other battles during
World War 2
To achieve our goal of Remembering the 11th Parachute Battalion, we have formed a Community Interest Company,
Remember The XIth CIC registered number 17067647
which is regulated by The Office of the Regulator of Community Interest Companies.
We intend to recognise the XIth Parachute Battalion through the erection of a formal monument
and sharing the learning from their actions through this website.
We've also created an online store where we're selling 11th
Parachute Battalion related items as part of our fund raising to realise our dream.
The XIth Parachute Battalion played a vital role in
the Battle of Arnhem, suffering such heavy losses that it was disbanded
after the battle. Yet, there is no formal monument recognising their accomplishments.
The 11th, along with the 10th and 156th Parachute Battalions, made up the 4th Parachute Brigade.
There are already monuments to the latter two battalions in and around Melton Mowbray. The monument to the 11th will complete the trilogoy,
providing opportunities for local people and supporters of the 11th Battalion to pay their respects; as well as presenting potential for 4
th Brigade events and commemorations.
Not only were all of the battalions making up the 4th Parachute Brigade based in and around Melton Mowbray, from May 1944 Welby Lane Camp became home to the 11th. Thus, we felt the the only place to erect a formal monument was in the battalion's home town of Melton Mowbray. We have identified a site that we feel would be appropriate and are working closely with the community of Melton Mowbray to realise our ambitions.
We don't currently have a formal timeline but have now done our initial preparatory work by setting up Remember The XIth CIC and creating this website and starting selling items in our online shop store.rememberthexith.org. We already have several keen volunteers offering financial, moral and physical support.
There are numerous ways you can help. Financial contributions would be great and you can do this through this website but we are keen to hear from anyone with any connections whatsoever with any aspect of the XIth Battalion or its former members.