A place to stand: the memorial bench approved
Melton Mowbray Town Estate has unanimously approved a permanent home for the 11th Parachute Battalion's memorial bench, within the War Memorial Gardens at Egerton Lodge. After many years without one, the Battalion will at last have a place to stand.
An absence answered
The 10th and 156th Parachute Battalions have long had their places among the monuments of Melton Mowbray — a stone to touch, a plaque to trace, a point on the map where a relative might whisper, "He was ours." The 11th Battalion has not, until now.
Melton Mowbray Town Estate, which holds the War Memorial Gardens in trust for the people of the town, has approved our proposal to place the memorial within the formal memorial area of the Gardens at Egerton Lodge, close to the Roll of Honour. It is a fitting home: the same town where, in 1944, the men of the 11th lived, trained, married local girls, and from which they left for Arnhem.
The unveiling: planned for 12 August 2027
We intend to unveil the memorial on 12 August 2027 — the birthday of Corporal William "Bill" Larder, the longest-lived veteran of both the 11th Parachute Battalion and the 4th Parachute Brigade, and the inspiration for this project. It seems only right that the men should be honoured on the birthday of one of their own. Please treat the date as a firm intention — we will confirm the arrangements as they settle.
The memorial is a bespoke bench, made entirely of metal so that it may endure, carrying the Battalion's insignia and the years that bookend its story. It is being made by skilled hands in Grantham. A third detail — a pair of poppies worked into the metal — is still to be revealed; we'll share that one closer to the day.
Thank you — and what's still needed
The memorial itself has now been paid for in full, entirely through the generosity of our donors and supporters and sales through our online store. Thank you — this milestone belongs to you as much as to us.
There is still more to do. Site preparation, installation, ongoing maintenance, and the further development of the memorial all remain to be funded as we build toward the unveiling. Every donation, large or small, helps get us there.
You can also support us through our online store.
Read the full story in our letter to families, relatives and friends, written from Oosterbeek on the evening this news was first shared.