2656761 Warrant Officer Class I Frederick Arthur Bancroft was born on the 24 January 1916, in Marlethorpe, Lincolnshire.

On 5^th November 1934 Fred enlisted into the Coldstream Guards.
By early 1943 he was a Warrant Officer Class II and he was serving in the Middle East when he volunteered for Airborne Forces.

On 24 March 1943 Fred arrived at Fred his posting to the 11th Parachute Battalion, along with C.Q.M.S. Hennon

Between 8 to 22 April 1943 he successfully completed Parachute Course No 32 at Ramat David, along with 59 officers and other ranks of the newly forming battalion. Fred completed his five parachute descents from an aircraft to qualify as an Army Parachutist. Shortly after this he was promoted to be the Regimental Sergeant major of the 11th Parachute Battalion.

On Monday 18th September 1944, RSM. Bancroft boarded a Dakota aircraft of the 314 Troop Carrier Group, U.S.A.A.F. at Saltby aerodrome and flew to D.Z. ‘Y’ at Ginkel Heath in Holland as part of the 2nd Lift of Operation ‘Market-Garden’.

After severe fighting in Arnhem the remnants of the 11th Parachute Battalion were forced to retreat towards Oosterbeek.

By the 20 September defensive positions had been taken up near the Old Church in Lower Oosterbeek and around the Weverstraat area. The battalion had become split up and small groups were put under command of whoever was available; thus RSM Bancroft found himself in such a position, with a small group of men, defending a house in this area. The battalion, along with the remnants of the 1st and 3rd Parachute Battalions and the 2nd Battalion and the South Staffs was part of ‘Lonsdale Force’, so named because of the commander Major ‘Dickie’ Lonsdale, the second-in-command of the 11th Parachute Battalion.

On the 24 September 1944 Fred was one of the many men who were wounded and captured and was sent to the Hospital in Apeldoorn

‘On Tuesday morning 26 September everybody had a drink of tea and CQMS Dave Morris spent most of his time looking for members of 11th Battalion amongst the wounded. He found about half-a-dozen including his Regimental Sergeant Major Fred Bancroft, who was wounded in the shoulder. After a meal of soup at midday they were informed by their guards that they were to get ready to move out.’

On 3 October 1944 Fred left Apeldoorn as part of a party of walking wounded, and was transported to Stalag 11B at Falingbostel in Germany, and given the POW number 118315.

Upon his return to the U.K. he was given survivor's leave and was subsequently discharged to the Section ‘B’ Reserves on the 8 April 1946, and to ‘Z’ Class Reserves on the 5 November 1946.