184546 Lieutenant The Lord Buckhurst, William Herbrand ‘Billy’ Sackville was born on October 16, 1921 as the eldest son of Herbrand Edward Dundonald Brassey Sackville, 9th Earl De La Warr, PC, GBE, and Helena Diana (Leigh) Sackville.

Educated at Eton College, Billy joined the Army in 1941 as Lord Buckhurst and on April 26, 1941, he was commissioned in the Royal Sussex Regiment.

The news of his brother Harry’s death in action with the Royal Air Force prompted him to leave a ‘fairly cushy’ appointment in the Middle East and to volunteer for the Parachute Regiment.

Billy followed parachute course No. 63 at Ramat David in Palestine from 31 August until 11 September 1943.

Serving as a Lieutenant with the 11th Parachute Battalion, at Arnhem he was assigned to the 4th Parachute Brigade Headquarters as the 11th Battalion Liaison Officer.

During Operation Berlin from 25 to 26 September 1944 he returned across the Rhine.

For his actions at Arnhem he was Mentioned in Dispatches.

On 9 February 1988, at the age of 66, Earl De La Warr tragically died after falling under a train at the St James's Park station of the London Underground.