Dear families, relatives, friends, and all who care about the men of the 11th Parachute Battalion,

I come to you for a reason that weighs more deeply than words can ever fully convey; to remember, honour, respect and pass on. Precisely in Melton Mowbray, in that environment, where history lives not only in books but in soil, silence, and names. But more about that later…

In 2012, I published a book, together with David Truesdale, about the history of the 11th Parachute Battalion: “Arnhem Their Final Battle”. Not because the past is closed, but because some stories should not be forgotten.

In early May 1944, the 11th Battalion moved to a good pre-war barracks of Welby Lane Camp in Melton Mowbray, remaining there until Monday, September 18, 1944, when it departed for Arnhem as part of Operation Market Garden. The "Paras" in Melton left a lasting mark on the town's history, transitioning from an often boisterous, highly trained, and at times, difficult-to-manage military presence to a revered part of local heritage. In addition, several marriages took place between the young paratroopers and the lovely women from Melton Mowbray.

Standing among the monuments in Melton Mowbray today, you sense how tangible memory can be. Names in stone, a symbol, a place to bow your head. The men of the 10th Parachute Battalion and the 156th Parachute Battalion have been given such places; permanent places in the landscape and in our conscience. You pause for a moment, you breathe, and you realise; freedom has never been a given.

Yet there remains a silence that resonates louder than all words. Within the 4th Parachute Brigade—with its parachute battalions, the 156th, the 10th, and the 11th—it is precisely that the 11th battalion still lacks a place to stand. Not a stone to touch. Not a plaque to trace. Not a point on the map where a relative can whisper, "He was ours."

Think of those men; not as chapters in a history book, but as faces. Men who knew that courage doesn't mean being fearless—but that you jump anyway. For comrades beside you. For a mission greater than yourself. For a freedom they weren't sure they'd ever experience, but which they hoped we would inherit.

That's precisely why the absence of a monument feels like an unspoken sentence, an open wound in memory. As if we're saying: “we know your story, but we haven't created a place to keep telling it aloud”. A monument doesn't have to be grand to speak grandly. It only needs to be a place where silence can exist—where a flower can be laid, where children can ask, "Who were they?", where we can answer, "They risked everything so that we can live in freedom today."

Sometimes something great starts very small—with a conversation, a memory, a name that sticks. That's how, together with Corporal William Ronald "Bill" Larder's daughter Dr. Jan Larder-Davis, her husband, William and my own wife, Johanna, the idea of establishing a memorial for the 11th Parachute Battalion was born. Not out of formality, but from a deep feeling that these men deserve more than silence and oblivion.

Behind every regiment are people. Boys with plans, with families, with friends—with lives that were once quite ordinary. That's precisely why we want to create a place where their presence remains palpable, where you don't just read "history," but realise: these were real lives. Would you like to help us keep this memory alive? Perhaps you have a photo, a name, a story—no matter how small—that can give one of these 11th Battalion men a face, then please send it to gerrit@rememberthexith.org. A financial contribution to a lasting memory of the men of the 11th Parachute Battalion also helps enormously. Together we can ensure they don't fade into the mists of time, but remain in our memories and those of future generations, and make a memorial for the 11th Parachute Battalion in the United Kingdom a reality.

We’ve started creating www.rememberthexith.org. Please help the memory of the 11th Parachute Battalion live on.

Thank you!

Lieutenant-Colonel (Retd) Gerrit Pijpers OBE