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954033 Lance Corporal Cyril Benton aka: Cyril Bernstein


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Number: 954033
Company: HQ
Platoon: Sigs
Section:
T & E Book:
Para Course:

Life Story:
954033 Lance Corporal Cyril Benton (Bernstein) was born as a Jewish boy on 19 April 1917.

At the age of 26 he attended Parachute Course No. 42 at Ramat David in Palestine from 16 until 30 May 1943. His group started with twenty-six men, at the end of which twenty-two men had passed the course and four had failed. After Cyril successfully achieved his parachute qualification wings he was assigned to the Signal Platoon of Headquarters Company, 11th Parachute Battalion as radio operator.

On Monday September 18, 1944, Cyril went on the second lift to Arnhem during Operation Market Garden. He was wounded in action in the back, arms and legs.

During the withdrawal on the night of 25 on 26 September 1944, Cyril tried to swim the river Rhine, but was taken prisoner of war together with three other Jewish soldiers;

  • Pte Lionel Cuckle (11th Bn)
  • Pte Harry Lee (also wireless operator 11th Bn) and
  • Pte Sidney Goldstein (7th Bn KOSB ?).
He was first brought to Stalag XIIA Limburg and allocated prisoner of war number 92135. Later he was send to Stalag 12A IVB Mühlberg in Germany, from where he tried to escape.

Cyril was finally liberated by the Red Army.






Thanks to R.P. “Bob” Hilton; Diana Andrews; Allan Brown; Andrew Blacklock; Jon Baker; John Howes; Graham Francis; Bob Gerritsen; Darren Wielink; Maarten Lenssen; Judith Minkman; Philip Reinders; Hans den Brok; many 11th Battalion veterans; family, next of kin and friends; staff of the Airborne Museum Hartenstein Oosterbeek; Airborne Assault Museum Duxford; and Gerrit Pijpers OBE without whom this website would not have been possible.