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The Memory Endures
The Memory Endures: The Story of a Grenadier Guardsman and Pioneer of the Parachute Regiment, 1937-1945
When Reg Curtis enlisted with the Grenadier Guards in 1937, little did he know that two years later Britain would be plunged into the Second World War.
Reg found himself fighting for King and Country in France and Belgium as part of the British Expeditionary Force and along with 300,000 other men was evacuated from Dunkirk in May 1940.
Winston Churchill called for a new type of fighting soldier and Reg volunteered for commando and parachute training, one of the first 500 men who formed No. 2 Commando, later renamed the 11th SAS Battalion. The training was intense and the techniques new and as yet untried.
By the time they saw action the Battalion had again been renamed, and this time the name would stick: The 1st Parachute Battalion.
In North Africa the Battalion’s ranks were tragically decimated, and it was here as part of the 1st Parachute Brigade that they earned the enduring nickname ‘Red Devils’, bestowed upon them by the enemy.
They dropped into Sicily, where many more of the original volunteers were lost in fierce fighting. But the vital role of the Para had been recognized and they were now part of a fully-fledged regiment.
The Parachute Regiment’s defining battle was at Arnhem. There, in September 1944, Reg was shot and lay on his back as the battle raged around him for six days and nights. He was taken prisoner and had his right leg amputated.
You will never hear these men speak of heroism, except when referring to the medics who tended them or the many brave civilians they met. But to the rest of us they are heroes of the highest rank, and Reg Curtis is one among them.
When Reg Curtis enlisted with the Grenadier Guards in 1937, little did he know that two years later Britain would be plunged into the Second World War.
Reg found himself fighting for King and Country in France and Belgium as part of the British Expeditionary Force and along with 300,000 other men was evacuated from Dunkirk in May 1940.
Winston Churchill called for a new type of fighting soldier and Reg volunteered for commando and parachute training, one of the first 500 men who formed No. 2 Commando, later renamed the 11th SAS Battalion. The training was intense and the techniques new and as yet untried.
By the time they saw action the Battalion had again been renamed, and this time the name would stick: The 1st Parachute Battalion.
In North Africa the Battalion’s ranks were tragically decimated, and it was here as part of the 1st Parachute Brigade that they earned the enduring nickname ‘Red Devils’, bestowed upon them by the enemy.
They dropped into Sicily, where many more of the original volunteers were lost in fierce fighting. But the vital role of the Para had been recognized and they were now part of a fully-fledged regiment.
The Parachute Regiment’s defining battle was at Arnhem. There, in September 1944, Reg was shot and lay on his back as the battle raged around him for six days and nights. He was taken prisoner and had his right leg amputated.
You will never hear these men speak of heroism, except when referring to the medics who tended them or the many brave civilians they met. But to the rest of us they are heroes of the highest rank, and Reg Curtis is one among them.
157 pages, Paperback
First published September 17, 2014
93 people want to read
About the author
Reg Curtis
2 books2 followersThe Memory Endures is Reg's personal story, available exclusively through
Pilots Publishing.
It is believed that Reg Curtis was the last surviving member of the original 1st Parachute Battalion, the first 500 men who volunteered for para commando training in 1940 and had the distinction of being members of No 2 Commando/11th SAS Battalion before their re-designation 1st Parachute Battalion, the founding battalion of The Parachute Regiment. Reg enlisted with the Grenadier Guards in 1937 at the age of seventeen and in 1939-40, as a member of the 1st Guards Brigade, fought in France and Belgium with the British Expeditionary Force. In May 1940 he took part in the evacuation from Dunkirk, and later that year volunteered for commando and parachute training, being one of the first recruits for what in August 1942 formally became 1st Battalion The Parachute Regiment. Reg fought with 1st Para in North Africa, where as part of the 1st Parachute Brigade they suffered great losses and earned the nickname 'Red Devils' from the enemy, and in Sicily, where their numbers were again sadly reduced. In September 1944, during the Battle of Arnhem in The Netherlands, Reg was badly wounded and captured by the enemy. His right leg was amputated and he was imprisoned in Stalag XIB in Saxony, eventually returning home to England in April 1945. Reg passed away in January 2016, a much loved and respected member of his family. This book is his personal story.
From the author's preface, The Memory Endures:
It is believed that Reg Curtis was the last surviving member of the original 1st Parachute Battalion, the first 500 men who volunteered for para commando training in 1940 and had the distinction of being members of No 2 Commando/11th SAS Battalion before their re-designation 1st Parachute Battalion, the founding battalion of The Parachute Regiment. Reg enlisted with the Grenadier Guards in 1937 at the age of seventeen and in 1939-40, as a member of the 1st Guards Brigade, fought in France and Belgium with the British Expeditionary Force. In May 1940 he took part in the evacuation from Dunkirk, and later that year volunteered for commando and parachute training, being one of the first recruits for what in August 1942 formally became 1st Battalion The Parachute Regiment. Reg fought with 1st Para in North Africa, where as part of the 1st Parachute Brigade they suffered great losses and earned the nickname 'Red Devils' from the enemy, and in Sicily, where their numbers were again sadly reduced. In September 1944, during the Battle of Arnhem in The Netherlands, Reg was badly wounded and captured by the enemy. His right leg was amputated and he was imprisoned in Stalag XIB in Saxony, eventually returning home to England in April 1945. Reg passed away in January 2016, a much loved and respected member of his family. This book is his personal story.
From the author's preface, The Memory Endures:
This is a story told through one man’s eyes. There are so many different memories held by others, but these are mine. In my 94th year they remain vivid and clear, often more so than recollections of more recent times. I suppose that’s the way it is when you have lived through war. This is a story that begins before the Second World War and runs through it—a time when everyone did their bit and I just played my part. I was already in the Grenadier Guards when war was declared with Germany in September 1939, and when Winston Churchill’s call to volunteer for commando and parachute training came in 1940 it was an easy one to answer. I was privileged to serve my country and am proud to have done so with other pioneers of the Parachute Regiment, whose memory and friendship I hold dear. I have no regrets. Between 1939 and 1945 we took part in the greatest conflict in human history. We won the war, of course, and back home in Britain have now had almost 70 years of peace, for which we can all be grateful. What a shame it is, though, that even the vast scale of suffering we went through was not enough to finally put an end to war itself. I don’t suppose there will ever be one way of agreeing about everything but I can’t help hoping that things will eventually get better for everyone, not just us.All profits from the sale of the The Memory Endures go to the Parachute Regiment Charity, Support Our Paras, providing mobility equipment and disability conversion of vehicles, remedial courses to assist those recovering from wounds, vocational courses to help soldiers transition into civilian life, and more. It was Reg’s wish to support soldiers who may now be experiencing circumstances similar to his own, following the amputation of his right leg in 1944, and his support to the charity continues in his memory. The Memory Endures is available exclusively through Pilots Publishing.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 3, 2020
This isn't the story of World War II. It isn't the story of a battle.
It is the story of a young lad who was pulled into World War II and trying to make the best of it, doing his duty and giving us glimpses of what he experienced from the newly formed parachute corps to his time as a prisoner of war. There is no pretentious bravado nor mock humility rather the kind of words I have heard from other combat veterans I have been lucky enough to meet in my life. Reg Curtis does not mince his words and he gets right to it, telling us what he wants to share. The book is fast and quick. You finish the book with a sense of who the man was and many others like him who fought for England during this desperate time. This is the sort of book that must be read if you study World War II or history in general, it is important that we hear the voices of people that lived through this. It is important that the memory of Reg Curtis, and those who were in similar circumstances, endures.
My only criticism is that I wish we would have learned more about Reg Curtis since the end of his service and how it impacted the rest of his life.
It is a tough book to find, I had to order direct from the publisher in England. Having found it, it has a place in my library.
It is the story of a young lad who was pulled into World War II and trying to make the best of it, doing his duty and giving us glimpses of what he experienced from the newly formed parachute corps to his time as a prisoner of war. There is no pretentious bravado nor mock humility rather the kind of words I have heard from other combat veterans I have been lucky enough to meet in my life. Reg Curtis does not mince his words and he gets right to it, telling us what he wants to share. The book is fast and quick. You finish the book with a sense of who the man was and many others like him who fought for England during this desperate time. This is the sort of book that must be read if you study World War II or history in general, it is important that we hear the voices of people that lived through this. It is important that the memory of Reg Curtis, and those who were in similar circumstances, endures.
My only criticism is that I wish we would have learned more about Reg Curtis since the end of his service and how it impacted the rest of his life.
It is a tough book to find, I had to order direct from the publisher in England. Having found it, it has a place in my library.
Read
July 15, 2020His experiences as a wounded prisoner of war are eye opening. His tale of wandering all over Europe in various modes of transportation enroute to a POW camp are like something out of Twilight Zone and Mad Max.
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January 16, 2021I got a copy of this book as my late uncle Cpl. Walter "Wally" Walsh had served in 1 Para 1941-1944 and was taken prisoner during the last days of the battle for Arnhem. When ordering a copy I discovered that Reg Curtis had mentioned my uncle to his Nephew, that he remembered him Wally from the formation of the Paras (No. 1 Command, 11th SAS, 1st Parachute Battalion) and through their time up to and during Arnhem...
And now onto Reg's book.... WOW! I so enjoyed it, I could not put it down! Having been to Arnhem and Oosterbeek I knew the lay of the land, the streets, the back gardens, and each of the houses that became hot contested strongholds... As I red Reg's book each page came ALIVE in my head to where it was the next best thing to time travel as I was there and could see the events unfold by the page as Reg had written it so well that the pages just flowed.... It was such a pleasure to read his book, this book as it is written from a soldier's (Airborne Soldier) perspective from the ground up as opposed to a high ranking staff officer who would not have the same perceptive. I can't recommend this book enough to anyone wanting to learn more about the men of the red beret and their very proud history!
And now onto Reg's book.... WOW! I so enjoyed it, I could not put it down! Having been to Arnhem and Oosterbeek I knew the lay of the land, the streets, the back gardens, and each of the houses that became hot contested strongholds... As I red Reg's book each page came ALIVE in my head to where it was the next best thing to time travel as I was there and could see the events unfold by the page as Reg had written it so well that the pages just flowed.... It was such a pleasure to read his book, this book as it is written from a soldier's (Airborne Soldier) perspective from the ground up as opposed to a high ranking staff officer who would not have the same perceptive. I can't recommend this book enough to anyone wanting to learn more about the men of the red beret and their very proud history!
February 10, 2021
This is a first class account of one of the “originals”. Reg Curtis joined the fledgling British Airborne forces shortly after being evacuated from Dunkirk. He joined right at the beginning and whilst disappointed to miss out on Op COLOSSUS, saw action with 1st Parachute Battalion in Tunisia and Sicily. He dropped at Arnhem, where he was badly wounded, losing one of his legs and made a POW.
It is beautifully written, easy to read, and describes in an unemotional way, the daily brutality (and occasional humour) associated with fighting as a paratrooper in WW2.
If I ever have a bad day at the office after reading this, I will think about what Reg Curtis went through on a daily basis, and my job “pressures” will be inconsequential. At least I know that, barring an unforeseen situation, I will still be alive at the end of my working day. Reg Curtis and his colleagues didn’t have that luxury. He had so many close encounters with death.
I recommend this book thoroughly. A well written and interesting account of a paratroopers war. Five stars.
It is beautifully written, easy to read, and describes in an unemotional way, the daily brutality (and occasional humour) associated with fighting as a paratrooper in WW2.
If I ever have a bad day at the office after reading this, I will think about what Reg Curtis went through on a daily basis, and my job “pressures” will be inconsequential. At least I know that, barring an unforeseen situation, I will still be alive at the end of my working day. Reg Curtis and his colleagues didn’t have that luxury. He had so many close encounters with death.
I recommend this book thoroughly. A well written and interesting account of a paratroopers war. Five stars.
July 7, 2021
A short book but a fascinating insight into what happened to individuals in one of the most famed battles of the second world war. Great read.
December 17, 2021
A fantastic read from start to finish
It was a privilege to follow Reg through him military career especially in WWII.
A man of remarkable courage yet still so humble
This books highlights the debit we owe both to him and his military colleagues as well as that stoic generation.
You can see in every page how they gave their todays to make a better tomorrow for us all
I only hope they feel we have done and continue to do what it said at the end of that great film Saving Private Ryan by Tom Hanks
“Earn This”
It was a privilege to follow Reg through him military career especially in WWII.
A man of remarkable courage yet still so humble
This books highlights the debit we owe both to him and his military colleagues as well as that stoic generation.
You can see in every page how they gave their todays to make a better tomorrow for us all
I only hope they feel we have done and continue to do what it said at the end of that great film Saving Private Ryan by Tom Hanks
“Earn This”
September 26, 2024
The Story of a Grenadier Guardsman and Pioneer of the 1st Parachute Regiment during WWII.The author fought in North Africa, Sicily and Belgium. He is wounded during the battle for Arnhem bridge where he loses a leg and is captured by the Germans while in hospital.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews