21st Independent Para Coy Memorial, Oosterbeek
The 21st was commanded by Major B. A. B. Boy Wilson who, at the age of 45, was one of the oldest paras in the 1st AB Division. The task of the 21st - Wilson and four officers and 185 men - on 17 September 1944, the first day of Operation Market Garden, was to drop 30 minutes ahead of the main force to mark the three zones DZ X, LZ Z and LZs with navigational aids (Eureka beacons and smoke signals) so that they could be readily located. It was done impeccably. There is a Memorial to the 21st at the Quatre Bras junction in Oosterbeek and then this one, also in Oosterbeek at No 21 Paasberg. It is in the form of a vase (which always contains fresh flowers) in the garden of the house called Monty'. A platoon of the 21st defended this area in the last four days of the battle. The owner, Han Kardol, was 10 years old and sheltered in the cellar of the house during the fighting
