Signalman honoured

Former Servicemen have traced the grave of the only Newark paratrooper known to have died in the Battle of Arnhem.

Four members of the Newark area Parachute Regimental Association paid tribute to Signalman John Kenneth Dolphin during a visit to Holland, Belgium and the German border for the annual Arnhem and Crossing Of The Rhine commemorations.

They used the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to locate the resting place of Signalman Dolphin, who was known as Kenny.

He enlisted into the Royal Corps of Signals in February 1944 and died on October 6 that year.

He had been on active duty in Europe for just a month when he died of wounds during the ten days the paras held out against all the odds after parachuting into Arnhem.

Kenny was serving with HQ (Airborne) Troops Signal Section.

He is buried at Jonkerbos War Cemetery, Holland.

Those who visited his grave included the chairman of the Newark area Parachute Regimental Association, Mr Peter Allen, who served with 23 Para Field Ambulance.

The secretary, Mr Arn Andrews, of Bathley, who was with 1 Para, also made the trip, as did Mr Jack Woodthorpe and Mr Joe King, both of Bilsthorpe, who served with 3 Para.

They laid a posy of poppies on Kenny’s grave.

They also laid palm crosses at the graves of 12 other Nottinghamshire paras who died at Arnhem and are buried in graveyards such as the one at Oosterbeek, where 1,900 paras are buried.

While at the Crossroads Hotel, Arnhem, the group also saw on the wall a photograph of another Newarker, Thomas Cunningham, who survived the Battle of Arnhem.

At the time of his death, Kenny’s age, as stated on a telegram from the Ministry For War to the Advertiser, was 18 years and ten months.

However, it is suggested that he may have been younger and faked his age so he could volunteer to fight.

The telegram lists the area of operations where Kenny was wounded as simply north-west Europe, so as not to give enemy spies any information.

Prior to enlistment, Kenny was an assistant electrician at Messrs Nicholson and Sons at the Trent Bridge foundry works in Newark.

Kenny, an only child, and his mother and father lived at the old cattle market warden’s house, now the Unique Coffee Bar, but at the time of his death his parents lived at 9 Kelham Road, Newark.

Mr Allen is a godson of the Dolphins — Billy, who was the cattle market warden, and Dolpha, an affectionate name by which his godmother, who worked at the Midland Hotel, was known.

Mr Allen, of Bishop Alexander Court, Newark, remembers Kenny fondly from when he was a child.

“It was great that us as Newark lads could pay homage to a Newark lad who fell bravely in the most famous battle that paras have taken part in,” Mr Allen said.

“To our knowledge he is the only Newark lad to have fallen at Arnhem.

“Kenny was just like any other lad. He was mad on the Army and I remember playing with his Army toys after he went away to war. I looked up to him and his death really opened my eyes and opened a lot of others as well.”

The Advertiser that carried the report of Kenny’s death also had a report of a second para this time from Norwell, Private Walter Sheldon (22) of the Border Regiment (Airborne) who it states as missing at Arnhem.

It said if any of his comrades had any information as to his fate his father, Mr T. Sheldon, would be very grateful.

It appears likely that Private Sheldon survived the battle and the war as there is no listing for him among the casualties on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website.

The newspaper reports that Paratrooper J. J. Jonas, of Welbeck Avenue, Newark, was safe and well after being taken prisoner at Arnhem on or around September 25 and had written home to his wife.

There was also a report that RAF Aircraftman Stanley Clifford Green, of Long Lane, Farndon, was a prisoner of war after being shot down at Arnhem between September 18-22. Aircraftman Green was previously reported as missing.