“NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE”

HAM & JAM

Jim signed up with the British Army in 1939 as the war was looming. Realizing he didn’t want to be an infantryman, he tried transferring to the Royal Air Force (RAF) but he was not successful. But, as luck would have it, in 1942 a new elite regiment was formed – the British Airborne Force Glider Pilot Regiment.  This regiment was army personnel trained by the air force (which caused some rancor!). Jim immediately signed up and was one of only 40 men chosen. Once accepted, the soldiers were trained to be “Total Soldiers”.  Not only did they have pilot training, they were instructed on how to use all weapons and equipment of fighting soldiers so they could fight alongside them after the gliders landed.

After training in England, they were moved to North Africa to prepare for “Operation Husky”, the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943. This operation was intended to move commando troops behind enemy lines. The flight from North Africa to Sicily was approximately 450 miles at an altitude of no more than 100 feet. Due to  gale that had been blowing all day and was still blowing, well as mistimed releases from the tugs (towing aircraft), the British lost almost 1/3 of their 130 gliders into the sea. Fortunately, Jim narrowly reached his target.

After “Operation Husky” they returned to England and in March began training in Dorset for an unknown mission. It would be the end of May before they were told what that mission was. In the meantime, they practiced using stopwatches for course changes, landing on small strips of land, using dark glasses to simulate night flying and flying in both daylight and dark and in all types of weather. Each glider was paired with one tug crew which created a valuable trust and comradery.  In the end, they completed 54 practice sorties before the operation which was to be called “Operation Deadstick”.

The Airspeed Horsa gliders used in “Operation Deadstick” were made almost entirely of 3-ply wood with a Perspex cockpit window. They had a wingspan of 88’, a length of 67’, weighed almost 16,000 lbs. fully loaded and flew like a rock (to quote Jim). They held a contingent of 28 soldiers, a pilot and co-pilot, as well as equipment and armaments for when they landed. Initially, gliders communicated with their tug via a telephone wire on the tow rope between the tug and the glider. This form of communication was later replaced with radios. These gliders earned the nickname of “flying coffins” for a reason - they had no power of their own, no protection from enemy fire, no parachutes, and had only one chance at landing.

On June 5, 1944 at 22:56, six gliders towed by Halifax bombers, took off from RAF Tarrant Rushton. They normally flew at about 2,000 ft but because of the concern of being seen on enemy radar, they flew at 6,000 ft.  Their objective was to capture two bridges held by the Germans, one on the Caen Canal (Benouville) and one on the River Orne (Ranville). These bridges were vital to “Operation Tango” which was the overall British airborne landings in Normandy. Their capture would give the Allied invasion forces a secure route into the interior of Nazi occupied France. Conversely, if the Germans retained hold of the bridges, they could move men and equipment through to attack the landing beaches of Normandy.

Jim’s “Lady Irene” was glider no. 1 and his co-pilot was John Ainsworth. The glider carried a platoon from the 2^nd Oxfordshire and Bukinghamshire Light Infantry and five supporting Royal Engineers. Also on board was Major John Howard who was the Commander of the Glider Pilot Regiment and in charge of the operation. As they crossed the Channel, Major Howard encouraged the soldiers to sing to help avoid airsickness. Bawdy songs and jokes soon filled the plane but once they arrived at the French Coast, silence prevailed. The plane dropped from their tug and began the exact timing, turns and rates of descent practiced in the prior three months to reach their objective.

The two pilots flew Horsa 1 using only a compass and stopwatch for navigation. Jim flew the glider while Ainsworth did the navigating and timing.  Gliders 1, 2 and 3 were to land on Landing Zone X (Benouville) while gliders 4, 5, and 6 were to land on Landing Zone Y (Ranville). Jim was tasked by Howard to land as close to the Caen Canal bridge as possible. The next two gliders would land one minute apart. The Lady Irene hit the ground at 95 mph (150 kmh) and was going too fast. The arrester chute was deployed  to slow the glider down before it hit the barbwire fence the German’s had placed as defense.  Nonetheless, the glider plowed through the fence and into the earth embankment just 75 feet from the bridge! The two pilots, still in their seats, were thrown through the Perspex glass windshield. (Jim often joked that they were the first Allied soldiers on French soil!) They were stunned and found themselves under the cockpit. Jim was able to get himself out but Ainsworth was pinned. So, Jim lifted up the cockpit high enough for Ainsworth to get himself out. Jim had headwounds but carried on transferring ammunition, etc. between the Lady Irene and the troops. The other men on the glider were stunned, as well, but soon made their way out of the glider.

The Germans were unprepared for the assault – they thought the sound of the gliders landing were from a bomber crashing. A battle ensued and the bridges were taken in just 10 minutes. 

The 1^st Platoon crossed the bridge and set up defense. The Royal Engineers then searched the bridges for explosives and cut any wires they found.  It was now up to the soldiers from the three gliders to hold the bridge until the 7^th Parachute Battalion arrived. In the meantime, despite opposition from the Germans, who knew how critical this bridge was to their march to the coast, they held the bridge until Parachute Battalion arrived at 03:00.

Prior to leaving England, Major Howard and announced four important code words – Ham, Jam, Jack and Lard. Ham was the code word for the canal bridge and Jam was the code word for the river bridge and were to be used if the bridges were captured intact. Jack and Lard would be used if either attack was unsuccessful. Major Howard knew that the canal bridge was now secured but hadn’t heard from gliders 3, 4 and 5 who were at the river bridge. He was elated when he finally heard that the river bridge was secure, as well. He told his radio officer to announce Ham and Jam over the radio in the hope that it would reach Brigadier Poett who was commanding the parachute brigade. Ham and Jam was re to be peated over and over until they got a response. Little did they know that Poett had lost his radioman but was walking toward them. Relief had arrived!

Air Chief Marshall Leigh-Mallory, Commander of the Allied Air Forces said the attack was “one of the most outstanding flying achievements of the war”. A fitting accolade to an operation carried out with precision and valour.

The original Canal bridge (Benouville) was renamed Pegasus Bridge shortly after in honour of 6^th Division using the name of their emblem which was Pegasus. It was eventually replaced in the early 1990s and the original now resides in the grounds of the Pegasus Museum. In 1999, the River Bridge was renamed the “Horsa” bridge in honour of the battle.

The Pegasus 

Museum was inaugurated by the Prince of Wales on 4 June 2000 with some of the Operation Deadstick members in attendance, including Jim and Major John Howard. Prince Charles also unveiled a full-scale replica of a Horsa glider at the site. Jim attended several reunions at Pegasus Bridge and gave his Distinguished Flying Medal to the museum.

There is so much more to the story of Pegasus Bridge and its impact on WW2. The battle for the two bridges was immortalized in the 1962 film “The Longest Day”, the story of the Normandy Invasion. There is also a book, “Pegasus Bridge” by Stephen E. Ambrose.

After Operation Deadstick, the glider pilots returned to England and Jim was soon part of Operation Market Garden, one of the Allies’ largest battles, where his glider landed at Arnhem on the Rhine. Again, he joined the infantrymen after landing.

Following that, he was part of Operation Varsity flying a larger Hamilcar glider to transport a 17 lb. anti-tank gun to troops crossing the Rhine in the final push to Berlin.

I wrote this story to honour Jim, and his wife Geneviève, our long-time neighbours in Ladner and to let people know that such a wonderful man was part of our community for many years. He was the most humble and gracious gentleman I have ever known. Although he could be cheeky at times, which was part of his lovely personality, he always had a smile on his face and a joke to tell. He also made the best soup! Jim took his final flight on January 24, 2013 and Gen joined him this fall. I was so blessed to know them and I miss them greatly.