Items giving a unique glimpse into the life of a soldier fighting during the glider landings in World War Two have been donated to a museum near Lichfield.
The family of Leonard ‘Len’ Bennett have donated medals, uniforms and letters to the Staffordshire Regiment Museum at Whittington.
The items were discovered by his neice Debra Harris in the attic of the family home. They provide an insight into the life of a man who, at the age of 21 in 1940, trained to become part of the Airborne detachment who were deployed in gliders to take part in some of the fiercest battles of the conflict.
Len’s war saw him take part in the Sicily landings, a mission that saw inexperienced tow pilots drop some of the gliders too far out to sea – a mistake that claimed the lives of many men as they drowned, weighed down by their heavy kit and battle dress. But he survived and was involved in the capturing of the Ponte Grande Bridge, before being captured and spending several years in POW camps in Europe.
Among the items donated to the museum are postcards written to Ellen, Len’s fiancee back in Billesley, Birmingham.
The couple eventually married in 1945 and their wedding photograph was found among the items – along with the dress worn by the bride on the day.
Debra said:
“We are so happy to have found a home for these precious family pieces. Uncle Len never spoke about his experiences so after his death in 2000 we were amazed to find out all that he had done during the war.”
Ellen died in 1999, just a few months before her husband. In his will, Len requested that their ashes should be buried together, on the same side that they usually slept.
Many of the items collected by Len and Ellen Bennett will be on display during the Wartime Whittington Weekend taking place at the museum on September 17 and 18.
For more information contact the museum on 01543 434394 or e-mail attendant@staffordshireregimentmuseum.com.