Staff Sergeant Leonard Wright

	General experience and audio clip.
	This page: includes inventory and audio clip.

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The official notification of Len's injury, 8 October 1944.

Inventory of the Donation

• Papers and magazines regarding D-Day and Arnhem. Including some articles relating to Len Wright
• Civil defence armband
• Modern pictures of aircraft, the Hotspur and the Hamilcar
• 5 photographs
• Arnhem commemorative flag
• Recommendation for commendation document, 4th June 1945
• Notes on various subjects including formation of 298 Squadron; history of the Glider Pilot Regiment; Operations; invasion of Sicily; etc.
• Air map to Arnhem, issued 17th September 1944
• Leaflet on being demobilised
• Tape-recorded

Scrapbook (on loan) including photographs, letters, telegrams, theatre programmes etc.

Len's telegram to his fiancée, Vera Isherwood, to tell her to cancel their wedding plans.

Telegram from officers and men of No. 1 Wing Glider Pilot Regiment congratulating Len on his award of the Distinguished Flying Medal.

Recommendation to award Len the Distinguished Flying Medal

A photograph taken by the Bournemouth Times on VE Day. Len is pictured far left.

Len Wright Audio Clip:
The interviewer is John Larder

Audio Clip Requires Real Player - free download here

Transcript of Audio Clip

I had shrapnel in my knee, you see, I was on my back for about three weeks. They wouldn't let me move and I didn't realise it at the time but they were waiting to see if this shrapnel would move, to lop my leg, because if my leg was lopped I couldn't fly again. I remember, I was waiting to get married. I had had my marriage cancelled on D-Day. So I thought I better get home and get it finished with, and I remember the RSM of the base came into hospital and he said, how do you feel? I said, I feel great, because I had been demanding to be let out you know, all this time. He said, right, well you are playing football this afternoon, so I said, fair enough. Then they must have decided it wasn't going to move, it was still there, and I went out and played football. Then I got a sort of PE job on there, you know, I kept the others fit until I could get my leave and then eventually I got my leave and . . .

[John Larder: And got married.]

And got married.

[John Larder: And then you went back to . . .?]

Well, I had to do another course to see if I was alright, so I went a did a few more trips in a Horsa, in fact I think it involved pathfinding as well. I went to Booker again and then I went to Brize Norton. All the time I was agitating to get back to Tang ..., because there was only one squadron of us you see, I mean Hamilcar pilots were pretty priceless in those days, and eventually I got back.

	General experience and audio clip.
	This page: includes inventory and audio clip.