Richard Lonsdale

Who was Richard Lonsdale?

Lieutenant Colonel Richard "Dickie" Thomas Henry Lonsdale DSO & Bar, MC was a British Army officer who served with the Parachute Regiment throughout much of the Second World War.

Born in 1913, Lonsdale initially entered the army as a private before attending Military College Sandhurst and being commissioned as an officer in the Leicestershire Regiment. In 1938, while serving with this regiment in Waziristan, he was awarded the Military Cross. After the outbreak of the Second World War he was a founding member of the 151 Battalion of The Parachute Regiment in India. By 1943 he had been promoted to lead A Company of the 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment and served with distinction in the Allied invasion of Sicily. After returning to England he was made second in command of the 11th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment in 1944, shortly before flying to Arnhem with the 1st Airborne Division. Here he again served with distinction during the battle, and despite being wounded he took command of a mixed force that successfully defended the Allied perimeter against repeated German attacks. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order twice, for his actions in Sicily and Arnhem.