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Battle of Arnhem 'flying' chicken remembered

Friends of the Tenth Lieutenant Pat GloverFriends of the Tenth
Lt Pat Glover took Myrtle the chicken into battle over Arnhem

A beer has been brewed in honour of a chicken that "flew" into battle with a battalion of the Parachute Regiment during World War Two.

Myrtle was acquired following a debate by soldiers based in Leicestershire in 1944 about whether chickens could fly.

Lt Pat Glover took Myrtle on Operation Market Garden in his pack, but she was killed and buried on the battlefield.

Proceeds from the beer will go towards the £75,000 needed for a memorial to the 10th Battalion Parachute Regiment.

About 600 members were stationed in the small village of Somerby, near Melton Mowbray, ahead of the Battle of Arnhem.

PRA Para with the original weather vanePRA
Alan Staff with the weathercock which led to the acquiring of Myrtle the chicken

Alec Wilson, whose father was in the regiment, said one night, annoyed by a squeaky Victorian weathercock, Lt Glover took a few "pot shots" at it.

He said: "It led to a beer-fuelled debate about whether chickens could fly.

"Pat acquired himself a chicken, christened her Myrtle after a very popular Land Army girl, and subsequently he decided he would prove the other men wrong."

On the first practice jump he let Myrtle out of his bag at 50ft (15.2m) and after a lot of "artless flapping" the hen landed.

Everards Everards poster for the beerEverards

Mr Wilson said by the time the regiment was ready to go to Arnhem, the bird could fly down from a height of 300ft (91m).

Lt Glover took Myrtle "the parachick" into battle inside his haversack, but only remembered after a lull in fighting.

"Very sadly there was bullet holes through the sack and of course Myrtle was killed," said Mr Wilson.

The men gave the hen a "military burial" on the battlefield.

Everards brewed the ale for Friends of the Tenth, with some of the proceeds going towards a memorial for the soldiers - many of whom were killed in action in 1944.

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Battle of Arnhem (Operation Market Garden) 1944

Getty Images Surviving British soldiers of the Battle of ArnhemGetty Images
About 10,000 British soldiers took part in the Battle of Arnhem
  • Allied forces landed behind German lines but were defeated after nine days of fierce fighting
  • The aim was to inflict a decisive blow on the Germans and hasten the end of the war
  • More than 1,400 Allied troops died and more than 6,000 were captured
  • The battle was the inspiration for the 1977 film A Bridge Too Far
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