75 years today, Grandad wrote of the imminent glider flight to Oosterbeek by his Battalion, cancelled many times in the previous weeks. Of 44 officers he was one of 11 who crossed the Rhine 10 days later. #marketgarden75

My Grandfather, Capt JSG McCartney pictured on left in a training exercise. On this day 75 years ago he flew in such gliders on #marketgarden75

Day 2 of #MarketGarden saw Grandad holding positions to secure a perimeter around Oosterbeek protecting landing sites for the second drop due that day. He at right, pictured on 20 Sep 44

Day 4 of #MarketGarden75 saw Grandad still in slit trenches around the Divisional perimeter at Oosterbeek. Here he is (right) pictured with Maj Jock Neill (left) at Van Lennepweg. I had this photo recoloured by Australian artist Benjamin Thomas

Spitfire over Ginkel Heath this morning #MarketGarden75

Para drop over Ginkel Heath today. More than one reserve chute seen deployed today (see end of clip). #MarketGarden

Interviewed by a Scots paper in Oct 44 Grandad explained: “I took our machine-gun section to the forward company of the forward brigade, and we dug-in in positions at a road junction which eventually became known as ‘Hell-Fire Corner ‘—and God knows it was, too.

“We stayed there from Wednesday [20.9] until Monday [25.9], with our casualties mounting steadily from shelling, mortaring, and sniping.”

“Twenty-two attacks in infantry came in during that time, all of which were beaten off with heavy casualties to the enemy. The ground within the vicinity of our positions became littered and piled high with German dead.”

Visiting Oosterbeek, I can only repeat the quote of my Grandfather: “The help we had from Dutch people in the locality was simply terrific,”

“By Sunday [22.9] the shelling, mortaring, and sniping, and the proximity of German machine-guns, made the position almost untenable. Sunday was the peak day, when we were mortared ceaselessly from dawn to dusk.” #MarketGarden75