ARNHEM MEDAL AFTER 76 YEARS FOR PARA
AVETERAN who fought in the Second World War has been awarded for his bravery after being too sick to attend the initial ceremony last year.
95-year-old Freddie Deane, originally from Cheshire but who has lived in Llan Ffestiniog, Gwynedd since his retirement, was a parachutist between 1943 and 1945.
The veteran turned artist, famous for painting portraits of notable figures such as David Cecil, and Lord Denning, was set to be presented with the Arnhem Veteran Medal award during its 75th anniversary commemorations last year.
But after suffering a stroke last January, Mr Deane was unable to attend and missed the ceremony.
He has also lost the power of speech.
His fellow ex-parachutists and veterans however, decided to host Freddie’s very own award ceremony right on his doorstep – at Bryn Blodau Residential home in Llan Ffestiniog.
David Jones, the secretary of Parachute Regiment Association in Gwynedd, and a few other members were the ones behind the ceremony.
David Jones first met Freddie Deane many years ago through the Regiment’s Headquarters.
The Llanfairfechan ex-parachutist said: “I first knew of Freddie when someone from the headquarters told me that another ex-parachutist lived not far from me in North Wales.
“He had reached out to them in the hope of getting in contact with other parachutist from the same division as him.
“I met him and we became firm friends.”
Mr Deane was a member of the 1st Airborne Division, which was formed in 1941.
Its primary campaigns were brigade actions, and was on stand-by for numerous cancelled actions, until the illfated and infamous Operation Market Garden in September 1944.
During the fighting around Arnhem and Oosterbeek in Netherlands, 10,000 soldiers were killed or captured, and only 2,000 of them survived.
Freddie was wounded and unfortunately lost his left eye in the battle of Arnhem, before being taken as a prisoner of war to Stalag 7A POW Camp in Southern Bavaria.
He was freed the following year by American forces.
David described Freddie as ‘quite the character’.
“He is such a colourful individual with such an interesting backstory,” he said.
“He knows everyone and anyone because of his career as an artist.
“Whenever he talked about the war, he always maintained high regards for the German soldiers.
“He was seriously injured after the battlefield, and it was the German soldiers who had captured him, that mended him back to good health.
“He told me they took him off the battlefield and on the bonnet of a captured British jeep, he was given emergency first aid by the German army.
“In fact, he was given a direct blood transfusion from the arm of a German soldier.”
David added: “It’s so important to highlight these people and what they have done.
“They are, unfortunately, a part of a dying breed and therefore we must honour and remember them every way that we can.
“He’s a legend of what’s left.” His children, Inigo Deane and Natalie Machado, were also in attendance and were proud of their father’s success.
They said: “We are so very proud and happy for him.
“It’s a great tribute after 75 years.”