Alec Waldron had an unusual start in life. His parents belonged to the Exclusive Plymouth Brethren – a separatist religious sect whose elders maintained strict control over their followers, not allowing marriage to outsiders and disapproving of anything other than minimal contact between the Brethren and the general public. They were also committed pacifists; during World War One Alec’s father and uncle were ‘conscientious objectors’, refusing to bear arms against their fellow men. Nevertheless they did participate – as non-combatant ambulance crew – a hazardous occupation that called for great courage.

As he went through his teenage years in the 1930s, Alec became increasingly disillusioned with the constraints the sect put upon his activities and when it became obvious that war was imminent with a militaristic Germany under the evil influence of the Nazis, he found himself at odds with the Brethren’s uncompromising pacifism.

When war broke out Alec volunteered to join the armed forces, which resulted in his expulsion from the Brethren. He was no longer allowed to visit his parents and his family and former friends would no longer speak to him – a traumatic experience for a sensitive 19-year-old who was merely following his conscience, but one with which other former Brethren will be familiar.

Alec found himself on his own in a hostile world, but at least he was free from the oppressive authority of the Brethren. And now a new life was about to begin…

Alec volunteered for the newly-formed Glider Pilot Regiment and was in the very first intake of GPR pilots to be trained. He later took part in the airborne invasions at Sicily (July 1943) and Arnhem (September 1944) and his first-hand accounts of these engagements – both infamous for ending in defeat for the Allied forces – make for fascinating reading.

But Alec did not just fly gliders ... as Acting Intelligence Officer for 1st Battalion GPR he was also privy to the high-level planning of the above operations (his second book Operation Ladbroke: From Dream to Disaster features an in-depth account of the Sicily debacle) and for other GPR activities such as the highly-successful coup-de-main attacks that took place on June 5th 1944, capturing strategic targets in Normandy on the eve of D-Day.

But it was during ‘Operation Market-Garden’ – the airborne invasion at Arnhem – that Alec faced the most daunting challenge of his wartime career. After successfully landing his Horsa glider in its target zone at Oosterbeek near Arnhem, he found himself in the midst of a furious battle. Over the following days as enemy forces closed in on all sides, No.2 Wing HQ lost its RSM and every officer killed or wounded, and Alec, who was only a Staff Sergeant at the time, became the highest-ranking survivor and was thus required to take command. By this time his unit was surrounded and under intense enemy fire.

Just when all seemed lost, a bridgehead was opened up which allowed Alec and the last few able-bodied members of his unit to make a perilous crossing of the Rhine to safety. (For his efforts Alec received a Mention in Despatches and was awarded an Immediate Commission on personal instructions of the Under Secretary of State for War.)

From Pacifist to Glider Pilot tells a remarkable story... former Plymouth Brethren, fellow WW2 veterans, glider enthusiasts and World War II historians will find much to interest them.

Many excellent photographs.