This fascinating Airborne and Commando General Tour looks at key locations in Melton Mowbray where members of the British Airborne Forces trained and relaxed prior to Operation MARKET GARDEN.
HistoryFare’s #1 priority on the Airborne and Commando General Tour is guaranteeing you, the valued customer a great tour. We feel confident that you’ll agree – taking part in a HistoryFare tour has been time well spent. If you don’t agree, let us know. We’ll make it right by giving you a voucher for a future tour or your money back. We know your time is valuable and appreciate you choosing to spend it with us.
DURATION
120 minutes (2 Hours)
MEETING LOCATION
Outside Sainsbury’s Supermarket, Nottingham Road, Melton Mowbray, LE13 0UL.
FINISH LOCATION
The Corn Cross, High Street.
MAX GROUP SIZE
20
WHEEL CHAIR ACCESSIBLE
Yes
ASSISTANCE DOGS
Assistance dogs as well as well behaved pets are welcome on the tours.
WHAT’S INCLUDED?
- Professional Guide
- Walking tour through the historic market town of Melton Mowbray, visiting locations associated with the Airborne Forces of WW2.
- Discount Vouchers for local café’s & businesses
WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED
- Gratuities
- Water
WHAT TO BRING
- Comfortable walking shoes
- Wet weather clothing/umbrellas
CANCELLATION POLICY
Cancel up to 24 hours in advance to receive a full refund or a voucher for a future tour. We know that plans can sometimes change and that’s why we offer a generous cancellation policy.
TOUR OVERVIEW
Discover all about the significant role that Melton Mowbray played during the Second World War as part of this Airborne and Commando General Tour of Melton Mowbray.
Operation Market Garden was the ill-fated World War Two operation made famous in the book & film ‘A Bridge Too Far’.
General Bernard Montgomery devised Operation Market Garden in an attempt to shorten the war in the autumn of 1944 and began with a ground assault by XXX Corps on the Belgian-Dutch. Following the advance of XXX Corps there were simultaneous drops by American, British and Polish Airborne forces between Eindhoven and Arnhem.
As part of Airborne and Commando General tour of Melton Mowbray, you will visit notable sites in Melton Mowbray that served as billets, training grounds, and recreation areas for the hundreds of paratroopers stationed in the town whilst preparing for the Allied invasion of mainland Europe.
Before World War Two, the Laycock family lived at Newport Lodge. Robert Laycock, one of the children, later became Major General Sir Robert Laycock KCMG, CB, DSO, known as the Commando General and Commander of the Lay Force.
In early 1944, No 156 Battalion Parachute Regiment was based in Melton Mowbray, taking over the Laycock family home of Newport Lodge as billets along with Staveley Lodge as the Bn HQ as well as The Spinney.
At the beginning of the tour, you will visit Staveley Lodge, not usually accessible to the public, to view the memorial to 156 Battalion and here stories of what was said during the briefing for Market Garden.
The 10th Battalion established bases in Somerby, Burrough on the Hill, and Twford. In May 1944, the 11th Battalion moved from Glen Parva near Leicester to Melton, setting up at the Vet Camp (Remount Depot).
These units formed the 4th Brigade and trained in Melton Mowbray for D-Day, but were not deployed due to rapidly changing circumstances in Normandy and the Allied advance through France.
Their time finally came in September when they took part in Operation Market Garden and the Airborne landings at Arnhem in The Netherlands.
After Arnhem, survivors from 10, 11, and 156 Battalions returned to Melton Mowbray. In December 1944, the 1st Airborne Division was reorganised, and the 4th Division with 10, 11, and 156 Battalions were disbanded.
During the re-organisation, No 3 Battalion Parachute Regiment was stationed at Melton’s Vet Camp. In 1945, the Melton Paras were deployed to Copenhagen to help liberate Denmark from German occupation.
BOOK WITH CONFIDENCE
Explore in confidence with HistoryFare.
Book directly with HistoryFare to get the best price on our tours. If you find it cheaper within 3 days of booking, we’ll refund the difference.
BOOK NOW
For the full list of current tour dates, see the events page by clicking here.
IMPORTANT
Whilst we do accept walk-up participants, HistoryFare Tours regularly sell out. To avoid missing out and to get your preferred choice of tour date, we highly recommend booking now.
MAKE IT PRIVATE
The Airborne and Commando General Tour can also be booked as a private tour so if this is something your are interested in, please send a message via the HistoryFare Contact page and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
To view my other Melton Mowbray tours, click here.
HistoryFare’s Accessibility Promise
HistoryFare is committed to making travel more inclusive for everyone. Clear, honest information about accessibility is provided wherever required.
The guided walks are designed to provide a step free access or alternative locations to ensure all points of interest can be enjoyed by all wherever possible.
Parking facilities, step-free access, senior-friendly routes, and accessible attractions are all taken into consideration when developing a HistoryFare guided tour.
We listen to customers feedback and continuously improve our services to better serve all travellers. If you have a question about accessibility issues, then please get in touch to see how we can help.
MOBILITY HIRE
If you need to hire a mobility scooter or a wheel chair to enable you to access HistoryFare Tours, these are available for hire from ShopMobility Melton Mowbray, subject to a small hire charge and availablity. Please visit their website for contact details.
Awards & Accolades
