The Pub and the Parachute: A Story of Anglo-American Friendship
In the early hours of D-Day, British and American paratroopers and glider-born infantry were dropped into Normandy to capture key sites behind the invasion beaches and secure the assault area. Airborne landings continued throughout 6 June 1944, and by midnight over 23,000 Allied troops had landed in France, helping the Allies to secure a foothold in continental Europe.
As part of preparations for the invasion, members of the US Army's 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions had been deployed to Britain. While conducting drills, marches and rehearsal operations in the Spring of 1944, American airborne troops were stationed across counties in the East Midlands including Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire, often billeted in or around the major towns in these areas.
The market town of Hinckley in Leicestershire played host to the 376th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment. While the unit would not end up taking part in Operation Overlord, their time spent training for the invasion in Hinckley would nevertheless leave a lasting impact on them, and the town itself.
The 376th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion (PFAB) arrived in Hinckley in March 1944. For most of 1943 they had been involved in fighting in the Mediterranean, supporting both the Allied invasions of Sicily (Operation Husky) and Italy (Operation Shingle). Having been withdrawn from the Allied beachhead at Anzio in January, Hickley offered a distinct change in scenery for many of the men.
The Battalion's D Battery were billeted in the Palladium Cinema, a building which had served as school, theatre, roller skating rink and restaurant, before its occupancy by American troops.
< Members of the 376th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion enjoying a drink in front of the New Inn Pub, Hinckley, Leicestershire, 1944.
The New Inn
When they weren't busy training, the 376th PFAB spent their downtime in the local pub. The New Inn on Castle Street, owned by Dinah and William Worth, was very close to their billets at the Palladium cinema.
As D-Day grew close, the 376th PFAB were moved towards the south coast to join the invasion force. Before their departure, D Battery gifted Dinah and William a rip cord and auxiliary parachute, which they had decorated with illustrations and dedicated with a message of thanks.
The parachute was then hung in the pub, as a reminder of their friendship. When it became apparent that the unit would not be taking part in the invasion of France, due to the losses their regiment had suffered at Anzio, the 376th PFAB returned to Hinckley for the rest of the summer.
The 376th PFAB finally departed for Europe in September 1944 to take part in Operation Market Garden, the Allied attempt to establish a bridgehead over the Rhine. The parachute was taken down later the same month, when William and Dinah learned of the death of one of their friends, Private Robert Scott of Wyoming. The 23-year-old paratrooper was hit by German artillery shells shortly before the Waal crossing on 20 September.
The Men of D Battery
Thirty members of D Battery put their names on the parachute. Research has brought to light the stories of some of these men. Abel "Hap" Fernandes, for example, was just seventeen when he enlisted in the US Army in 1941. He made three combat jumps; North Africa, Sicily, and Normandy. He remained in the army after the war, going on to serve in Korea and Vietnam.
Clemens Slepekis was another member of D Battery to sign his name on the parachute. Slepekis had been working as a sausage maker in Sheboygan before joining the 82nd Airborne Division in 1942. By the spring of 1944, he'd seen action in North Africa, Sicily, and the Battle of Anzio. Slepekis landed in Holland on 17th September, along with 20,000 other airborne forces, to take part in Operation Market Garden. Within twenty minutes of jumping, the 376th had set up their first Howitzer. Over the next twenty-four hours, the unit fired 315 rounds and captured 400 German enlisted men and eight officers. As part of the 504th Regimental Combat Team, the 376th's objective was to capture two bridges across the Maas-Waal Canal. The 504th RCT quickly secured one of the bridges by hitting both ends simultaneously. It was during this action that Robert Medfield Scott was killed.
The following day, the 376th provided vital artillery support for an assault crossing of the Waal, which ended in intense hand-to-hand fighting. Despite the regiment's successes, the defeat of other Allied units at Arnhem meant that the 82nd was ordered back to France. Pfc. Slepekis used this respite to visit Paris, where he had his photo taken in front of the Eiffel Tower. D Battery was called back into action in December to defend against the German breakthrough in the Battle of the Bulge. On 7th January, during an attack on Petit-Halleux, Pfc. Slepekis laid a mile and a half of telephone line through enemy shellfire and sniper-infested ground. His action allowed the 376th to lay down artillery fire on the German positions, creating an opportunity for an infantry attack that successfully captured the town. Clemens Slepekis was awarded the Silver Star for his role in the attack.
< Clem Slepekis posing in front of the Eiffel Tower in the autumn of 1944
New Inn landlords Dinah and William Worth must have been relieved at the announcement of Victory in Europe on 7th May 1945. They kept the signed parachute long after the New Inn was sold, eventually handing it down to their daughter, who donated it to the Imperial War Museum in 2022. The parachute is one of the few tangible traces left of the American presence in Hinckley in the spring and summer of 1944. It serves as an important symbol of the bonds forged between American forces and British civilians during the Second World War, and the bravery of the airborne troops who knowingly jumped into danger.
Help us to uncover their stories
The American Air Museum’s archive documents the US air campaign in Britain and Europe during the Second World War. It records stories of the men and women of the US Army Air Forces and US airborne divisions, and the memories of the British people who befriended them. We want to build a complete picture of the American experience of the air war in Britain and Europe. To do so, we rely on contributors' help to improve our records.
We have confirmed the identities of some of the signatures on the parachute, but we need your help to uncover the stories behind the others. If you can identify any of the men of D Battery, please consider registering as a user to join our community of contributors. Once registered, you can add and edit information in our archive. Together, we can help to preserve the legacy of the Americans who served in Britain and the bonds of friendship that they forged during the Second World War.
