John Stanleigh

Staff Serjeant John Hubert Stanleigh, born Hans Schwarz, was a soldier of the British Army who served during the Second World War.
He was born on 5 July 1919, in Pozen, the son of a former German soldier who had been awarded the Iron Cross during the First World War, and was educated in Brandenburg. Increasing antisemitism under the Nazis saw the family lose their business and be sent to concentration camps. John spent about six weeks in Oranienburg before leaving for Britain in December 1938, joining relatives in Liverpool.Parker, John (2012), The Paras - The Inside Story of Britain's Toughest Regiment: The Inside Story of Britain's Toughest Regiment.Leighton-Langer, Peter (2006), The King's Own Loyal Enemy Aliens: German and Austrian Refugees in Britain's Armed Forces, 1939-45, p. 351.Fry, Helen (2013), The King's Most Loyal Enemy Aliens: Germans Who Fought for Britain in the Second World War.
In Britain, Schwarz assumed the name John Stanleigh and enlisted in 93 Company, Pioneer Corps. He was later engaged in bomb disposal before transferring to 21 Independent Parachute Company, with which he once survived a jump when his parachute failed to open. The company acted as pathfinders who would precede the main assault. They would mark drop zones by preparing directional beacons known as Eureka radios.21 Independent Parachute Company, pegasusarchive.org. Retrieved 18 July 2015. Stanleigh went on to serve in North Africa, Italy, and southern France. In Italy, he was present as an interpreter at the armistice negotiations with Pietro Badolgio in September 1943.Plesch, Dan (2011), America, Hitler and the UN: How the Allies Won World War II and Forged Peace, pp. 115-6.
Stanleigh's company formed the vanguard of Operation Market Garden, the attempted crossing of the Rhine in September 1944. They jumped into Holland on the 17th, and for about nine days formed part of the defence of Oosterbeek.Bowman, Martin (2013), Shrinking Perimeter, p. 128. German forces rapidly isolated the outgunned airborne troops. Heavy casualties were sustained, while ammunition dwindled, leaving the beleaguered defenders in an untenable situation.Guard, Julie (2007), Airborne: World War II Paratroopers in Combat, p. 241. Stanleigh himself recalled having to use phosphorous grenades on a German machine gun post when his patrol was cut off from his unit only half-a-street away.
On the 24th, the decision was made to evacuate the remnants of 1st Airborne Division. Stanleigh was among those who crossed the Rhine back to Allied lines on the 25th. No boat was available, so Stanleigh had to swim for about an hour, and in doing so lost his uniform to the strong currents. The survivors withdrew to Nijmegen, and thence to Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire. He was recommended for a Military Medal, but the nomination was rejected on account of ineligibility.Jews at the Battle of Arnhem, Sept. 1944, pegasusarchive.org. Retrieved 18 July 2015. Stanleigh did not gain British citizenship until September 1946.The London Gazette (37798), p. 5796. 26 November 1946, thegazette.co.uk. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
After the war, Stanleigh became a milliner in the fashion industry and later worked as an electrical engineer until retirement. He studied for a degree in history at the age of 74 and continued to work part-time as a teacher in Bristol until his death.The Times: "Friendly Axis". 22 February 1997. In 1983, he founded the Ex-Services CND and became its president. The organisation, which later merged with the larger Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, grew to 1,000 members by 1989, and was largely composed of Second World War veterans.Smith, Lyn (2011), Voices Against War: A Century of Protest. He married, in 1944, to Rita Alder Prebble. Stanleigh died in 1997, in South Gloucestershire.
==Notes==
Category:1919 births
Category:1997 deaths
Category:German military personnel
Category:British military personnel
Category:British people of Jewish descent
Category:British people of German descent
Category:British Army
Category:Buried in England
Category:Staff Sergeants