Wigan Album
Remembrance
16 Comments
Photo: Fred Mason
Item #: 24131
He was killed at the Battle of Arnhem on 20 September 1944.
Aged 22, his wife was about to give birth to his son, her cousin Larry, also no longer with us.
John is the brother of Bill Bretherton, an ex Wigan Rugby League Player.
R.I.P
What a bonny lad. Fred.....www.marketgarden.com please excuse if the family know that John is remembered on that marvellous
labour of love. The site would welcome a photo of him to complete his very own page, a factual and above all a compassionate site of remembrance for them all.
RIP Bonny Lad.
Thank you for posting that for me, Fred.
R.I.P. John.
In years to come, it will be a great thing for a man to say 'I fought at Arnhem'
General Montgomery.
The trouble is that most of them did not survive.
This was one of the saddest sacrifices of World War II and should never have happened. Complete shambles. It was far more than just 'A Bridge too Far'
Hello Fert
Thank you for the link to that wonderful website. I found John.
I tried to print his page but could not manage it.
Must correct the typo in my other post. John was 27, less than 4 years younger than my mother.
For years my mum tried to find out how he died. We knew he was in the school at the end of the Bridge and from talking with people who were there with him when we went to the Arnhem Day Reunions we believed that he was killed in hand to hand fighting.Well yesterday on Remembrance Day ,69 years later, I found out that he was killed whilst evacuating the school, which had taken a hit, to a smaller building. He was shot whilst climbing a low wall...in the back though,, as we had been told.
R.I.P. to all our brave lads in the 39-45 campaign to whom we a great debt of gratitude...Bless em all...
Tricia. Glad you found it and liked what you found.
Sorry Tricia, I forget to mention a good book which lays out that tragedy from the German viewpoint, as Cornelius Ryan's
A Bridge Too Far spoke for them, this recommended book explains a lot more as to that catastrophic undertaking by Montgomery and Browning.One of my mother's brothers was 3 Para, one of the few who survived.
It Never Snows In September Author Robert Kershaw.
Thanks again.Fert.
If you have not seen this one, do a search on:-
Operation Market Garden:Last Stand at an Arnhem Schoolhouse
I found this on Sunday and it is where I solved the mystery of what really happened to John.
My mum would have loved to speak with your Uncle...so would I.
Aww Tricia. Everyone here who views his face should seek that out and read it. What can you say after taking that in. I knew very little of Mam's brother, because he would never speak about. All the gist was cornered out in the fields near the bridge, then fighting and evading down to Oostebeek. Obviously some things were and went very wrong, he was angry. Tell you what I found to be useful when trying to sort it for my own mind...I used Google Street Map images to collapse myself to the (Lonsdale) corridor evacuation point. Sad,sad, tragedy.
hi there is this tricia my cousin "Patty" if so I am sad I have not heard from you for far to long. This photo of john is the first picture I have seen of one my relatives,and I am moved.
Yes, it is!
I passed near to your house several times in October....and passed the end of Anne's Street even more often.x
HELLO FERT I AM TRICIA'S COUSIN ALAN, I HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO CORRESPOND WITH HER OF LATE SO I WAS HOPING YOU COULD GUIDE ME TO THE SAME LINKS AS PATTY SORRY I MEAN TRICIA IVE ALWAYS CALLED HER PATTY AND IF YOU ARE IN CONTACT WITH HER COULD YOU PASS ON MY E-MAIL==alanw47@sky.com I WOULD BE VERY APPRECIATEIVE IF YOU COULD OBLIGE THANK =YOU ALAN WINSTANLEY.
Here we are Alan: 2 sites
www.historynet.com/Operation-market-garden-last-stand-at-an-arnhem-schoolhouse.
www.marketgarden.com
Hope those keep you going until you can reconnect to Trica.
Brace yourself.
lol..Yes, Alan, and Phil always knew who it was without asking when he answered the phone and you asked for me by my childhood name! The only person to call me that!
Have just sent you an email.
Thanks again, Fert.
to my dear patty yes I could not open your mail for you must have not put correct e-mail address which is (( alanw47@sky.com))hope to hear from you very soon love alan
Hi, my granddad Bill Finch often spoke of his best friend John (Jack) Bretherton. He was his best friend and his death really affected him, so much that he hardly ever spoke about the war.
Hi this is my grandmas brother. We have the same photo up in her house.