When Reg Curtis passed away in January 2016 it is believed that he was the last man standing from the original volunteers who called themselves No. 2 Commando, 11th SAS, 1st Parachute Battalion, the pioneers who set the bar for The Parachute Regiment.
In 1940, when they answered Winston Churchill’s call for a new type of fighting soldier, there were no special parachutes for jumping from aircraft, and no suitable aircraft. All too often they suffered fatalities or severe injuries in training. They were literally jumping into the unknown.
Before he died Reg pledged income from his book The Memory Endures to our charity. Badly wounded at Arnhem in 1944, which led to his right leg being amputated, he wanted to support his modern-day paratrooper equivalent. Reg’s book was published by his family under their imprint Pilots Publishing and has remained in print ever since, with all profits sent to SUPPORT OUR PARAS.
We thank Reg for his loyalty to the Regiment he loved, and his family for their care with his legacy. Reg’s nephew Geoffrey Holland, who administers Pilots Publishing, appeals for others to join Reg and support our work in his name. Please take a look at his message here: https://justgiving.com/campaign/regcurtis.
Geoffrey says he couldn’t have wished for a better role model than Reg. Frankly, nor could we. Reg, we salute you. You and your comrades will always be remembered.
To buy Reg’s book, visit https://pilotspublishing.co.uk/the-memory-endures. Geoffrey’s email address is there. Copies are available worldwide by mail order.
