RAG Events

Wednesday 16th October at 18.30 | The Drawing Room and Zoom | £15.00 per person*
               *Includes one glass Prosecco
              *£10.00 for those joining via Zoom

John Humphreys was a Royal Engineer when war was declared in 1939. His service ultimately included the Battle of Arnhem Bridge, as part of the Parachute Regiment whose defence of the location 80 years ago was immortalised in the film, “A Bridge Too Far”. Prior to that, he experienced the fierce fighting of the North African desert, and two stints as a POW after being captured, escaping the first time to rejoin comrades in the fight against Hitler. He ultimately joined the SAS.

Colonel Stuart Tootal, himself with a distinguished military career to his name before becoming an acclaimed author and historian, wrote “The Last Para”, a book he produced in partnership with John Humphreys, before he died in April this year, aged 102. “The Last Para” is an account of John Humphreys’ unique experience at Arnhem and serves as a fitting memorial to the last survivor of this battle, elevated in the public’s mind by Hollywood’s take on the conflict.