Operation Market Garden veteran pays respect to fallen comrades in Netherlands

A veteran of Operation Market Garden has paid his respects to his fallen comrades at the Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery.

Geoff Roberts, 99, was at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery for a short ceremony to remember those who died during the operation to capture the bridges.

Operation Market Garden was a bold, partially successful, nine-day combined air and land operation in the German-occupied Netherlands.

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Market was the airborne phase and Garden was XXX Corps' attempt to link up with them.

The goal was to capture nine vital bridges at locations including Son, Veghel, Grave, Nijmegen, Oosterbeek and Arnhem.

During the mission, Mr Roberts flew by glider into Arnhem and was captured as the Allies retreated, spending the rest of the war in a German PoW camp.

He has visited the graves many times before, to pay his respects to his friends who didn't come back.

His daughter, Claire Wellburn, told BFBS Forces News she was "very emotional but very proud" of her father.

"All the family, we're all so glad that he can make it every trip," she said. "Obviously, every trip gets a little bit more difficult, but he wouldn't miss it."

Mr Roberts handed on the Torch of Commemoration to the daughter of Lieutenant Colonel John Frost, the man who held the northern end of the bridge at Arnhem.

He and his men held out for four days until they were forced to surrender, having been desperately low on ammunition, water, medical supplies and food.

Caroline Frost told BFBS Forces News her father had "had nightmares until the day he died" as well as "survivor guilt".

"He always saw himself as an intrinsic part of his men – not the bigwigs – the men," she said.