Poignant possessions of Portsmouth paratrooper who sacrificed himself by jumping on grenade discovered by builders in Holland

Private Albert Willingham, the son of George and Rose Willingham, of Drayton in Portsmouth, was killed when he jumped on a grenade thrown by a German soldier into a crammed cellar containing 20 Dutch civilians and two wounded British officers.

The grenade was heading directly for Bertje Voskuil and her nine-year-old son Henri before the paratrooper dove towards it, with the impact of the blast killing him instantly.

Pte Willingham, of the 10th Battalion, Parachute Regiment, was initially buried in the garden of the small detached house in Oosterbeek in September 1944.

The 29-year-old's remains were exhumed and moved to Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery after the war but artefacts including his paratrooper's red beret, cap badge and gas mask were left behind.

The remnants were dug up eight decades later while the new owners of the property were doing some garden works.

The poignant items also include a hip flask, bullet casings, a magazine for a handgun and British and Dutch coins.

They are set to go on display at the Airborne Museum in Oosterbeek next year.

Historian Dilip Sarkar MBE, author of 'Arnhem 1944: The Human Tragedy of the Bridge Too Far', said it was a 'remarkable discovery'.

He said: 'Private Albert Willingham gave his life in an humanitarian act - a decision made in a nano-second.

'His is, surely, amongst the most inspirational to arise out of countless brave acts performed during the battles of Arnhem and Oosterbeek.

'It is right that Albert is remembered and this remarkable discovery provides a unique link both to him and that fateful day on which he so freely gave his life to save others.

'The cap badge, beret and gas mask were found at the site of Albert's field grave. They could only be his.'

Mr Sarkar called on Pte Willingham, who has never been officially recognised for his gallantry, to be given a posthumous George Cross.

He said: 'Albert never received any recognition for what he did, and I believe he should be given the George Cross posthumously.

'I floated the idea to the Parachute Regiment and they were supportive but the Honours Committee decided there were so many unrecognised acts of bravery at Arnhem so it would be unfair to single him out.

'But this was a humanitarian act and there is a difference, he jumped on the grenade knowing what was going to happen and saved many lives in the cellar.

'I don't see why this should not be recognised.'

Alec Wilson, chairman of The Friends of the Tenth, Pte Willingham's unit, said: 'Albert's final act was to protect others in that dreadful place, shielding them from the full force of a German grenade.

'The cellar and the garden in which Albert was buried, together with these artefacts recently unearthed, remind us of the remarkable self-sacrifice and bravery of Pte Albert Willingham and all of his comrades in the 10th Battalion.'

Pte Willingham enlisted in the Dorsetshire Regiment, and volunteered for the airborne forces, completing his parachute training at RAF Kabrit, Egypt.

Pte Willingham served in the pre-war army and was in Malta at the outbreak of World War Two.

He fought in North Africa, Sicily and Italy before his 10th Battalion were dropped behind enemy lines in the Netherlands with the 4th Parachute Brigade on September 18, 1944.

They were supposed to push on to Arnhem eight miles away to reinforce Colonel John Frost's small garrison which had seized the northern end of Arnhem Bridge the previous day.

But the Germans blocked their passage and in the end the brigade found itself under siege in Oosterbeek, three miles west of Arnhem.

4th Parachute Brigade, led by Brigadier John Hackett, charged out of the woods at point of bayonet, through the astonished Germans, and into British lines at Oosterbeek.

The 10th Battalion was then put to work bolstering the defences, and over the next few days suffered horrendous casualties.

As the situation got even more desperate, Pte Willingham and his comrades carried two badly wounded officers, Lieutenant Colonel Kenneth Smyth and Major Peter Warr, into the cellar at 2 Annastraat.

Already inside were 20 Dutch civilians who were hiding away while the battle raged on in the garden.

Suddenly, one of the German soldiers opened the trapdoor and lobbed in a grenade, a terrifying episode later recounted by Mrs Voskuil.

She said: 'The door burst open and the Germans came in.

'A British soldier jumped in front of Peter Warr and I, with his back to the Germans.

'Then there were two terrific explosions – German grenades.

'The British soldier was hit in the back and fell forward, over me. He was dead.

'Many of the people in the cellar were wounded.

'The candle was blown out by the explosions.

'I felt down for my nine-year old son; I felt his body; he didn't move, and there was a lot of blood.

'I thought he was dead, but he was still alive, hit by splinters in his stomach and face.

'He regained consciousness the next morning and made a full recovery.'

Pte Willingham was killed on September 21, 1944.

His nephew, David Willingham, said: 'We have nothing but admiration and pride for the man we are proud to say is part of the Willingham family.'

Operation Market Garden saw 10,000 British and Polish paratroopers dropped into the Netherlands to secure key bridges across the Rhine.

The plan was to thrust north through Holland and on into Germany to deliver the final blow to the Nazis, defeating Hitler before Christmas.

But only a small force was able to reach the bridge at Arnhem and they were overwhelmed by the enemy.

What ensued was a remarkable, costly rearguard immortalised in the classic film A Bridge Too Far (1977) starring Dirk Bogarde and Michael Caine.

Of the 10,000 men who landed at Arnhem, just under 2,400 would make it out again after a vicious nine day battle.

The rest were killed or captured by the Germans.