During the summer of 2026, my wife and I decided to head over to Germany to visit my son John Gildea (OC 11788) who is working in Paderborn. While I'm not sure that the OC community would want to hear about our holiday in its entirety, but we decided to do a bit of research to see if any Old Campbellians were buried in any CWGC cemeteries within driving distance. We identified that there were three burials and one commemoration within a few hours' drive, so off we went. 

First stop was Hanover War Cemetery – it is the resting place of 2358 World War 2 war dead. Many of the graves were brought in from prisoner of war camp cemeteries, small German cemeteries and from isolated positions in the surrounding country. It adjoins Hanover Military Cemetery, a substantial post war military cemetery of more than 3,000 burials of service personnel and their families who died in Germany from 1945.

We located the grave of Lieutenant John Terence Moore MacFadden OC 2356 who was a member of Davis's House. John entered Campbell in April 1930 and left July 1933. He was granted an emergency commission as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Ulster Rifles on the 19 November 1939 and was promoted to substantive Lieutenant on the 19 May 1941. Whilst serving with the 1st Bn, The Royal Ulster Rifles in the Airlanding Brigade, he completed Parachute Course 26 at RAF Ringway between 6-12 September 1942. Whilst the other five officers and twenty-six other ranks did four jumps, he did the full course of seven to qualify as a full parachutist. Records indicate that he took part in both Operation 'Fustian' in Sicily (13/14 July 1943) and Operation 'Slapstick' at Taranto in Southern Italy (September - December 1943). In September 1944, John flew to DZ 'X' near Heelsum on Sunday, 17 September 1944 from Barkson Heath aerodrome, as part of the first lift of Operation 'Market-Garden' with 1 Para. He was wounded and taken prisoner sometime between 18 and 19 September 1944, during the 'Battle of Arnhem'. He was taken to the military hospital in Apeldoorn and left there, as walking wounded, on the 26 September 1944. Whilst the others were all taken to Stalag 11B at Falingbostel, he was taken to Stalag 9A at Ziegenhain, Germany (POW No. 2115). He died of polio on the 4 October 1944, aged 28. 

50 metres away rests Flight Sergeant Harold George Talbot OC 2441, a member of Allisons House who attended Campbell between 1931 and 1933. Harold was one of two brothers who attended CCB – Thomas (OC 2717) also served during the war but survived. They were the sons the Reverend Canon Thomas Talbot and Constance Deborah Talbot from Co Wexford. 

Completing his education, he worked in a clerical position in London before emigrating to New Zealand in early 1939. He enlisted in the Royal New Zealand Air Force in January 1942 at Rongotai and was selected for aircrew training under the Empire Air Training Scheme and travelled to Canada, where he trained as an air bomber. He later completed further training in the United Kingdom, preparing for operational service on Wellington and Halifax aircraft before joining No. 158 Squadron, Royal Air Force. On the night of 22-23 September 1943, Flight Sergeant Talbot was serving as the air bomber on a Halifax aircraft LM261 during a major attack on Hanover. During the raid, the aircraft was intercepted and shot down by a German night fighter near Gross Lobke, approximately thirteen miles south-east of Hanover. Harold and all of the crew were killed in the crash and initially buried in a local communal grave before re-interment at Hanover. He is at rest with all of the crew of LM261

Two OCs who walked the halls of CCB at the same time, killed a year apart but lie within 50 metres of each other. 

We left Hanover for Oosterbeek in the Netherlands to follow Operation Market Garden and our first stop was Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery. Buried there with 1449 other soldiers and airman is Captain John Frederick (Jack) SMELLIE OC 1946 Davis's House. Jack Smellie attended Campbell College from April 1924 until July 1932. He played rugby for the school in 1931-1932, a year when Campbell won the Schools Cup final. In his last term he was also acting Head Prefect, Pipe Major and was the CSM in the school's Officers' Training Corps (OTC). He was a senior member of the School Scout Troop and later he became Scoutmaster of the Holywood Troop. On leaving CCB he studied at Queen's University Belfast where he qualified as a solicitor.

He initially joined the Northumberland Hussars before transferring to the Glider Pilot Regiment. He successfully completed his glider pilot training and was posted as Officer Commanding B Squadron, 4th Flight, 1st Wing, The Glider Pilot Regiment, and took part in Operation Market Garden (Arnhem). Capt Smellie was killed in action on 23 September 1944, aged 30, and was given a field burial in an isolated grave in Arnhem and was re-interred to Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery on 8 August 1945.

Jack was an experienced glider pilot having taken part in Operation Tonga on wave 3 on D Day. During Market Garden, he landed in Arnhem on 18 September on the second day of the operation and on landing joined the battle around Oosterbeek.

Jack was 30 when he died, and he is commemorated on Holywood and District War Memorial; in Queen's University Belfast; in the Royal Courts of Justice Belfast; on the McLean family grave headstone in Holywood Cemetery; in Holywood Parish Church of Ireland Church, and in the Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club Holywood

Two tributes were published in The Campbellian, Volume 11 No. 3 (July 1945) and Volume 11 No. 4 (December 1945). One included the sentence, 'He was endowed with a great personal charm and though modest and self-effacing he was able to get things done and done well!

A short drive away was the Memorial for the Missing at Groesbeek – the final location with an OC link. Commemorated on the memorial there was the name of Major James Ivor Houston OC 1782, a member of Allisons House. James had started his journey at CCB in January 1922 and left in 1930. He had been the Head Prefect in 1930 and held the position of CSM in the School's OTC. On leaving Campbell, he entered Sandhurst in 1931 and was commissioned into the Essex Regiment, before volunteering for the airborne forces. He completed his parachute training at RAF Ringway and joined 3 Para.  During Market Garden he was OC HQ Company and was killed in action in the Oude Kraan area on 20 September 1944. His body was never recovered, and he is commemorated on the memorial with hundreds of others in another stunning cemetery.

Before this trip, my knowledge of Operation Market Garden was based on 'a Bridge too Far' – I wasn't aware of OC involvement in it and I'm sure that others were involved in the battle. My son John was the Pipe Major of the Band in 2018/2019 and he played the pipes at each location which was a fitting tribute. Ulstermen were present in every cemetery.

Ne Oblivicaris

A Gildea (7417)