The corner of a field in Paulton, called Double Hills, on which a Memorial stands, was assigned under Deed of Trust from the owner, HRH the Prince of Wales, to Peter Yeates and Lt.Col. R.W.G. Nicholls MBE, the President and Chairman of the Glider Pilot Regimental Association, in 1980. This Sunday will mark over 35 years of commemorations for the Horsa Glider crash, which killed 21 Royal Engineers and two pilots on board.

Whilst the Deed for this land was originally planned for twenty years, as a consequence of the annual commemorations, the licence from HRH the Prince of Wales was extended in perpetuity.

Sunday’s event, which will include a Parade, Military Band and Fly-past, will take place from 1.45 p.m. at the memorial site in Paulton.

Set to appear at the memorial service are the Director of Double Hills Memorial, Peter Yeates, the Main Review Officer, Colonel Alex Willman, Colonel and Commandant of the Army Air Corps Aviation Centre, and Jacob Rees-Mogg, MP, as well as other distinguished guests, together with the local residents of Paulton and surrounding areas.

The Anniversary of the foundation in 1979 of the Double Hills Memorial will remember the first British casualties en-route to the Battle of Arnhem and a Bridge Too Far – 17th September 1944.

Speaking of the site, HRH the Prince of Wales, said: “It is from two reference points that I am connected with Double Hills at Paulton and Farrington Gurney.

“Firstly, as Duke of Cornwall, this piece of land matters deeply to me.

Secondly, as Colonel-in-Chief of The Parachute Regiment and The Army Air Corps, I have had a long and close association with all Airborne Forces, and a deep sense of respect and admiration for their crucial role in the planning and execution of Operation Market Garden.

“I am greatly heartened to know that the 21 airborne engineers and two glider pilots, who died here, as the first casualties of that operation, continue to be remembered in this way.

“Their sacrifice was no less worthy, nor valuable, for having been in England, and it is right and fitting that we for whom they died should commemorate them.

“Their example, along with that of their comrades who fell in Holland, continues to inspire the sense of duty apparent in our Armed Forces. In that much, as in so many other ways, their deaths were not in vain.

“As Colonel-in-Chief of both The Parachute Regiment and The Army Air Corps, the brave men who served on Operation Market Garden hold a special place in my heart, and none more so than the first casualties of the Operation who we remember here.

“I am very grateful to those who have made such efforts in both the upkeep of the memorial, and in the organisation of this event. The maintenance of the memorial is indeed a fitting tribute to the courageous men who made such terrific sacrifices, and I feel that it is vitally important that we hand on these memories for the benefit of future generations.”