Richard Todd – 7th Parachute Battalion (Light Infantry), 6th Airborne Division It was with great sadness that the British Airborne community and general public learned of the death of Richard Todd aged 90 years in late 2009. Mr. Todd was famous as both a WW2 soldier and an acclaimed stage/cinema actor in his lifetime. In his film career, he appeared in two famous war films, “The Dambusters” and “The Longest Day”. The latter film allowed Todd to portray a real-life scenario on D-Day, of which he had first-hand experience. However, most of his film fans only briefly knew of his WW2 exploits, which would have made an interesting film in its’ own right.

Having been born in Dublin, Ireland in 1919, Richard Todd settled down in his late teens to what appeared to be a very promising career in theatre in the late ‘30s. However, lack of interest by stage producers, caused him to think about serving his country in wartime. He pressed the War Office for service, which in June 1940 was finally noticed. Accepted by the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI), Todd went to Sandhurst to receive his officer training. Injuries caused by a German bombing of the college delayed his commissioning till early 1941. He was trained in Artic and Mountain Warfare in Iceland with the KOYLI in December 1941. He then was trained as a Signals Officer in Catterick in September 1942, after using his actors’ memory to pass the 200 man course with a Catterick ‘D’ (top mark). However, he wanted to get into the war quickly, and thus he chose to volunteer for the Parachute Regiment.  He completed his jumps course in November 1943, on which his performance was described as "Jumps well, cheerful, fine example to his men", and was posted to the 7th Parachute Battalion (Light Infantry) as assistant Adjutant to its’ CO, Lt. Col. Geoffrey Pine-Coffin, a highly experienced soldier with combat experience in North Africa and Sicily.

The 7^th Parachute Battalion or 7 Para was part of the 5^th Parachute Brigade, 6^th Airborne Division. The Division, under Maj. General Richard Gale, was going to capture a bridgehead in Normandy between the Orne and Dives rivers, as part of the Overlord invasion plan. The 6^th Airborne plan was highly ambitious with many risks, but General Gale didn’t hide the dangers to his men, stating bluntly “The Huns thinks it’s complete madness to attack over there and it’s for that reason that I want to go there”. Todd and the men of 7 Para were to land at ~ 00:50 on DZ ‘N’ near Ranville, and then march directly west to Bénouville to reinforce the newly captured Orne river and canal bridges, held by the 2^nd Oxford + Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, under Major John Howard. Col. Pine-Coffin briefed all officers of the plan on 1^st June 1944. Todd remembered later in a newspaper interview "It was strangely reminiscent of the readthrough and cast list for a new production at the Dundee Repertory theatre where I had been a hopeful thespian fledgling on the outbreak of the war. Now, here I was a few days short of my 25th birthday having gone through the script for D-Day and been told the minor role I was to play, plus a couple of understudy parts. In the interim I had been subjected to a four-year rehearsal for the big first night. This time there would be no prompter to get me out of trouble." Todd was to remain as assistant Adjutant in Normandy, but was told to prepare to take over the Mortar or Signals Platoons if need arose.

Come early morning on D-day, Lt. Todd took off from RAF Fairfold in a Stirling bomber. He was going to be first out on his stick, making him one of the first paratroopers on the ground, apart from Major Howards glider troops and the Pathfinders. He had two kitbags, one filled with mattocks and shovels which he was to jettison through the floor hatch as soon as the green light came on, and the other containing a rubber inflatable dinghy that he would take down with him, suspended by a rope from his belt. 1 minute after crossing the coastline, he leapt into the darkness. Apart from a skinned hand caused by a hastily-lowered kit bag, he landed safely or as he later described his landing "At about 0040 hours on Tuesday June 6 1944, I thumped onto a corn field in Normandy, an illegal immigrant without a passport but nevertheless welcome, I hoped, at least to the locals”. He rallied with his CO and 150 men (a quarter of their strength) at 0130 hours and headed straight for the bridges. They reached the two bridges without hindrance and met Major Howard at his CP. 7 Para then took command of the bridges defences. However, their hold was still precarious. During the morning, they came under sustained attack by German infantry + some panzer elements, but, with some difficulty, held their positions.

Todd recalled later "During the morning the CO told me to take about four or five mortar men and find out what had happened to a "B" Company platoon sent to take up an outpost position to guard our flank. Nothing had been heard of them since our arrival in Le Port. We set out along the line of the canal, moving cautiously through low scrub and reeds. We had gone only a few hundred yards when I spotted a glint of metal right ahead of us. It came from a well hidden figure crouching behind a hummock in a perfect firing position. Motioning the others to get down and give me covering fire if necessary, I crept off and slipped along below the canal bank until I reckoned I was about abreast of the enemy sniper. I peered over the bank, slithered over the top and began an elbows-and-knees crawl, my Sten cradled on my forearms. Some fifty yards short of my quarry I raised my head: it was one of our own lads lying there. I walked over to him and saw he was dead. He was a teenager whom I knew well by sight, with a little hole in his forehead - no blood or anything - his chin resting on his rifle."

"From my slit trench on the slope at Le Port, I had a perfect view over the bridges and into the divisional area. In the distance, beyond the River Orne, the skyline was stippled with flashes and smoke from explosions or air-burst shells. In the foreground, just below us, was the canal bridge, so brilliantly captured a few hours before by Major Howard and his glider force from the Ox and Bucks Light Infantry. By our end of the bridge, stood the café owned by the Gondrée family, seemingly untouched. It was now being used as a first aid post. George Gondrée and his wife had already dispensed champagne to all those who had had time for a swig - exclusively John Howard's men. The sparkling cache had been buried in his garden since the Germans had occupied the area in 1940, so it had matured nicely. I was contemplating this view when I noticed emerging from a screen of trees two boats apparently deserted and drifting slowly towards Caen. There was little or no current on the canal, so I mentioned my suspicions to the CO and he ordered his HQ group to fire on them. Our fusillade was briefly answered from below decks but, after a direct hit on one boat two parties of Germans emerged and were taken prisoner. So to add to our battle honours that day, we were able to claim a naval victory."

On the 11th June, Todd left the 7th Battalion to take up the GSO-3 (Operations) posting at Divisional Headquarters, with whom he remained throughout the remainder of the Normandy campaign and until the Rhine Crossing in March 1945, when he was returned to the 7th Battalion. 7 Paras’ objective was to seize and hold positions near Hamminkeln, and to act as a covering force for the rest of 5th Brigade in its advance on the main objectives. The battalion was the last of its brigade to make the drop, doing so whilst subject to fierce German attack from flak and other ground forces. Despite heavy fighting, 7 Para, inspired by a badly wounded Pine-Coffin, held out against German counter-attacks, and played a pivotal role in the successful completion of the Brigade's main objectives. The battalion ended its war with the rest of the division at the Baltic port of Wismar, in May 1945. After the War, Captain Todd accompanied the 6th Airborne Division to Palestine, where he had a serious road accident when his Jeep overturned and he suffered two broken shoulders and concussion.

Discharged from the Army in 1946, Richard Todd resumed his acting career and rejoined the Dundee Repertory Theatre. An acclaimed performance in the film ‘The Hasty Heart’ (1949) brought him to Hollywood’s attention. He then appeared in the Dambusters (1955) as Wing Commander Guy Gibson VC, probably the role he was best known for. At the end of the film he turns down an offer to celebrate the success of the operation by saying that he has some letters to write; i.e. to the next of kin of those who had been killed. Todd later revealed that he found this a very hard line to deliver as he had personal experience of writing such letters during the War.

In 1962, he was given the part of Major John Howard in the film adaptation of Cornelius Ryan's book about the D-Day landings, "The Longest Day". Due to the nature of cinema, it was impossible for the film to give a thorough reflection of the role of the 6th Airborne Division during the Invasion, and as such their activities were solely represented by a reconstruction of the capture of Bénouville Bridge by Howard's coup-de-main force. Although briefly mentioned, the role of the 7th Battalion in the defence of the western bridgehead was largely ignored, and so it appeared as if the defence of the bridge rested only on Howard's men. Naturally, the omission of their fierce defence of Bénouville caused some resentment amongst veterans, not least because one of their own was championing this re-working of history. Todd, however, regarded "The Longest Day" as a film rather than a documentary, and his part in it was simply that of an actor doing as he was told.

After retirement Todd worked as a volunteer for Age Concern, supported the Royal British Legion and was a popular speaker at charity functions and military commemorations, raising huge sums for charity. His interests included the countryside; for many years he lived near Chipping Camden in Gloucestershire. Later moving to Little Ponton in Lincolnshire, he was appointed OBE in 1993.