Captain Lionel Queripel VC stayed behind alone in a ditch near Wolfheze on the evening of 19 September 1944, covering his men’s withdrawal with an automatic pistol and a few grenades. A new memorial to him was unveiled in May 2026 by the Friends of the 10th opposite the culvert near where he was last seen alive.
Earlier that day his company had been advancing along a road towards Arnhem when continuous machine-gun fire split them on either side of the road. Queripel, 10th Parachute Battalion, crossed and recrossed under fire to reorganise his men. He carried a sergeant to the aid post and was wounded in the face.
He then led an attack on the strong point holding up the advance, part of 1st Airborne’s desperate attempt to reach Frost at the bridge. During the attack he killed the crews of two machine guns and recaptured a British anti-tank gun.
The attack stalled and the brigade was ordered to fall back behind the railway line. Queripel was acting as rear guard and became cut off with a small party of men, taking up position in a ditch and having sustained further wounds in both arms.
He continued to direct resistance with grenades and rifles, at one point picking up a German stick grenade and throwing it back. He ordered his men to withdraw. They protested. He stayed behind alone to cover them. For his actions he was later awarded the Victoria Cross.
He is buried in the Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery, Plot V, Row D, Grave 8.
We visited this today on an Arnhem battlefield tour with a group of friends from Hungary.
