John Baskeyfield

John Baskeyfield VC
John Baskeyfield memorial statue at Festival Heights in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.
Born	18 November 1922 Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England
Died	20 September 1944(1944-09-20) (aged 21) Oosterbeek, Netherlands
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1942–1944
Rank	Lance sergeant
Service number	5057916
Unit	South Staffordshire Regiment
Battles/wars	Second World War Allied invasion of Sicily Operation Ladbroke Allied invasion of Italy Operation Slapstick Operation Market Garden Battle of Arnhem Defense of Oosterbeek perimeter  †
Awards	Victoria Cross

John Daniel Baskeyfield VC (18 November 1922 – 20 September 1944) was a British Army soldier and an English recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to members of the British and Commonwealth armed forces.

Born in 1922, Baskeyfield was called up to the British Army in early 1942. He served with the 2nd Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment, a glider infantry unit of the 1st Airlanding Brigade, part of the 1st Airborne Division, in Sicily and Italy in 1943 before returning to the United Kingdom. The division was next deployed in Operation Market Garden and fought in the subsequent Battle of Arnhem.

While defending the Oosterbeek perimeter three days into the battle, Baskeyfield commanded a pair of anti-tank guns that destroyed several enemy tanks before the crews were killed. Baskeyfield subsequently fired the guns alone before he too was killed. His body was not identified after the war and he has no known grave.