A WAR hero who was the last man on the infamous Bridge Too Far came to York today to remember what is considered one of the great calamities of the Second World War.
Harold Padfield, 81, was one of the paratroopers flown in to capture the bridge over the Rhine in Arnhem, Holland, in 1944.
The lance sergeant of the Royal Engineers (Airborne) was the last Allied Forces soldier to leave it.
He was at Elvington Air Museum to open an exhibition detailing the role of the Airborne Forces, in conjunction with the Hartenstein Museum in Holland.
He said: "Arnhem goes down in history as a big defeat, but I actually consider it a success. We were there to capture the bridge so the Allies could move into Germany. We did that and held it for four days.
"If we had managed to hold it longer, it could have ended the war and you can't blame anybody for wanting to try to do that."
The opening of the exhibition is a prelude to the Airborne Show tomorrow, which features the Red Arrows Aerobatic Team.
Updated: 12:56 Saturday, June 29, 2002
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