My father joined as a regular soldier in 1938 into the Wiltshire Regiment, posted to India, they moved into Burma as soon as the war started, he fought the Japanese as a MMG gunner (Vickers) until his mother was killed in a German bombing raid (Penryn) in 1941 in 1942 he applied to do anything where he could take up the fight against the Germans. He volunteered to join the Parachute Regiment, on completion of his training posted to the 13th Lancashire Bn, he parachuted into Normandy just after midnight on the 6th June, wounded on the 8th. Repatriated and repaired for the Christmas offensive in the Ardennes, Bure included. Back in time for Op Varsity, very badly wounded on the second day, most of his back and shoulder (shrapnel) was missing - it looked like somebody had made a shell scrape out of most of his upper right torso. It fascinated me as a boy watching him shave with a vest on. Recovered to be fit enough to move to SE Asia on VE Day to take up the fight against the Japanese again.
Fantastic father who hardly said a word - he died at 93 a few years ago, in a motorcycle accident and yes he's was driving! Nobody else involved.
RIP Dad xx