Jan Scott

For the author, Jan Scott, growing up knowing the men who were the pathfinders for Operation Market Garden was the privilege of being the daughter of the Arnhem veteran, Laurence Scott GM. Jan accompanied her father to the September commemorations in Arnhem many times, and over the years, Laurence recounted his experiences to her and wrote about his army life in the newsletter of the 21st Independent Parachute Company Club.

During the 1990s, Jan worked as a civilian for the Metropolitan Police and gained an MA in Police Studies in 1995 with her thesis being published in the Policing and Society Journal. Moving to Arnhem in 2014, she explored her father’s battlegrounds and, together with the Airborne Assault Museum, Duxford, produced a short film for the 70th Battle of Arnhem commemorations.

She now lives in London and concentrates on writing. She’s had short stories published and completed this biography of her extraordinary father. The book gives a completely unique account of what sort of man lives life in the line of fire: as a Pathfinder and as a Police Detective. Using Laurence’s writings, letters, and personal recollections, it reveals the life and personality of a man who, on the 17 September 1944, parachuted into enemy occupied territory as one of the first into the Battle of Arnhem.

Laurence Scott GM: Arnhem Pathfinder

Laurence Scott GM: Arnhem Pathfinder is the biography of a man whose lifetime of bravery started in the 21st Independent Parachute Company and continued throughout his career in the Metropolitan Police, being awarded the George Medal in 1967. Written by his daughter, this biography gives a completely unique account of a man who lived life in the line of fire: as a Pathfinder and as a Police Detective. Using Laurence’s writings, letters, recollections and his daughter’s own personal memories, it reveals the life a man who, on the 17 September 1944, parachuted into enemy occupied territory as one of the first into the Battle of Arnhem.