In the east about 400 men, the remnants of 11 Para, the 1st Parachute Brigade and the 2nd South Staffordshires, having failed to break through to the trapped 2nd Parachute Battalion were trickling back towards Oosterbeek.
The passage describes a group of soldiers retreating from a battle in Oosterbeek, having failed to reach the trapped 2nd Parachute Battalion.