My dad's service records

Thanks Julie ..Really fascinating! Lord Lovat came visiting too. The training was so intensive. Would ve broken other units
Surely Capt Peebles ' family wouldve been told the details of his death Nick

Stephen Donnison wrote:
Surely Capt Peebles ' family wouldve been told the details of his death Nick

Stephen,
Yes I would have thought so.
But I don't understand why you ask that?

Nick

Its all hush hush what happened

Stephen,

The family would probably not been told the nature of the accident/incident. The onerous duty would fall upon the CO to tell the family if possible and we can see that:
7 June: Major B.E. Woodcock assumes command of Unit during temporary absence of Lt Col D.M. Shaw, MC on duty. Lt N MacArthur placed on "Sick in Quarters" list

10 June: Lt Col D.M. Shaw, MC reassumes command of unit.

As The Commando were in the UK it is likely that the CO (David Shaw) travelled to tell the family that John Peebles had been very seriously injured...

Certainly, on his death, the family would have been told that "Capt Peebles MC was a well thought of and very highly respected officer who died, courageously, whilst carrying out the course of his duties etc..."

I doubt very much if the all the details of the nature of his fatal wounding were given to the family in order to spare their feelings.

Captain JOHN A L PEEBLES, MC
Dorsetshire Regiment
and No.5 Commando
who died, age 26,
on 11 June 1943

Remembered with honour at Southampton Crematorium

Nick

Im really impressed at No5's training for June 1943. Anyone know how Capt Peebles got his MC . Theres no mention in George A Brown's book on Commando Awards

At the moment all I can tell you is that John Allan Laing was awarded his Military Cross when a 2nd Lt in the Dorsetshire Regt.
The award was announced in the London Gazette on 18 Oct 1940.

I'll look for the citation.

Nick

Hi Stephen,

It's been a while since this thread saw daylight but Graham Cooper has kindly sent me some on No.5 Cdo's War Diaries and I stayed up until 03.00hrs last night reading them.

As I thought, the grenade incident is mentioned:

No.5 Commando War Diaries wrote:14 May 1943
3603237 Pte Parker J. F. mortally wounded by a premature explosion of a no.68 grenade on Field Firing exercise on Cheverton Down. Capt Peebles, MC and 4 ORs admitted to Parkhurst Military Hospital, Newport, as a result of the same.

Cheers,
Nick

my dad according to his records was in Parkhurst Military Hospital Newport 7/6/43 -19/6/43 (could be the 4th month) Doesnt say why

My thanks to Graham Cooper for advising me of the details of another No.5 Commando who died as a result of this accident. We had no details about how Private Parker met his death but can now say that Pte James Parker died of his injuries on the 14th May 1943 almost a month earlier than Captain Peebles MC. I have now added the full details with sources to their records in our archive.

http://www.commandoveterans.org/Peebles5Commando

http://www.commandoveterans.org/JamesParker5Commando

Stephen.

I was told recently by the RM records at Whale Island that the-records were only recorded for legality and not for history. I think most commando relatives are going through similar issues. I have tried to get to the bottom of HMS Oddyssey and cannot. Most units moved around so much on operations that they just had there records stamped at a central combined ops establishment.

I have established my own grandfathers history through finding 2 photos of him in his unit, and stories told by grandmother and my family. I obtained his service docs as the originals were lost, and there is an entry which matches a story my gran told me just before D Day.

However I am like you and want answers and more evidence. Keep digging the answers are there somewhere.

I am aiming to contact the RM museum curator as all RM kings squads had a pass off photo which were archieved. My aim is to find that next.

Keep up the search. Good luck.