James J.C. O'Connell
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Joined: 20/07/2010 13:26:32
Messages: 23
Location: USA and Canada for the foreseeable future
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Does anyone have any information regarding Canadian soldiers being recruited for "Commando" units beginning in Canada in late 1940 and continuing in Scotland in early 1941?
I have a personal document outlining the presence of British Officers at Camp Borden, Ontario on such a recruitment drive with Canadian soldiers volunteering (about 100) from a number of Canadian regiments and undergoing initial Commando training in Nova Scotia (Camp Debert), Newfoundland and the Hudson Bay area after Christmas 1940 and into early 1941 (and maybe later).
If so, can you tell me how they would've been integrated with British units once in the UK?I am following a thread of a story which "may" include Glenmore Lodge in Aviemore or another camp nearby, as well as "another camp in Scotland" (undetermined at this point).
Glenmore Lodge may indicate SOE involvement, but the source states "Commando" specifically, not SOE. He also mentions 8 small raids into Norway in early 1941 and 1 in Holland (the Walcheren area) and that many/all of these small raids were not documented and the participants "sworn to secrecy forever". Training was completed "at the end of January 1941" and raiding began shortly thereafter.
Researching the standard Commando records reveals no raids during this time period (Feb-April 1941) in any of these locations which leads me to 1 of 3 conclusions: (1) they never happened (2) they were CDO raids never acknowledged for very good reasons and required "plausible deniability" for governments in exile and/or (3) they belonged to another organization....SOE, "other"....what "other" I have no idea.
A friend of the source was killed on the 4th or 5th raid (a British soldier not a Canadian) which leads me to the obvious conclusion it was a composite unit. I have found no evidence of this man in CWGC records or elsewhere.
Any thoughts would be most heartily appreciated. I've been through many records PRO Kew, Ottawa, Oslo and interviewed all sorts of folks over 15 years with only 2 tangible pieces of evidence surfacing; a letter to me regarding the details and the results of an interview with a Norwegian Resistance member in Oslo. I've had other small successes, but nothing I can hang my head on definitively.
Many thanks in advance,
Jeff
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