2577032 john henry knowler, No3 Cdo

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 18/09/2010 14:44:53

John henry knowler was in the 3 commando on the dieppe raid and others ,he was a R.S.M and had glasses he came from london then ,and was in the royal sig TA , that was 1939 and he came out 1946,can you help me for is famaly,he was hit in the head at dieppe and made it back to newhaven,if you can help thank you.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 14/09/2010 15:10:00

hi Ray,
Welcome to the CVA.
you are asking for help, which we are more than happy to do, but it seems that you already have some information - in what other way can we help?

Regards,
Nick

Hi Ray

On checking with the original Commando Association records there was a Sgt. John Henry Knowler with the same service number who served with No.3 Commando. His parent regiment was indeed the Royal Corps of Signals. Although I have no further information I can advise you that should the family wish to, they can apply for his army service record. If his widow is still alive there is no charge if she applies, otherwise the fee is £30. How to do so can be found here:

http://www.veterans-uk.info/service_records/service_records.html

Regards

Pete

For the sake of continuity I've moved a post from Ray from another forum and posted it here (Ray has been informed by PM)

ray.hawkes wrote:THANK YOU for your help ref sgt knowler he was on the dieppe raid and he lost the top of his tin hat ,you can find him on youtube go down to escape & aftermath footage

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFnS0dNDYV0

he is the one that made it on to the boat and he as is hat on with a hole in it and has glasses on, so if you can help with moor he was allso at sansandar .
his no was 2577032 john henry knowler no 3 company k section 4th div signals, he made R.S.M THANKS AGANE.

Nick

It would appear he was rather tall and used to smoke a pipe during the war? One of the most distinctive looking Commandos I've come across.

I have a photograph of him Germany at the end of the war with his friends standing on a landing craft.

Email from Robert Fleming:

Dear Mr Murray,

I didn't think this point worth getting my own login for the Commando Veterans Association (for which I do not rightly belong!), however having googled Sgt John Knowler, I came across the forum thread on your website related to him (here: http://www.commandoveterans.org/cdoForum/posts/list/1669.page) and thought that if you felt it of sufficient interest, you could advise the interested parties that the brodie helmet Sgt Knowler was wearing in the Dieppe raid, that they speak of, is now held within the collection of the National Army Museum in Chelsea, and will be featuring as a display piece in the upcoming exhibition 'Draw Your Weapons, the art of Commando comics', due to open on 1 September 2011, and running to April 2012.

More info can be found here: http://www.nam.ac.uk/exhibitions/special-displays/draw-your-weapons-art-commando-comics

Kind Regards,

Robert Fleming
Curator of Fine and Decorative Art
National Army Museum