The personal album of photos of Major Bill Copland DSO - No.2 Commando

This message was edited 6 times. Last update was at 24/08/2011 01:08:28

I now have copies of all the photos in the personal album of Major Bill Copland DSO and there are some great ones. My thanks must go to his son Peter Copland who has allowed us to display them, and also to Jim Dorrian who kindly scanned each page and sent me high resolution copies.

For those of us attending Fort William this week and with the weather getting rather cold in Scotland, I thought I would post just a couple of the photos for now to remind us what it was like when No.2 Commando were training in Ayr in January/February 1942 :

http://www.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/v/units/2/training/on+to+moscow+-25.jpg.html

http://www.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/v/units/2/training/winter+training+Ayr+1942+-25.jpg.html

http://www.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/v/units/2/training/excelsior+-25.jpg.html

Click on the photos for full size

This message was edited 5 times. Last update was at 24/08/2011 01:02:13

And another from the same collection of Colonel Charles and the Padre. The title placed on this photo which enlarges when clicked on and everything else about it from the padre's wry smile to the half empty pint glass makes it a great photo. Things were not to be so relaxed a month or so after this photo was taken when Colonel Charles Newman led the Commandos in the combined Commando and Naval attack on St Nazaire
. For his part in this epic raid he was awarded the Victoria Cross.

http://www.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/v/units/2/training/Charles+and+the+Padre++a+-22.jpg.html

Fantastic photos - can't wait to see more.

These little insights into the 'real' people are what this website is all about.
It makes me very proud that Veterans and relatives of veterans are trusting this Site to display their treasured memories.

Thank you,

Nick

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 07/12/2010 23:09:55

As some of you will have seen I have begun to post the photos from this album to the gallery. I will be posting about 4 or 5 a day as there is a fair amount of editing required on each photo, and also some research on those in the photos. They will be going into either the 'No.2 Commando' main gallery or the 'Independent Companies and SS Bn. ' album which is located within the World War 2 gallery. The photos are all pre St Nazaire, the raid in which Major Copland was taken POW and later awarded the DSO. Thanks again to his son Peter for allowing us to display them on our site.

Pete

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 08/12/2010 16:04:09

Many thanks indeed to Peter Copland from all at the CVA.

Pete, the recent pictures of Copland are super, they really give a feeling of what it might have been like. They look so happy and are enjoying themselves.

Pass on my thanks as well.

- Janet

They are brilliant photos indeed - still looking to see if I can spot Bob in amongst them...

Nick

Me too, Nick, the closest I've come is the one on the Toggle Bridge, but I'll never be sure.

- Janet

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 10/12/2010 21:20:23

Janet,
I know the feeling - I've got the photo that Billy Moore gave me and I'm almost convinced my dad is on it (I've compared it to all other photos of him and it is right!)
But when I showed the same photo to my mother and my uncle (dad's younger brother) they both identified two different commandos!

But as I said to you before, I know its my dad!

Nick

http://www.ww2awards.com/person/46277