No. 11 Commando photos

This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 23/11/2010 22:45:32

I have just added another very good photo of a troop from No.11 Commando. A few days ago I added 10 troop, this time it is of 8 troop. Sadly the names are not included on this one unlike the 10 troop photo. If you know any names please add a comment to the photo or post a reply to this message. My thanks to Stuart Gough, the archivist of the Isle of Arran Heritage Museum for permitting my nephew Pete Dunlop to photograph the original photo so that we could display it on our site. We had a great time being shown around the Heritage Museum by Stuart. Our hosts on the Isle were Spud and Jess Taylor. Jess was 16 when 11 Commando arrived on Arran and is still one of their strongest supporters. More photos to follow ...

http://www.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/v/units/11/8trp+copy.jpg.html

A few good post war photos also added :

http://www.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/v/units/11/

Pete

I am fairly sure this is 'A' Section of No.8 Troop which was led by Capt Ian Glennie who I think is sat on the seat to the right of the two Sgt's.

'B' Section was led by Lt Bill Fraser who like Capt Glennie and a number of the Troop were from the Gordon Highlanders.

Jim Bogle, also a Gordon, is a surviving member of No.8 Troop, I passed his details on to Geoff a few weeks ago, perhaps he could assist with the names?

Regards

Ian

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 30/11/2010 01:51:55

Hi all

I am in the process of posting photos of many of the officers of No.11 Commando. They are from a photocopy record held at the Arran Heritage Museum and as such the photos are not perfect but are recognizable. Each photo had a name written against it with the troop they were in at the time. My thanks to Stuart Gough at the Heritage Museum for allowing the CVA to display them. Should finish posting them on Tuesday. They can be seen on the link to the gallery in the first post of this forum message

Good work Pete,
Is the Lt Davidson (Capt on the No11 Nominal Roll in the forum) the same person as Wg Cmdr Davidson as in the list of names you supplied ?

http://www.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/main.php?g2_view=dynamicalbum.UpdatesAlbum&g2_itemId=15802

Any further info on the Wg Cmdr?

Nick

Pete

As promised I have sent a few 11 Commando photographs to your email address.

Cheers

Ian

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 01/12/2010 14:19:02

Ian and Nick

Thanks for the replies and Ian thanks for the contacts with whom I will get round to arranging to meet once the snow stops. Thanks also for the pics which I will post soon. Who was that talking about Global Warming !! I think the pictures I posted just before Fort William of No.2 Cdo training in Ayr show that they most certainly coped better than we do now but then again they were Commandos. I still have photos of No. 2 Cdo and others to post once I have resized them for the gallery - just finding the time:

(click on the pictures to enlarge)

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

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

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

Nick I have asked some people to enquire about man shown as Wing Commander but no reply as yet. I assume they are one and the same and that his rank is from his service either after 11 Cdo disbanded or more likely post war. Assumptions are always likely to end up wrong mind you !

Pete

Nick / Pete

Below are extracts from a few emails I recieved from Henry More (son of Capt (later Colonel) George R.M.H More MC - No.11 (Scottish) Commando. As you can see Henry has solved the mystery of Capt / Wg Cdr R Davidson (11 Commando / RAF) - a fantastic piece of research.

Cheers

Ian

There is a list of the officers of C Battalion presumably made while they were on Cyprus before the Litani (May-June 1941 diary) and Davidson is listed there as 2nd Lt (Temp Lt) R.B. Davidson, Royal Scots.

I googled R.B. Davidson RAF and he is shown as:

December 1953-1956 Sqn Ldr R.B. Davidson, DFC squadron commanding 602
Squadron RAF.

He is also shown as Station Commander for RAF Turnhouse: 12 Jan 1970 Wg Cdr R B Davidson

Here's a link that looks interesting: Two Royal Air Force pilots are
photographed in front of a Vampire fighter aircraft. Squadron Leader Roy A
Schofield and Squadron Leader RB Davidson, ...
www.scran.ac.uk/000-000-035-731.

I am attaching a copy of the photo (very small file) but it would seem to
indicate that the pilot on the right is Davidson. If you contact the
Scotsman you could probably get a good photo of Davidson in what seems to be
the 1950s.

I am also attaching a page from an RAF type that shows Flt Lt R. B.
Davidson in October 1944 as being in No 6 Squadron.

This would seem to imply that he did indeed make the transfer during the war.

Found a London Gazette reference to RB Davidson becoming Flying
Officer from Pilot Officer 01JAN1943 and refers to "(Lt, R. Scots)".

There's conclusive evidence for you!!!

Best regards,

Henry

Ian,
Many thanks for that.
Here's a few notes to add to the info -
It shows that Wg Cdr Davidson probably flew his first operational sorties in Hurricanes but progressed onto Vampires after the War. His experience commanding a Vampire squadron would explain why he was to become a Station Commander of a Station that operated Vampire aircraft .

No. 6 Sqn operated in the Western Desert with Hawker Hurricanes on anti-tank duties from 1942 until the end of the North African campaign. Flying the tank-busting, 40mm cannon-firing Hawker Hurricane Mk. IID variant the squadron excelled over the desert destroying many axis armoured targets. This is where they earned the nickname "The Flying Tin Openers".
In 1944, the squadron moved to Italy and flew the remainder of the war over the Balkans, equipped with rocket-firing Hurricane Mk. IVs.

No. 602 Sqn was initially equipped with Spitfire F.14s and later with F.21s and F.22s, until January 1951 when Vampire FB.5s were received. Vampire FB.9s arrived in November 1954 and the squadron continued to fly both types (FB.5 and FB.9s) until, along with all the flying units of the RAuxAF, it was disbanded on 10 March 1957.

In 1952, RAF Turnhouse [now Edinburgh Airport] had it's runway extended to 6,000 feet to allow Vampire FB5s to operate.

Thanks,
Nick

Thanks Nick.

Pete,

Henry More also sent me two photographs of his dad along with his permission to post on the 11 Commando gallery, details as follows:

Captain (later Colonel) George R. M. H. More.

Col More got an MC and bar during the war (one for Litani River, the other for SOE), an MID for his actions at Dunkirk, and retired as a Colonel.

1939 photograph - Royal Engineers
1944 photograph - SOE.

Regards

Ian

This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 09/12/2010 16:47:51

Thanks Ian...they'll be in the gallery soon. Excellent investigative work by all concerned

Pete

** Update 9/12/10...both photos now posted in the No.11 Commando gallery
http://www.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/v/units/11/?g2_page=2

Hi all,
is it me but is that a different officer in the picture of No.6 Troop from Jess Taylor from the one's Barry Crowe and i sent in? Not only is it a different piece of head wear but also it appears he has a bush jacket on over his shirt (collar and tie?) while in the other two pictures the officer appears just to be wearing a shirt and also a Sam Browne belt which is not on the other picture. The other difference being Barry and Jess's pictures show fourty men while mine only shows thirty nine, on the back row of the other two pictures from the left between the fifth and sixth (my dad) a head can be seen.
I'm sure it must be me.
Regards,
Alan.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 14/12/2010 12:23:07

There are, in fact, THREE different photos all of the same troop, all very similar...

Photo 1. The photo courtesy of Alan Orton - 39 commandos

Photo 2. The photo courtesy of John Smith's daughter (via Barry Crowe) - 40 commandos. An extra 'head' appearing between 5th & 6th man (back row from left).

Photo 3. The photo courtesy of Jesse Taylor - again 40 commandos but with a change of officer...

I can only guess that the explanation of there being two different officers is that one officer was 'handing over' to the other and these were before and after photos. Maybe the officer in the different headdress was 'taking over' as Troop Commander?

But look closely at the extra head on photos 2 & 3 and I'm sure you'll find that the head is extremely similar as that of the 7th man on Photo (Alan's photo)

Nick

This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 14/12/2010 13:20:04

Nick is correct and I did put "almost identical" and mentioned the officer's hat on Jessie Taylor's photo. But Nick is also right and may I say well spotted in respect of the 2 photos shown as identical. I have put them in the same sub album but there are differences. Check out the back row. So there were obviously a batch of slightly different photos taken whilst they were all in situ so to speak. Well done Nick, I wondered how long it would take for someone to spot it. I hope you didn't think it was a mistake by me - perish the thought. :D

Pete

Pete wrote:Nick is correct and I did put "almost identical" and mentioned the officer's hat on Jessie Taylor's photo. But Nick is also right and may I say well spotted in respect of the 2 photos shown as identical. I have put them in the same sub album but there are differences. Check out the back row. So there were obviously a batch of slightly different photos taken whilst they were all in situ so to speak. Well done Nick, I wondered how long it would take for someone to spot it. I hope you didn't think it was a mistake by me - perish the thought. :D

Pete

Ha ha,
I hadn't noticed any (of your deliberate) 'spot the differences' Pete until Alan pointed them out and then I thought he meant the two in the sub-album...
So I banged out a post and then realised that Alan was talking about Jesse's too...
A quick delete and rewrite...

Thanks for the test Pete :wink:

But it just shows that each photo should be studied thoroughly - who knows what else we have missed?

Relax Alan - it wasn't just your eyes playing you tricks...

Nick

It's taken over a year but at last I have tracked down the original photos of the No.11 Commando officers that were originally in the Isle of Arran Heritage Museum many years ago. They now only have photo copies which they provided to us, but as can be seen here were better than nothing, but of poor quality:

http://www.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/v/units/11/

I now have copies of the originals which were hidden away in the archives of the National War Museum Scotland. I thank them for sending me copies of the photos which I will be posting over the next few days. The majority will not be in the 'Latest photos' posted section as I will just be replacing them direct in the 11 Cdo gallery. An example of the difference can be seen when you compare the originals on the above link to this first one I have just replaced for Captain Ian Glennie:

http://www.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/v/units/11/Capt+Ian+Glennie+8tp.jpg.html