Leslie Charles Mullett

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 17/01/2011 22:11:17

I believe my dad is number 400 on the No 1 Commando group photo. Leslie Charles Mullett. He kept a diary which is currently being worked on one event of interest however that anybody involved will remember as follows
on 30-11-43 No 1 commando were being transferred on convoy to India, going across the Med Dads ship was attacked by dive bombers and hit with 1 bomb but it passed throgh the ship and exploded in the water. 1 person killed. They subsequently left the convoy and went to Alexandria and spent a few months there before continuing the journey. I'm sure anyone else on the ship would remember so if any one knows anything about that incident or the men involved that would be really good to hear.

Steve Mullett

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 29/12/2010 18:36:43

Hi Steve

May I wish you a very warm welcome to the CVA, my father was also in No1 Commando and is in the same photo, I will update the photo for you so that it shows your father's position, if you are interested I have got a high definition copy of this photo and would be more than happy to make a copy on disc and post this off to you. I have actually had a copy of this photo professionally printed, its actual size is 3ft X 7" and I must say that it is absolutely superb. I have also got a number of copies of original No1 Commando documents ie a News Letter, Concert Party Programme and two Issue of the Third Jungle Book, if you would like any high quality copies of these I would be more than happy to print these off and send them to you. The Third Jungle Book was a publication that was produced by 3 Commando Brigade which was made up of four Commando units ie No's 1 and 5 Army Commando and No's 42 and 44 RM Commando, while they were in Burma.
I can also highly recommend a book called Commando Diary that was written by Tag Barnes, who was a Sgt in No1, although it is out of print you can still obtain copies from the internet.
Do you have any of your father's Commando artefacts ie Commando Certificates, Knife etc, if so it would be terrific if you could photograph or scan these so that they could be uploaded in to our gallery. Likewise if you have any of your father's Commando photos it would also be terrific if you could upoad these in to the Gallery, I or others on this site would be only too happy to upload any images for you.
You can also apply for a copy of your father's service records, the attached link will provide you with the necessary addresses etc to carry out your own application. Although the information that you can receive in reply to this application can vary quite a bit, you may be lucky. I received copies of some very useful original documents especially Army Form B200B.

http://www.commandoveterans.org/cdoForum/posts/list/179.page

If you are interested in receiving any of the above please do let me know and I will gladly send you the required copies, all the very best, Andy

I'm Stephen's sister (and the recipient of the wonderful book he's produced of dad's diary). Dad spoke very little of his time during the war but it would be wonderful if anybody is still alive that remembers him.
He had a comrade who was a poacher and he believed he was the oldest Commando as he was already in his 30s when he volunteered.
I have just read through the book/account of John on this website who obviously went to Burma on the same boat as him (now, sadly, deceased) who mentioned some of the unarmed combat training - my dad taught me a few of those tricks as he thought they were likely to be more useful than the judo that I had just taken up.
I understood that he was a very good shot and also a handy boxer as well as a good swimmer (but didn't all Commandos need to swim well?).
Although his name was Les, he was always known to my mum's family as John, perhaps he had this name whilst in the Commanos?

He also told me about crossing the channel and leaving a knife and a green beret on the beach to "put the wind up Jerry!"

Hi Steve & Margaret,

No1 Commando were sent, by train, from Winchester to Gournock in Scotland where they embarked on the RANCHI - a P&O ship that they'd seen in lying alongside in Southampton whilst it was being refitted as a Troop Ship.

For days they they stayed on board the Ranchi in Gournock Harbour - without their Green Berets (security) - and forbidden to say who or what they were.
On 15 Nov 1943 they sailed and met up with the rest of the convey (No5 on the Reina del Pacifico).
The journey out was uneventful until they reached the Med. Here, ten days out, they experienced 2 bombing attacks by German aircraft just before sundown. One ship with a direct hit midships slipped astern in a pall of smoke [this was an American ship which went down with the loss of 800 lives].
The Ranchi was also hit for'ard but the bomb went through the deck and through the ship's side to explode in the water, killing one man enroute.

This meant that, whilst No5 & 44 RM Cdos steamed on for India, No1 & 42RM Cdos were diverted into Alexandria. For 13 days they 'paced the decks' and watched the bright lights on shore until finely it was decided to disembark all the Ranchi personnel. No1 Cdo went on to a transit camp (126) at Amriyah - 16 miles from the town.
Here they spent Christmas. They were not allowed to give out their address so they received no mail.
Eventually they travelled by train to Port Tewtik to embark - most on the Scynthia some, unfortunates, on the Pulaski (built 1903 due to be scrapped in 1935).
On 21 January 1944 they arrived in Bombay, were taken by train to Poona then on to their first Indian camp, Kedgaon.

hope this fills in a few details?
Nick

I believe the ship sunk with the loss of all the American soldiers was the
HMT Rohna. It was the first ship ever sunk by a remote controlled rocket boosted missile. There is a web site dedicated to this tragedy -

http://www.rohnasurvivors.org/

Here is a the data base for all ships in this convoy

http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/kmf/index.html

Sorry, should have said the convoy number is
Convoy KMF.26

Nick,
Thanks for that Nick, my father, No5 Cdo, was on the Reino del Pacifico so I've was interested to know what other ships were in that convoy.

Thanks

Nick

Hey Nick Ive got a postcard of the Reina Del Pacifico off eBay.A pretty impressive looking ship

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 10/03/2011 23:31:22

I have just posted the diary of Leslie Charles Mullet who was in No.12 and No.1 Commando into the gallery on the link below. At the present time as Leslie was in No.12 and No.1 Commando it is located in the Personal letters and diaries section of the Letters, Documents, Reports, Maps, and Certificates main album

http://www.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/v/documents/Letters/

Courtesy of Leslie Mullett's son Steve

This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 30/08/2011 21:19:20

Entry in diary of LC Mullett

15.08.42 Away on 3 day scheme. Started to rain as soon as we left the boats. Rained all day and all night. Stopped at a girl guides holiday camp at Lyndhurst. Lt. Colton Minchin & I gave a brief talk.

The Lt mentioned above is actually (later Major) Douglas James Maurice Cotton-Minchin who was later killed in Italy on 15 March 1945 aged 26 years.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 29/08/2011 18:39:28

Here is a photo with some in formation about Douglas James Maurice Cotton-Minchin:

http://www.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/v/units/Royal+Marine+Commando+Units/43+RM+Commando/cotton-minchin+_2_.jpg.html