No5 Commando - photo

My father (James Charles Bowler) was in No5 Special Sevice Battallion (later No5 Commando) from his return from Dunkirk until Sumer 1941.
I don't know whether, as a regular before Dunkirk and a trained PT instructor, he was there as an instructor, or as a "fighter".
I recently found this picture annotated " Commandos Bulford Camp June 1941"
Unfortunately I don't have any names other than his - he is second from the right back row.

This message was edited 4 times. Last update was at 02/03/2011 22:59:55

Hi and welcome to the CVA. Have you got his service record as yet? That might give an indication as to his role when attached to No.5 SS Battalion or later Commando. There is no official list of those who served in the Commandos although the CVA is in the process of trying to build such lists from documents found through official and unofficial sources. One of our members, Nick, whose father was in No.5 Cdo. is in the process of building such a list for 5 Cdo. Did your father have any other Commando memorabilia, insignia, etc.? What I will do, with your permission, is post the photo in our No.5 Cdo gallery with the details provided by you. Hopefully someone may in the future provide information about the photo that might lead to a definitive answer. If this is acceptable to you could you please let me know your full name so I can credit the photo appropriately

Regards

Pete Rogers

Pete

By all means use the photo as you see fit. I'll be very interested to discover more about what my father did - he was not very talkative about the war.
His service record shows:
"Commando posted" 18/7/40
promoted A/Cpl 18/7/40
5SSBn promoted war substantive
5 Special Service Bn Posted Cpl 10.11.40
No5 Commando Posted Cpl 5/3/41

At some stage around this time he attended "7th W.A.T.S. Course" I've no idea what this was, but he was later posted (9/7/41) to "I.T.C." and later to A.T.S. - 14 Aug 1941

he obviously wasn't with the commandos very long which I think tends to support by belief that he was there as a PT instructor.

I hope this helps

Stewart

Photo now posted in the gallery on this link:

http://www.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/v/units/5/James+Bowler+Commandos+Bulford+Camp+June+1941.jpg.html

Hi Stewart,

As Pete says, I'm slowly compiling a Nominal Roll of No5 Commando and will add your father's name to it in the very near future.

With regard the transcript of your father's service records, I can certainly help with the abbreviation "I.T.C." - Infantry Training Centre.

I wonder if the ATS is the Army Technical School which, in 1941, was at Beachley, Chepstow (I believe this became the Army Apprentice College and graduates were known as Beachley Boys). There would certainly be some PTIs as Staff.

Is it possible to scan your father's record and post it? Sometime there are other clues hidden away that you may have missed which someone here can spot.

Regards,
Nick

Nick

When I received his records there were sheets and sheets of A3. I've copied 2 of what I believe are the most relevant. You will see (I think!) that he was only in the commandos from return from France to going to Africa (Feb 42)

Stewart

This message was edited 5 times. Last update was at 05/03/2011 19:16:56

Hi Stewart,

That's really helpful - I see that he was posted between a number of ITCs and his records also show he was in West Africa from 42 - 44 with the Camerons but did you realise that it seems he was with 4th Battalion, Gold Coast Regiment (4th Bn GCR) for a very short while?

APO S101 = Army Post Office S101 - we just have to determine where S101 was (it was in Italy in WWI).

Nick

This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 05/03/2011 18:57:05

Stewart,

Still working on the 7th W.A.T.S course - but whatever it was, he qualified as an Instructor - Q'I'.

I wonder if the 'W.A.' was anything to do with West Africa...

Nick

Nick

I knew about the Gold Coast because that was one of the very few places dad spoke about - but it was only to tell us that that was the first time he'd eaten a fresh pineapple, and the juice ran down his face (VERY useful in my research !!!)

Interesting about APO S101 - didn't know that.

I wondered if WATS had something to do with the ATS because mother was in the ATS at, I believe, New Battle Abbey which is, I understand, somewhere near Edinburgh. I believe that is where they met (whether he just happened to be in Edinburgh, or whether he was involved there in some training, I don't know.

Pete is also trying to put some names to the faces in the photo - that may help if we know where other people came from or went to.

Stewart
Stewart

Stewart,

Obviously the ATS would immediately point to the Auxiliary Territorial Service but there didn't seem to be a connection straight away. Your dad was at Command Central Gym Redford Barracks in Edinburgh for a course and I believe they did train ATS to be PTI's there.

Here is a post I found online:

My Nana who brought me up, was in the ATS from Feb 1939 until the war ended, Her number was W/9265. She would love to contact anyone who was in her unit or any of the courses she went on as a PT instructor. I'm hoping to get some photos from her that you can put on your website but wondered if anyone could point me in the right direction to get her some information.

The details I have are: 11th Caithness Company, then sent to Orkney for 3 years, then Inverness Cameron Barracks, then Redford Barracks Edinburgh, then became PT instructor and attended courses in Scotland and Durham, Aldershot and Newton Abbot.

You'll see there are a few familiar names in there...

By the way, there was an A.T.S. Wing at the Army School of Physical Training, Aldershot, so it is possible that he was instructing ATS at some stage.

Nick

Hi chaps,

Heard back from John Wall, he cant id any of the faces I'm afraid.

Cheers

Pete