trying to trace details about my grandfather - Robert Oxley

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 23/07/2011 22:01:47

Good evening, I'm trying to trace any details I can bout my Grandfather 'Robert Oxley' who was a Commando during WWII. My son has found this site for me and there is one image in your gallery of No. 2 Commando pictures, that shows him with a Sgt Morland in 1941.

I know he served in Norway and my father recalls him talking about a town called Budda. There was little enemy resistance and he spent most of his time there pursuing German forces but only catching them up on a couple of occasions.

MY grandfather was hospitalised with impetigo prior to the St Nazaire raid and once discharged from hospital, I believe spent the majority of the war period at a Commando PT instructor.

I have trawled through some of the images on the site but am not sure if he was with No.2 Commando when in Norway, as ll the references seem to point out that 3 & 4 Commando were involved in the early actions.

I believe my Grandfather had a close friend during his time in the Commando's by the name of Charlie Bates but I have not found any references to him on the site.

I would be grateful for any suggestions on where to look for more info or if anyone believes they have group images he may be part of.

Thank you for your assistance.

PS. the link to the image of him on the site is below:
http://www.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/v/units/2/sgts+morland+and+oxley+-+4+resiz.jpg.html?g2_imageViewsIndex=1

This message was edited 7 times. Last update was at 24/07/2011 11:09:25

Hi and welcome to the CVA.

The photo you found of your Grandfather was one of many in the personal album of Major Bill Copland DSO who was 2nd '/c No.2 Commando up to and including Operation Chariot (St. Nazaire). He , and I suspect your Grandfather also, was in No.4 Independent Company prior to No.2 Commando. To give you an idea about how No.2 Commando came to be, you might wish to refer to the Independent Companies gallery which includes a brief history:

http://www.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/v/WW2/Independent+Companies/

Major Copland's photos consist of those from his time in No.4 Independent Company, and also when the Independent Companies were formed into Special Service Battalions, and then No.2 Commando up until St Nazaire.

I think the "Budda" you mention may actually be Bodo, a large fishing port on the coast of Norway, off one of its Fjords. There were several raids on the Norwegian coastline in the early days, including the one you mention, however the one your grandfather referred to I suspect was a major operation codenamed Scissorforce. This was an earlier Operation to the one you mentioned. The Independent Companies were involved, along with troops from the Guards Regiments and others, aided by the Royal Navy and RAF, and Bodo was one of the target areas. It took place in May 1940.

I would like to know a bit more about your grandfather as we have little information. If you can provide more detail I can then update our gallery accordingly. Please feel free to contact me either here or on my email address below.

Regards

Pete R.

Ps. Some galleries to check are the one above for the Independent Companies, and also this one specifically of No.2 Commando Training:

http://www.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/v/units/2/training/

Additionally this gallery of Commando Training in general:

http://www.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/v/WW2/Commando+Training/

Finally all the group photos in the main No.2 Cdo. album that state they are "Courtesy of Peter Copland". He Is Major Copland's son.

Should you wish a high resolution copy of the one photo you have found of your grandfather please let me know and I can provide it.

Good afternoon and thank you for your reply. sorry it has taken so long to respond.

I have looked through pretty much all the photo's on the website and cannot positively identify my grandfather in any of them (although there are several backs of heads that could be him!).

You mentioned that you thought he may have been in No.4 Independent Company before 2 Commando, but on looking at their records they group seems to have been made up from troops from Scottish or North of England Regiments. My Grandfather joined on Colchester, Essex and was part of the Essex Regiment Royal Anglian Regiment initially as far as we are aware. would this have been any influence on his route through the Independent Companies?

We have just made an application to Veterans UK with his service number to access his service record in full and will no doubt get those details in due course.

In terms of more detail about him all I can really do is repeat my earlier knowledge plus the other aspects we have discovered as follows:

Robert Warner Oxley was his full name and he was born on Staten Island, New York in 1918, after my Great Grandparents had emigrated in the early 1900's. almost all of the family had remained in Walton-on-the-Naze in Essex and my Grandfather was sent back to Walton at a young age to have an English upbringing. He held both US and UK passports throughout his life.

He was working for the family business (Carpenters and Funeral Directors) at the outbreak of WWII and joined up quite early on. He spent an amount of time training in Devon before being posted to Scotland and was married to my Grandmother in Paignton during this period.

We are aware of the raid that he was invloved in on Boddo and my father and Aunts recall this clearly as he was quite forthright in his views that it was badly organised (all the ammunition on one supply ship but all the heavier calibre weapons on another and they weren't available at the same time, etc.). As I said before he said that they met little enemy resistance and he spent most of his time there pursuing German forces but only catching them up on a couple of occasions. After they had withdrawn back to the UK the town they had been in was very badly bombed and almost destroyed entirely by the Germans in an act of revenge for the help the Norwegians had given the British.

At present this is the only active service I know of although there may have been other raids. He talked very, very little about his wartime activities. We know he was hospitalised with impetigo prior to the St Nazaire raid and that the sergeant that was transferred to cover his position was killed during the raid. A fact that isn't lost on any of us as that may be the reason any of my immediate family are here today! Once discharged from hospital and deemed fit for service he was transferred to the training staff and spent the remainder of the war period in Scotland (presumably at Achnacarry Castle) as a Commando PT instructor and we have several photos of him in a PT kit with a White vest bearing a badge in the centre.

My grandfather died in January 2008 aged 90.

We are planning a flying visit trip up to Spean Bridge later this year to see the memorial and visit the museum. Literally up on the sleeper train, a day in Spean and then the evening sleeper back to London. It's unlikely we'll see anything new at the museum with my grandfathers photos but having tried to research this far we feel we'd like to see the area.

If it is possible to obtain a High-Res copy of the photo of him and Sgt Morland that would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your help and if I find out more from the Vetrans UK records I'll let you know.

Kind regards,
Stewart Oxley

Hi Stewart

Lt Col. Newman VC of No.2 Commando also came from the Essex Regiment. Out of interest No.3 Independent Company was formed from the 54th East Anglian Divn. which comprised of, amongst others, Battalions from the Essex Regt.

The Independent Companies were formed into Special Service (SS) Battalions. 1st SS Btn. A and B Coys. was formed from Nos. 1,2,3,4,5,8 and 9 Ind. Companies . No.2 Commando was later formed from B Coy. under Lt Col. Newman at Paignton.

If you email me on my email address below I will try and get the hi res version for you

Pete