5439410 Victor Robert Bailey - 3 Commando

Does anybody have any information about my father???? Sadly, Vic passed away in 2007 at the age of 88.
Regards,
Sue Bowe (nee Bailey)

I have just been looking through some group photos of 3 Commando and my father is in one. The photo is 3 Commando in Italy 1943 by Ian Grant. My father is 4th from the left in the middle row.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 26/09/2011 20:29:10

Hi Sue

Welcome to the CVA website. I have now updated the photo above with your father's details.

http://www.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/v/units/3/trp+photos/3_Commando_Italy_November_1943+-+owner+Ian+Grant.jpg.html

Do you have any other pictures of your father from his Commando days or at post war reunions, or indeed any of his comrades from the Commandos. If so, and you would allow us to include some in our galleries, please contact me on my email address below. If you let me know what sort of information you are looking for I may be able to help you there, or at least point you in the right direction. In the meantime keep browsing the 3 Commando and other galleries such as the Commando Gatherings pre CVA as you may find another. If so just let me know the title of the photo and the gallery it is in. I will be able to find it from there and update it accordingly.

Regards

Pete

Hi Pete,
Thank you for your reply. Just a query regarding the photo - the one that Vic is in states it is Italy where as the last picture in the gallery states it is Sicily. Almost identical pictures with the same building and fir tree in the background?
What information I have about Vic's war service is that he served at Dieppe, Italy, Sicily, North Africa and D Day (Sword Beach).
I don't believe he went to any of the re-unions but I do know he received the 3 Commando newsletter and later on in his life went to France to see some of the war graves.
Vic didn't go into many details about what happened to him apart from where he served so it would be good if anybody remembers him but I do realise that most of those who served at that time have passed on.
I will sort some photo's out and email them to you.

Regards,
Sue.

Hi,

The 3 Commando photo belonged to my father. He had written " Italy November 1943" on the back. According to the 3 Commando war diary [see attached extract ] it was taken on 8th November 1943 in Cannizarro , near Catania, Sicily. After action in Sicily and the Italian mainland, 3 commando spent November and December in Sicily before returning to the UK around Christmas 1943.

Sue, my father is standing in the back row, 3rd from the left, just behind your father. So it's likely they knew each other.

Best regards

Ian Grant

Hi,

Correction , my father is 4th from the left in the photo!
[ missed the man on the extreme left ]

Ian

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 28/09/2011 23:29:26

I have updated the photo with the above information from Ian. If there are individual photos of those mentioned above from their Commando days or at post war reunions please email them to me, on my email address below, and I will include them in our Gallery. Please include as much detail as possible with each photo.

http://www.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/v/units/3/trp+photos/3_Commando_Italy_November_1943+-+owner+Ian+Grant.jpg.html

Pete

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 30/09/2011 10:57:07

Hi Ian,

Many thanks for clarifying my query regarding the photo and the information about 3 Commando.

Pete has very kindly put two photo's of Vic in an album on site.

http://www.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/v/units/3/victor+bailey/

Kind regards,
Sue.