My dad's service records

Can you guys help me ?Ive been poring over my dad's service records. Ineed some advice.Dad was in the 8th Lincolns and it says for 25/12/40 Granted WPP(1st grant) whats that stand for?
Next it says 5 Commando Posted 22/10/41
Admitted CRS Falmouth 30/10/41 is there anything there as a memorial to the commando training?
discharged from there 8/11/41
Then its STC Lochailort 9/1/42 to 25/1/42
Was Lochailort before Inveraray or were they there at the same time? would he have done some training at Inveraray too
Embarked for theatre of ops (ie Madagascar)22/3/42
Iknow they went to Durban first because he sent postcards, but it doesnt mention it
on the way back from Madagascar they embarked at Cape Town.
two lines after that have been rubbed out .I can make out embarked and disembarked but the rest is erased with a Adjutant stamp there (??)
The next thing is
Admitted to Parkhurst Military Hospital Newport7/6 /43
Discharged 19/6/43 A Captain has signed at the end
Theres no mention of why he was in hospital

I think WPP may be Weekend Privilege Pass.

As for Lochailort, I spent a bit of time in Fort William library looking through ?Commando Country? by Stuart Allan which had lots of information about Lochailort but as I was speed reading and mainly looking for stuff about Achnacarry I can?t remember exactly what it said I?m afraid!

Julie

ive got that book Julie ,,thanks will give it a browse

Stephen,
As a child I collected postcards and I distinctly remember among the collection was a group photo on which was my father. The photo had been annotated 'Training at Inveraray'.
Sadly the photo disappeared from my postcard album many years ago - and my sisters deny any knowledge!

The Parkhurst Hospital was on the site on the site of the present Parkhurst Prison on the Isle of Wight.

No5 were, of course, billeted on the Isle ofWight at some stage and it was at Ventnor, IoW that a tragic accident, involving a grenade, occurred.
Capt John Peebles MC was fatally injured and Rfn Tommy Pollock was one of the seriously injured in this accident.

Nick

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 29/11/2011 22:18:22

The Special Training Centre (STC) at Lochailort was set up in 1940 but not initially for Commandos. Jimmy Dunning refers to it in detail in one of his books - It had to be tough , I think. In there he mentions it was set up for a unit called the 5th Battalion Scots Guards. Now there's one to try and find :) Some well known names were the original instructors. I discovered recently a list of names of some who formed some of this unit. He devotes a whole chapter to STC Lochailort - well worth reading. From July 1940 it began to be used by the Commandos with Achnacarry being used as a sort of holding centre for those awaiting training at the STC Lochailort. That continued until I think March/April 1942 when the Depot at Achnacarry became fully operational

ahh thanks boys So dad wouldve been to Achnacarry after all albeit as a holding centre

Nick ,do you know the date of the grenade incident on the Isle Of Wight?

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 09/12/2011 12:32:21

Stephen,
I don't know the exact date of the incident but Capt Peebles died, as a result of his injuries, on 11 June 1943.

It may be just a coincidence, but the date of your dad going into hospital (7 June '43) and the sad death of Capt Peebles (11 June '43) are very close together...

http://www.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/v/Commando+War+Graves+Memorials+and+Plaques/National+Arboretum/Army/24.jpg.html

Nick

Your right Nick. I spoke to my brother Roy about it He said our dad told him he had gotten a bullet wound in his leg .He showed him the scar. Wouldnt that be on the records? Roy knew nothing about the Isle Of Wight incident

This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 10/12/2011 08:48:34

Stephen,

No, I've not come across anything regarding a shooting accident on the Isle of Wight - but these things did happen quite frequently (one of the realities of using live ammunition).
The grenade incident I came across as an aside in a No5 Cdo Newsletter - I've searched for further info in vain.

Very few of these incidents would have been made public at the time - bad for morale and The Commandos were still very hush hush...

If I may sidetrack a little, in 2008 we received this post from Adrian James:

Whilst at the National Archives at Kew yesterday, I came across a brief reference to officers of No. 9 Commando being attached for small craft familiarisation purposes to crews of minesweeper trawlers operating in Milford Haven. The brief reference came from the Western Approaches war diary for October 1940 and stated that No. 9 Commando was at Stackpole, a large mansion and estate village in South Pembrokeshire.

I am researching the military history of Pembrokeshire and I would be very grateful for any information about the early days of No. 9 Commando. There do not appear to be any records for the unit at Kew for such an early date.

I had been told in the past that some Commandos lost their lives in the lakes at Stackpole during the war, but had put this down to confusion with other, more well known incidents in the area later in the war.

Now, I come from Pembrokeshire and know Stackpole very well so I decided to try and find out more info...
Nothing!
I even spoke to a 'local historian' who happens to be the cousin of the current Earl of Cawdor and she lived in Dower House on the Stackpole Estate during the war.
However, nobody seems to be able to confirm the presence of No9 Commando in the area at that time let alone any fatalities...

Sorry for going off on a tangent - just using this as an example of that even though we know some things definitely happened, it never actually became known to the public.

Can I suggest is that you look at the No5 War Diaries for this period...

Nick

Stephen,
Further to my last post, I was recently privileged to be shown an extract from No5 War Diaries from the time when my father was WIA. The diaries gave detailed information about the commandos KIA and WIA during this action.
If you are unable to visit Kew in person, you can order a 'document copy search service' - which may be useful.

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/legal/recordcopying.htm

Nick

Can i just say thanks to everyone helping me on this subject. This commando family of ours are such fantastic people

Hi Steve
By co-incidence, there was a programme on BBC /Wales TV this morning called 'Country Tracks' It was on at about 11o'clock. It showed Ben Nevis and then had present day scenes from a Commando Training Centre which I believe was near Glencoe and used in WW2. There does not seem to be an e-mail address for BBC Wales so I am writing to them to find out if it is possible to obtain a copy of the programme. It may be possible for you to find this programme on the I-Player. Elaine

Hi Stephen,

I visited the National Archives yesterday so I had a look at the No. 5 War Diary for June 1943. Unfortunately there is no mention of your dad:

1 June: No. 5 Commando returned from Studland Battle Range
2 June: Troop training - street fighting practice - minefield clearing - map reading and compass work
3 June: The death occurred by gunshot of L/Sgt FH Brown 833166 at Sandown
4 June: Troop training - speed march - fighting patrols & swimming in clothes - battle drill
5 June: Troop training - arms inspections - French phrases - semaphore
6 June: Sunday
7 June: Major B.E. Woodcock assumes command of Unit during temporary absence of Lt Col D.M. Shaw, MC on duty. Lt N MacArthur placed on "Sick in Quarters" list
8 June: Troop training - 1, 2, 3 and 5 troops march to Newtown Range area
9 June: Nos 1, 2, 3 and 5 troops fire classification practices at Newtown Range. 4 troop march to assault course for three days schemes and bivouacking
10 June: Lt Col D.M. Shaw, MC reassumes command of unit. Lt N. MacArthur taken off "Sick in Quarters" list. Capt H.A.A. Bray, MC Dorset Regt. ceases to be attached on joining London Transit Camp, Marylebone. Capt H.W. Mount proceeded on Agricultural Leave
11 June: Capt J.A.L. Peebles, MC died at Parkhurst Military Hospital, Newport, IOW
12 June: Troop training - seamanship - first aid - demolition - No. 4 troop returns from bivouac area
13 June: Sunday
14 June: Troop training - training films - identification of German Units - cliff climbing. 5 troop move to bivouac area
15 June: Lt Col Lord Lovat, MC, Deputy Brigade Commander visited unit and inspected training - assault course - field firing - cliff work
16 June: The funeral, with full military honours, of Capt J.A.L. Peebles, MC took place at Parkhurst Military Hospital, Newport, IOW
17 June: Major B.E. Woodcock placed on "Sick in Quarters" list. Troop training - speed march - map reading exercise - fieldcraft
18 June: Troop training - battle drill - field sketching - sniper training - field signals
19 June: Troop training - first aid - W.T. - 5 troop return from week's bivouacking
20 June: Sunday

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 29/12/2011 17:58:41

Strange how there isn't a mention of the hand grenade incident in which Capt Peebles was fatally wounded, nor the death of 6920789 Rfn C Miles on 9 June 43.

I note that on 7 June 43 [the same day as Bob Donnison was admitted to hospital] Lt N MacArthur was placed on "Sick in Quarters" list - these could be connected...

Nick