Jim Coffey wrote:Dad volunteered For the Royal Navy in 7th June 39 and joined the COTSWOLD soon after. He left the ship when she struck a mine about 42.
He said she was a good and happy ship and he didn?t fancy being sent to another and in particularly didn?t want to end up in what he called ?Battlewagon?.
He?d heard about the call from Mountbatten and volunteered.

I have his Cert., of Service, JX 169568/co, which states he was at DRAKE 22nd April 42.

What I know of his stay in the Commando?s as follows

· Northern Ireland with American troops, apparently individual released from prisons

· Crew Hall, Cheshire

· Inverary

· North Africa via Durban

· Sicily, no other information.

He was known by Family as Pat Coffey, it wasn?t until his first roll call in the Navy that he found that he was christened James Patrick Coffey. Apparently as a newly born he was entrusted to local girls to get him christened. They were told to christen him Patrick but they called him James after a brother who was killed in the first war.