SERVICE RECORDS

Many of our members have obtained service records concerning their next-of-kin or other relatives. I sympathize with those who have found that recordings of Commando service are either inadequate or totally absent from the information provided. We are all aware of many postings on the site expressing dissatisfaction. Needless to say, for those who received decent or half-way decent records, I am happy. Some observations from my experience concerning service records follows.

A visitor to our home is Mr. Lindsay Miller, a.k.a. ?Dusty?s Son? on our C.V.A. site. His Dad, Victor Miller, was a comrade serving in No. 2 Commando from 1942 on. Lindsay, on one visit, brought his Dad?s service records that he had received. For the war years these records indicate that Victor had disembarked in Sicily in 1943 and it also noted when he left Italy. As to what happened in between, nothing is noted. No mention is made of Victor slogging it through the Sicilian campaign, the participations in the most costly battle in 2 Commando history at Salerno, the six months of Commando operations in Yugoslavia and assaults on heavily-fortified positions in Albania and other skirmishes ad infinitum. However, Victor?s record contained details of his losing a stripe at one time and his infraction of the rules by being late on parade at another time! ? So, what remains recorded for posterity? All of the garbage, and none of the glory! ? Most unfair, I would say!

A few days ago I had to clarify the circumstances of the death of our Padre, Rev. Gareth Banting, No. 2 Cdo, K.I.A. ?44. This requirement of my memory came from the poor old chaplain?s family, who had not had the proper information conveyed to them. Records should have taken care of this important matter.

Other relatives have asked me to fill in holes in their Dad?s records ? most recently the members of Sgt. Doug Webster?s family and also Sgt. Jack Moores. It was a long job, after all I had to record four years of campaigning in each case, but the results of my war journals for each of these friends was that two proud groups of relatives got the information they needed that ?official? sources had not provided.

As for my own records, it has been a lengthy intermittent battle for the documents to reach the state in which they are now, which is pretty good. In the first instance in 1947 I had to enlist the aid of an M.P. to get anything released to me. Thereafter, the early ?70s provided a vintage declassification period of operational data, and under prodding from me in 1992 my records were amended to something like a close relationship with veracity.

I am well aware that Commando units? record-keeping was not in the same class as their fidelity to duty concerning the sharp-end of the prosecution of the war. We were not clerks. However, even if the parent units and Infantry Records Office did not have enough comprehensive ?feedback? information, they could say something like ? ?We know Cpl. Jones left this regiment for Commando service in 1941 and he returned to duty in this regiment in 1945.? Such a statement would at least acknowledge that Cpl. Jones was a gutsy-type man and had stuck his neck way out. I am also of the opinion that adding this extra, one, sentence to a man?s record would not break the D.O.D. budget.

I find that ignoring Commando service is disgusting. A strong opinion, I know, but one that I hold based on my respect for fighting men of all services which increased each day of my service in the Commando ? not only in World War II, but also in the Korean conflict during that service 1950-1953. Any nay-sayers can go to hell!

Ah well! Kind regards to all,

That sums up our frustration at the lack of info

Well said Bob

This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 28/01/2008 12:30:03

I understand your frustration Bob. Not being able to find out about your own friends who you served with must be very upsetting to say the least.

The very nature of the commandos is what is undermining your research, I dont think it is down to poor record keeping. Ive always believed the HQ for 1st Commando Brigade to be very effiecient record keepers. On the most part the Official Secrets Act forbids the MOD to hand out those 'juicy bits' of information that you are so interested in. That is why when service records are sent to familly members they appear to be frankly 'un-remarkable'.

I imagine no documents will ever be availble tp public discussing some of the 30 Royal Naval Commando units because those are still Top Secret.

Not commando but SAS...........a friend served with them in Borneo, when he wrote to the MOD to ask to see his service record he was denied any information. He couldnt believe it.