45 Commando Troops

Hi, could anyone please tell me how I could find out which troop my late Father was in?.
I have his service record and it tells me that he was in 5Bn Royal Marines from April 1940 till March 1943 when he became a 45 Marine Commando but it doesn't tell me which troop he was in and I would dearly love to know where he was in Germany during WW2.

I would also like to find out What or where S Fort was, I can't decipher the writing but it looks like Deasdon Fort, (also written as S Fort in another column).
My Father sailed to this Fort on the Prices Beatrix in 1940 when he was a Royal Marine in 1940.

Thankyou, I hope someone will be able to help.

Hello Iris
Welcome to the CVA forums.

Finding out which troop your father was in can be quite tricky.........you may come across a comrade who served with him or a written source mentioning him by name......but generally there are very few nominal rolls of individual troop personnel

However better news on the exploits of 45 Commando in Europe in WW2.

The Book 'Commando Men' written by Bryan Samain and published in 1948 covers 45s actions exclusively and is still available today.

Hope this helps a little.

Best regards

John M

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 27/10/2012 12:48:50

Hi Iris,

Regarding Prices Beatrix

You may already know this, but for others -including myself !- looks like this was the Dutch ship Prinses Beatrix that came to London on 15th May 1940 and that became the Commando troop ship HMS Princess Beatrix sometime after Sept. 1940. She was a busy ship on operations all over Europe and North Africa.

HMS Princess Beatrix was a commando troop ship of the Royal Navy during the Second World War. Built as a civilian passenger liner in 1939 by De Schelde at Vlissingen, she was named the MS Prinses Beatrix, after Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands, and operated by Stoomvaart Maatschappij Zeeland (SMZ) (The Zealand Steamship Company) between Flushing and Harwich, along with her sister ship, MS Koningin Emma. After fleeing to Britain after the German invasion in 1940, she was requisitioned by the British Ministry of War Transport, renamed HMS Princess Beatrix and converted to a troopship at Harland and Wolff's yard in Belfast. During the war her main role was transporting British Commandos, and she participated in the Lofoten Islands Raid and the Dieppe Raid.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Princess_Beatrix

A picture of the Beatrix here
https://sites.google.com/site/hmsprincessbeatrix/scratch-built-model-of-hms-princess-beatrix/douglas-green-s-story/shipbuilding-and-shipping-record-may-25-1939

I've no clue on S Fort yet, but maybe somebody else will. Perhaps you could take a picture of the section of the service record and post it up for others to decipher.

A question for you. On your late father's service record can you give the date he joined and the date he was first assigned to a unit, perhaps 5Bn Royal Marines. I'm interested to know in general how long RM basic training was.
My granddad's look like this:

Bristol Registration 18/03/1942
RM Depot Lympstone 24/03/1942
8 Bn Commenced HBL 8 Bn 11/05/1942

Thankyou for your reply John.

I wonder if anyone has any info on my Dad, his name was James King, known as Jimmy or Jim.
He had an EX number, (I'm not sure if I should include it here) and he was billeted in Eastbourne prior to Germany.

Iris

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 27/10/2012 13:21:15

My Father enlisted 5bn Royal Marines on the 23 Feb 1940, he commenced as a RM 45 Commando on the 1st of either March or Aug 1943 ( I can't make out whether it's the 3rd or the 8th month on his records).

He started a D3 course (Whatever that may mean I've no idea) at Dundonald on the 16th April 1944.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 27/10/2012 15:52:50

He had an EX number, (I'm not sure if I should include it here

Hi Iris, you are wise to think twice about posting anything to the web, as it is there for all to see for possibly the lifetime of the Human race ! Ultimately it is your choice what to post,
myself and a few others post up service numbers, photos and service records warts and all. But in general if you don't feel conformable, then follow your instinct and don't post it to the web.

He started a D3 course (Whatever that may mean I've no idea) at Dundonald on the 16th April 1944.

A few links to Dundonald a Combinded operations training and holding base.

http://www.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/v/events/Services/LCA+project/training.jpg.html

HMS Dundonald I
Function - holding and training base for RN Beach Commandos and holding base for Combined Operations personnel. RN Beach Commandos trained with their respective beach groups.

http://www.combinedops.com/Training%20EST%20UK.htm

Commandos, Britain's shock troops, practising assault tactics at the Combined Operations School at Dundonald Camp

http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/listing/object-205008022?filter%5BplaceString%5D%5B0%5D=%22Dundonald%2C%20Ayrshire%2C%20Scotland%2C%20UK%22

Iris.

I think the Fort you mention is Scraesdon Fort, one of those overlooking Plymouth in place to protect Plymouth Docks. HMS Princess Beatrix was moved from Holland to Plymouth in 1940 and then taken over by the Admiralty and given a full refit. I believe the date that your Father joined 45 RM Commando will be August 1943 as it was in July that a decision was made to change the name and role of 5th RM Bn. and others to that of a RM Commando unit. It should have been just after this that he would have been sent for Commando Training at the Commando Basic Training Centre (CBTC) at Achnacarry.

Thousands of service numbers are already in the public domain, being posted in publications such as the London Gazettes for awards or other matters, National Archives online documents that have been released for Recommendations for Awards, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and sites such as ours and others.

Regards

Pete

Scraesdon Fort
http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/WhatWeDo/DefenceEstateandEnvironment/MODFilmLocations/SouthWest/ScraesdonFort.htm

According to this site. at the time of writing, it is still used by the RM Commandos for training. At the bottom of this page some links to maps and a plan of the fort.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scraesdon_Fort

Apparently it is one of the "palmerston forts"
http://www.palmerstonfortssociety.org.uk/Home/1/

Wow!!! Thankyou All for this info.

I have been trying to attach a photograph of my Dads Battalion which I think was taken at Achnacarry but unfortunatly the site wont accept it.

PS,Someone may remember my Dad for his accordian playing.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 27/10/2012 15:18:08

Above photograph....

James King 45 Royal Marine Commando second row from the bottom, 1st on the left.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 31/10/2012 11:52:27

James King "A" Troop RM 45 Commando

This message was edited 4 times. Last update was at 27/10/2012 16:29:31

Thanks for sharing those photos Iris. Perhaps somebody might one day spot a relative in this picture thanks to you.

Is the officer - with glasses - from the 1st picture, "Capt. R.L Sharples, Admin Officer" from this Achnecary picture bottom right ?

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

The buildings from the two photos dont match. The door is crudely bricked up in Iris's photo - no planning regs. in those days )

Do you know where the "accordian" picture was taken ? The jeep looks dirty and looks like it has something strapped to the bonnet, making me think it is taken out in the field. The bricks make me think of Holland.

Hi Mark.

Sadly I don't know anything about the group photograph or who appears in it apart from my Dad.
Sorry if I misled you. I just asumed it to have been taken at Achnacarry.

You could be right about the photograph of Dad with the accordian as according to a family member he did spend time in Holland.

James King passed away in March 2006, the day before his 88th Birthday.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 31/10/2012 11:53:01

James King "A" Troop 45 Royal Marine Commando