Commando Leave

Could anyone please tell me how often and for how long Commando's would have be allowed home leave during their time in North West Europe?

Would my Father have had time to embark at Portsmouth and visit his Family in The North East before returning to war duties

Hello Iris

Difficult to comment without the specific details, but outside of the commandos there were lots of instances of people returning from North Africa, nipping home, marrying and conceiving babies before heading off for Normandy! There?s one in my family for a start!!

Paul

Hello Paul

Thankyou for your reply.

For instance on my Fathers records it show's that he disembarked UK August 1944 and didn't embark for N.W.E until Jan 1945.
Surely he couldn't have been on leave for that length of time when there was a war going on.

Regards
Iris

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 15/11/2012 15:29:50

Hello Iris

He would have almost certainly continued to serve and train with his unit in that period. I don't know from the top of my head the leave entitlements, but he would have had odd days' leave during that time I am sure. I know leave is recorded in some of my family army (non commando) records?

Des Rochford of 2 Commando has told me on numerous occasions that whenever they returned from an operation they were given a period of leave (although he was still overseas at the time)

I am sure someone more knowledgeable than me will be able to give you the definitive answer on here soon.

Paul

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 16/11/2012 11:01:18

Hi Iris, as Belly wrote your father would have been training in the UK during that period, as well as having periods of leave. There is no mention of leave on my granddad's service records, and certainly out in the Far East no hope of coming home for leave given it might take a month on a ship.

Talking off leave, I recall my graddad talking about how wearing the Commando shoulder patch could occasionally result in pub fights, as at the time the media/government for morale reasons, portrayed the Commandos as almost being super human, and this didn't go down well with everyone. He told me once he was out on leave -possibly Wrexham -with an unarmed combat instructor, a small wiry man he emphasised At some point they were picked on by a group of other service men, the instructor dispatched the lot, and the commandos then legged it to avoid trouble. Sounds like a cliché I know ! I recall watching the film "The dirty dozen" I think, with the scene where the big guy is told to try and attack the unarmed combat instructor with a knife which is a bit of a cliché now, well my granddad told me such things did indeed happen, no health and safety then !

markh wrote:Hi Iris, as Belly wrote your father would have been training in the UK during that period, as well as having periods of leave. There is no mention of leave on my granddad's service records, and certainly out in the Far East no hope of coming home for leave given it might take a month on a ship.

Talking off leave, I recall my graddad talking about how wearing the Commando shoulder patch could occasionally result in pub fights, as at the time the media/government for morale reasons, portrayed the Commandos as almost being super human, and this didn't go down well with everyone. He told me once he was out on leave -possibly Wrexham -with an unarmed combat instructor, a small wiry man he emphasised At some point they were picked on by a group of other service men, the instructor dispatched the lot, and the commandos then legged it to avoid trouble. Sounds like a cliché I know ! I recall watching the film "The dirty dozen" I think, with the scene where the big guy is told to try and attack the unarmed combat instructor with a knife which is a bit of a cliché now, well my granddad told me such things did indeed happen, no health and safety then !

Mark your post made me smile ,I am sure the government did portray the Commando s as super human it was comforting for the population to believe we had just as good and better than both the Japanese and Germans,but looking at the training, what they endured and the sacrifices .I think they were,i remember my nephew and I, having a spar with the "old man" when he was 74,

I am not exactly prime stock but have some weight about me .lol, but my nephew an international athlete was very fit and fast ,we went at him together and he despatched us both in 30 seconds.He had us on the floor with his legs entwined in such a way he could control the pain he delivered at will ,we still discuss it years later as to be honest the moves he applied and the complete control he had still dumbfound us today. :-). I cant imagine what they would of been like in there heyday .

Re the leave my dad got some from the far east ,through injury, about a month at home ,where he got married and fathered my eldest sister,I cant help wondering if he won the famous lottery prize of some leave .

Best wishes All

Steve

Hello Silvo

That lottery prize you mention rings a bell.

When I was in conversation with Sgt John Huntington 1 Cdo he did mention once to me a choice he had to make whilst in Burma of being awarded a medal or some leave home.............he chose leave.

He made it back for kangaw..............but it shows how much leave was cherished.

Regards

John M