Fred Hutchings, PO-X100692 46 RM Commando

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 15/04/2014 22:06:59

Good evening Ladies & gentlemen.

My name is James. I would with your generous help, like to get some information on my Late brother in law, for my 89 year old sister. Her husbands name is Fred Hutchings. At present this is all the info I have on him.

No, PO-X100629 Cpl, 46 Commando. Ships book No, 36054. ( I don't know what that means.) He was borne in Sheffield. We don't know what company he was assigned to.

Did his training in the Western Highlands. Once told me he spent some time in the New Forest before 'D day'. Up until 'D day' they spent time on a stormy I of W. Said he spent the early hours of 6th June. on "Sword" beach trying not to crap his pants & digging a trench back home. Claimed that flying bullets, shells & smell of cordite almost made him sick. Then attacked a place named San Mer ...something, & then to Caen where everything was booby trapped including dead bodies , door steps & toilets. Then onto Belgium & across the Rhine. At some time he was a dispatch rider until he was clipped on the cheek by a sniper. He was in the fighting for the Bocage region, & told me of a Tiger Tank that was shelling them until a RAF Typhoon blew it to pieces.

I have looked all through the picture galleries to avail, as I would not know what he looked like at 18 or 19 years. I didn't meet him until about 1952 when he married my sister. He passed away in June 1979. from a smokers disease, Cancer of the mouth. Fred was a great brother to me.

I hope I haven't made this over long & boring, thank you for your patience.

Sincerely, .... James. (West OZ)

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 15/04/2014 01:04:08

Hi James,

Many thanks for making contact with the CVA and may I extend a warm & hearty welcome to you. May I assure you that your message was neither over long nor boring.

Unfortunately, we do not have any official histories or war diaries of Commando Units so the information we have on individual commandos is limited to what their relatives tell us or what we can build up from research.

Hopefully you may get some response from somebody who has a close connection with 46 RM Cdo and so has a more thorough knowledge about them.

What I can tell you about Fred Hutchings is that his number - PO/X 100629 tells me that when he joined the Royal Marines he belonged to the Portsmouth Division [indicated by the letters PO]
The prefix "PO/X" followed by numbers of six figures in the 100000 series, indicate ranks entered for Short Service during World War II.

46 RM Commando was formed, in Dorchester, mainly from men from 9 RM Battalion in August 1943 and was disbanded on 31 January 1946.

I believe that the place that Fred refered to as 'San Mer something' might have been Saint Aubin sur Mer.

Below is a very brief account of their actions from the RM Museum.

RM Museum wrote:Trained in Scotland with two weeks at Achnacarry (23 October to 9 November 1943); mobilisation completed on 24 January 1944, but intended night raiding role cancelled.
Embarked 1 June with cliff-climbing and demolition equipment for destruction of Benerville Bty (or Houlgate Bty as alternative target) in Normandy, but unfavourable weather and the fact that neither battery was harassing shipping, led to operation being cancelled.
Landed Berniers (Normandy) on 7 June (D+1) capturing strongpoint at Petit Enfer before occupying the town.
7/8 June patrols sent inland to La Deliverande, Douvres;
9 June occupied the village of Douvres and came under command of 3 Canadian Division;
11/12 June actions in Mue Valley; 11 June, the attack on Le Hamel and Rots
17 June rejoined 4 Special Service Bde in Orne line; 'S' Troop re?equipped with support weapons;
17 August patrols entered Troarn to find it deserted but heavily mined;
19 August with 47 RM Cdo attacked Dozule successfully after silent approach at night.
On 25 August, having been brought forward in transport, the Commando was south of Beuzeville, the CO, Lt Col Campbell Hardy, was wounded but continued in action while the road was cleared a well-camouflaged enemy defences were engaged in a fire-fight, as the Commando and a Para Bn advanced. After three hours the second?in?command, Maj John Lee, MC, and 10 others had been killed and 37 all ranks wounded before the commando was withdrawn.
The Commando went into billets - the first in 12 weeks - on 26 August at St Maclou;
11/15 September, guarded prisoners near Le Havre; 18 September in Bray Dunes area (Belgium) occupying former German defences investing Dunkirk;
7 October sailed for UK to join 1 Special Service Brigade. The Commando received 200 reinforcements and reorganised; sailed to Ostend (Belgium) on 15 January 1945 and detached from 1 SS Brigade for deployment to Antwerp.
Took over a sector of line Heel to Beegden on the Mass on 2 February, with standing patrols out but little activity.
On 12 February the Commando relieved 3 (Army) Commando at Linne, and after spending several weeks here and further west, the Commando trained for river crossings. It crossed the Rhine on 23 March, establishing a bridgehead, helping to clear Wesel next day;
in April in actions crossing the Weser, Aller and on 29 April the Elbe.
Arrived Neustadt (near Lubeck) on 5 May and returned to UK on 8 June.

The commando spent the summer of 1945 at Tunbridge Wells training for operations in the Far East, but the Commando's strength began to be run down from October.

Hi James,
For a slightly more detailed account of 46 Commando from D-Day until the 12 June, please see this link

http://battlefieldsww2.50megs.com/46th_royal_marine_commandos.htm

Cheers,
Nick

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G'day Nick & everyone.
Many thanks for your express return reply. I didn't anything travelled fast in the UK these days, apart from the "Buk Sheesh" community.

I haven't studded 46 Commando history very much. So, I am learning too.
A couple of items on this note my sister sent are that he enlisted in R.M's in 1940. What is a Ships book No. 36054 ?
Is it a transportation authority ? I don't understand why so many war time units never kept war diaries. I will ask my sister if she has any of Fred's' war time photos.

Thank you once again Nick.

Yours sincerely ...... James..... (West OZ)

Hi James,

Just a quick reply and answer to one of your comments.

All Units kept an official War Diary.
However, it all depends on who was detailed to write up the daily occurances...
Some diaries are extremely useful and have a lot of content whilst others are very sparse.
The War Diaries are held in the National Archives and are free to view - obviously, as you are in West Oz, that isn't much good to you but you are able to hire a researcher to find information for you.
To be honest, I wouldn't recommend this as it can prove to be quite costly and may have no returns!
Your best bet is to hope that someone else interested in 46 RM Cdo has visited the National Archives and taken copies and maybe be prepared to send you copies.

To aid your quest, I will edit the title of your original post to reflect Fred was in 46 RM Cdos - this might attract the response that we're interested in...

Out of interest, whereabouts in West Oz are you?

Nick

G'day to all.

Sorry for being a bit tardy in replying to 'Nicks' last message. I have been in hospital for 4 days, having lovely nurses making a fuss over me.
Fred Hutchings was born in Sheffield, 1922.
My sister phoned me this afternoon. She said she has 2 photos of Fred in uniform, One also has 2 of his mates in it, when she sends them to me I will then send them on to you. She also asked if they had been in Africa as, Fred once told her that he was in Africa.
The reason he was in Portsmouth when called up, as opposed to Sheffield; was because he was a 'Taylor' for Fleming's & Co. the Naval Outfitters. So he signed on at Eastney Barracks.

You asked where I lived in West OZ, about 70 miles south of Perth in a City named Mandurah. It was once a small fishing village but, is now bursting at the seams with about 70,000 population.

Yours sincerely ....... 4178 James.

Dear Fred I would like to contact you.
I am the son of Eric Taylor who served with the 46 RMC. I have just finished writing a book about my father's Commando unit and together with a friend are compiling a list of relatives and friends of the 46 RMC. We would like to contact you. I have collected an archive of material relating to the 46 RMc and would like to share it with you.

My email address is:

[email protected].

I would love to hear from you.

Best regards

Keith

Fred.
I am Jeff Hewitt the friend Keith Taylor refers to in his post.
My father Sgt Albert John Henry (Harry) Hewitt was in 46 Commando and served alongside Keith's father in S Troop.
I have been nominated as the UK based lead person for the 46 Commando Family and Friends group.
Like Keith it would be great to link up with you and have you on board our group.
If you email me on [email protected] I can help you with your reasarch on 46 Commando history during WW2.

Sorry James addressed you a Fred.