Clovelly, North Devon

Looking for any information regarding a Commando Unit being billeted in Clovelly, North Devon.
Information received says that between 30 - 50 commandos took over the Red Lion Hotel and stayed there for several weeks - possibly in '40 / '41 - whilst doing rock & cliff climbing training around Hartland Point

One of the commandos is described as a very large soldier who had been Heavyweight Champion of the Army in India.

Any information as to which unit is welcomed...

Nick

Hi, Nick

Not a real definitive answer to your posting but it might help to eliminate or add to your posting?
The text below was from a letter I received from Henry Brown on 15th May 1984, when I first started my search for info. about my late father.
Henry was a regular visitor to Colwyn Bay and would often visit my father in Barmouth and Penrhyndeudraeth, he would also visit Idris Jones as they were all former members of No.1 Commando.

"Yes your father did serve in No.1 Special Service Battalion from November 1940 until March 1941. This is in fact as long as that formation existed because as special units they were considered too large and the battalion split up, 'A' Troop (in which your farther served) became No.1 Commando (stationed at Dartmouth, Devon) and 'B' Company which became No.2 Commando (stationed at Paignton, Devon)".

"Yes your father did serve previously to his service in No.1 Commando in the No.9 Independent Company but it was not involved at all in the Norwegian Campaign of April/June, 1940. Only No's 1 to 5 Independent Companies went to Norway. No's 6 to 9 Independent Companies were due to go and got as far as a ship in Gourock ready to go, but the war in Norway came to a close and so they never proceeded to Norway. Instead, after a spell in Scotland they all moved south to Lands End Zone during the invasion scare in England (summer 1940) (after the evacuation of Dunkirk). No.9 Independent company was stationed on the Scilly Islands and in Penzance during this period. It then moved a short time to Plymouth (where incidentally the HQ office was in Plymouth Argyle Football ground stadium) and then in November the unit moved to Dartmouth to become part of No.1 SS Bn. mentioned previously in the letter.
I am able to relate to this so correctly for you because I was more or less in the same areas at the same time, though I did go to Norway with No's 1 to 5 Independent Companies and then on my return to Scotland got attached to No's 6 to 9 Independent Companies. When your father was therefore in Penzance I was at nearby Carbis Bay, nr. St. Ives, at the HQ of the Independent Companies".

But Nick, I think that the distances between St. Ives and Clovelly in the North could be too great a distance, but there again Irvin to Glen Coe and up to (The Lost Valley) was not a walk in then park, yet again they were not in the walk in the park business.

Good luck
Kevin

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 18/12/2016 20:14:35

Nick,
3 Commando were involved in rock climbing training in Devon in the first half of 1942. Individual Troops were posted from Largs to Devon for a months training.
6 Troop of 3 Commando began their training on the 2nd March 1942. The boxer you refer to may well be Durling of 6 Troop 3 Commando, he was British Army heavyweight boxing champion in India.

I have been trying to find information on him and can find no record of him at all.
Guy

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 18/12/2016 20:30:50

We have a photo in our No 4 Commando Gallery relating to Clovelly.

view image here

Thanks Eileen, Kevin, Pete & Guy for your replies - they are all worth looking into and trying to determine which Commando I'm after.

I'm more inclined towards No.3 Cdo at the moment so if you do find out anything about Durling, Guy, I'd be most interested.

Thanks,

Nick

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 28/12/2016 22:50:47

Tonight I received a lovely phone call from an 87 year old, thanking me (us) for finding out some information for him...

Jim Whitefield had lived in the Red Lion Hotel in Clovelly, North Devon, when he was about 9 years old.
He remembered the Commandos taking over the pub/hotel in which he lived with his family. He remembered various bits and pieces about their stay - but not which Commando it was...
Recently, Jim has read up on about The Commandos and came up with some recollections - I was a little wary that what he had read may have become mixed up with his recollections and it had become difficult to separate the two...

But he did remember "a huge soldier who was a Heavyweight Boxing Champion in India" - and that was my best clue to start working on!

He believed his commandos were involved with a raid in Norway (he thought Narvik)...
He recalls there may have been a Captain or Major called 'Young'...
He thought Capt Young was in No.2 Cdo...

The mention of the Norwegian raid and Capt Young obviously made me think it was probably No.3 Cdo, but I didn't want to put that on the forum as that might influence peoples thoughts, so I deliberately omitted these from my original post .

But then GUY mentioned H. Durling, a pre-war British Army heavyweight boxing champion in India, and that turned out to be the lead I wanted - especially as Durling served in 6 Troop, No.3 Cdo - which also happened to be the Troop Peter Young was in command of...
GUY told me that 6 Troop started their cliff climbing training in Devon in March 42 - which was confirmed in an article about Lt. Col. (then Cpl) J. D. Reynolds, MC, No.3 Cdo.

I sent this and other more general information to Jim and he phoned me this evening to say how grateful he was.

Thanks to GUY and everyone for their assistance on this query.

Nick