Seeking information on Major Stanley Boyle - Life member no.68 of Bombardments Units Association

Stanley is my wife's grandfather and on this 75th Anniversary of D Day I would very much like to find out more about him.

The attached obituary gives as much information as we have.

He served with the 192 Field Regiment with the Guards Armoured Division. He was then posted to the Bombardment Units Association in Dundonald.

He qualified as a parachutist and dropped into Walcheren (with 2 other officers) to direct fire from HMS Rodney.
He dropped in Normandy (i think) as Fire Control Officer for USS Texas and was decorated with the US medal of Commendation.

Apologies if this is the wrong forum but any further information available on him would be hugely appreciated. He died young after the war and my mother in law was only 20 when he passed. I would love to shed more light on his life for her.

thank you all for your service

best
James

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 06/06/2019 21:12:03

105348 Captain Stanley Graham Louis BOYLE Royal Artillery
1914 Partick - 1975 Saltcoats, Ayrshire Age 61
Transferred from the Leicestershire Yeomanry to the Royal Artillery 15th February 1940 (London Gazette 2nd July 1940 p. 4006)

'Mentioned in despatches' Gazetted 22nd March 1945 68/Gen/7276/34/32

Hi James,

Just a bit of background information on Bombardment Units just in case you didn't already know...

The COBU [Combined Operations Bombardment Unit] was formed in 1941 to provide an organisation that could replace the support of the field artillery with the support of naval guns. The organisation was part of Combined Operations and came under the command of a Colonel, who was an adviser to CCO [Commander Combined Operations].
Each COBU was commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel who was on the staff of the Naval Commander of a Task Force and assisted the Senior Artillery Officer with fireplanning.

Naval bombardment was controlled through the COBU. The unit was commanded by the CBLO [Chief Bombardment Liaison Officer] - a Lieutenant Colonel in the Royal Artillery - and consisted of a small HQ and three Bombardment Troops.
Each troop was designed to provide observation of fire on a divisional front, and consisted of 1x Major, 15x Captains, 7x NCOs and 21x RN Signals Ratings attached.

A Bombardment Troop was responsible for the shore observation of naval gunfire, normally on a front of one division.
It is commanded by a Major RA as SBLO [Senior Bombardment Liaison Officer] and includes 1x SOB [Staff Officer Bombardment], 7x FOBs [Forward Observers Bombardment], 7x BLOs [Bombardment Liaison Officers], together with NCOs and RN communications ratings.

The SBLO was on the staff of the Naval Force Commander on the Divisional Commander's level. He would embark with the Naval and Military Commanders in the LSH [Landing Ship Headquarters]. He assisted the CRA [Commander Royal Artillery] in the coordination of the fire plan as affecting the ships and craft detailed to support the division.
The SBLO was responsible for:
1. Commanding and administering his troop.
2. Organising initial attachment of FOB to assaulting battalions and ensuring that BLOs are embarked in their allotted ships.
3.Assisting the commander, Royal Artillery, while he is afloat, and the Naval Force Gunnery Officer, in co-ordinating the divisional fire plan.
4.Working in the Combined Support Control Room of the LSH(L) during the assault and maintaining close liaison with Divisional HQ after it has landed,through his second in command, the SOB.

The SOB (Captain, RA) was the second in command of the Bombardment Troop.In an operation he was embarked in the LSH(L) as Assistant to the SBLO. When the division goes ashore he was attached to the Commander, Royal Artillery, as his adviser on the suitability of targets for the various types of ships available to give supporting fire. He also controls all FOBs on the divisional front by means of their spotting frequencies, issuing fresh orders for attachment or detachment according to the situation.

The BLO (Captain, RA) was embarked in each bombarding ship or attached to groups of bombarding craft. He was responsible for interpreting the orders and observations received from the FOB [Forward Observer Bombardment]and advising the Naval Gunnery Officer on all military matters including the safety of friendly troops,

The FOB was specially trained to observe naval gunfire on shore targets. He asks BCHQ [Bombardment Control Headquarters] for the allocation of a bombarding ship, calls for fire to meet the needs of the army formation or unit to which he is attached, and observes the fall of shot. He also reports frequently the tactical situation ashore, particularly the positions of friendly forward troops.

Nick

thank you all.

Nic - very interesting - i knew very little!
Guy - fantastic -where did that photo come from and does the source have the whole picture?

James,
Pete has posted the photograph of the officers of the Naval Bombardment units in the photo gallery.
It can be viewed here :

http://gallery.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/v/WW2/COBU/Officers+C_O_B_U_.png.html

Good luck with your research
Guy