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26/05/2020 15:30:55
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Alexander Ross
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Hello,
I just finished reading Brian Loring Villa's "Mountbatten and the Dieppe Raid 1942".
Does anyone have any thoughts on the contents? Particularly on Mountbatten's role?
Do any other books come to mind?
I am very keen to better understand the experience of the enlisted soldiers in No. 4 Commando and the specifically the Raid.
Any suggestions?
Finally, bearing in mind the intensity of the raid, is it fair to assume that a lot the British soldiers would have been left with some psychological consequences?
With thanks,
Dr. Alexander Ross
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26/05/2020 21:30:43
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Matt simmons
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my father was in the dieppe raid in 45 commando i don't know much about the politics behind it but i do know lieutenant huntingdon-whitely was chosen because of his connections to the government meaning he was related to stanley baldwin ...and he kept a good secret from what I've read it was a bit of a cock up
my father was wounded there and captured and spent the rest of the war at altengrabow in germany as a pow
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26/05/2020 21:45:55
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Alexander Ross
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Thanks for sharing.
Was that No.4 Commando or 5? Not sure there was a 45.
Did your father mention anything else about why it was a disaster?
The thing is that a lot has been written about Mountbatten and Hughes-Hallett's involvement, but very little about the enlisted men.
I am trying to get a better understanding of their experience.
Did your father ever refer to any psychological "scars" as a result of the experience?
For instance, a good friend of mine was a door gunner in a Huey in Vietnam. To his dying day he slept with a B.A.R. and was never the same...
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26/05/2020 22:33:51
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Pete
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Matt's father was in the first Royal Marine Commando unit raised in February 1942 and designated at that time simply as the 'RM Commando'. It remained with this title until after the Dieppe raid after which Matts father was taken prisoner of war. It was only when a second RM Commando unit was raised that it changed it's designation firstly to 'A' RM Commando, with the new one called 'B' RM Commando. Very quickly after this they were both re designated as 40RM Commando and 41RM Commando respectively.
Many people since the war just refer to 40RM Commando at Dieppe probably for convenience.
For those interested the entire 40RM Commando War Diary is available for free download at the National Archives during the Lockdown period as are all of their online digitised files. All you have to do is register.
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2954419
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Pete Rogers, son of LSgt Joe Rogers MM & nephew of TSM Ken McAllister. Both No2 Commando.
God and the Soldier, all men adore, In time of danger and not before.
When the danger is passed and all things righted, God is forgotten, and the Soldier slighted.
**** nb. I no longer monitor the pm facility **** |
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26/05/2020 22:47:27
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Pete
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I should have added that there are about 100 recorded interviews online of those who took part. They are held by the Imperial War Museum. Here are the ones that mention Dieppe:
https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/search?query=Dieppe+raid&pageSize=30&media-records=records-with-media&style=list&filters%5BwebCategory%5D%5BSound%5D=on&filters%5BperiodString%5D%5BSecond+World+War%5D=on
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Pete Rogers, son of LSgt Joe Rogers MM & nephew of TSM Ken McAllister. Both No2 Commando.
God and the Soldier, all men adore, In time of danger and not before.
When the danger is passed and all things righted, God is forgotten, and the Soldier slighted.
**** nb. I no longer monitor the pm facility **** |
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27/05/2020 08:34:17
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Alexander Ross
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Thanks very much Pete.
Very useful information.
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27/05/2020 09:30:02
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Bill Harvey
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Alexander
I have sent you a private message.
Bill
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Bill Harvey
Son of Gunner Bill Harvey No4 Commando who was killed in action on 1 November 1944 when liberating Flushing. "Their deeds shall live from age to age. They've writ their name on History's page. Upheld their glorious heritage. The Fighting Fourth Commando."
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27/05/2020 09:34:27
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Bill Harvey
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Thanks Pete for the information about the interviews.
Will go through them.
Bill
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Bill Harvey
Son of Gunner Bill Harvey No4 Commando who was killed in action on 1 November 1944 when liberating Flushing. "Their deeds shall live from age to age. They've writ their name on History's page. Upheld their glorious heritage. The Fighting Fourth Commando."
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27/05/2020 09:39:18
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Alexander Ross
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Brilliant! Thank you Bill.
Does the name: Geoffrey Langlands mean anything to you?
He was part of No. 4 and on the raid, somehow he ended up taking a lot of the photographs used in the Will Fowler book.
Best wishes,
Alexander
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27/05/2020 09:58:23
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Bill Harvey
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Alexander
No have not come across him.
He is on the Dieppe No 4 list which i will email to you. .
5675016 Sgt. Langlands G. Somerset L.I.
Did you know on here you can put a name in on the Google search at the top of the forum and all the links will come up?
Bill
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Bill Harvey
Son of Gunner Bill Harvey No4 Commando who was killed in action on 1 November 1944 when liberating Flushing. "Their deeds shall live from age to age. They've writ their name on History's page. Upheld their glorious heritage. The Fighting Fourth Commando."
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27/05/2020 12:56:00
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Pete
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A couple of links on our website with more about Geoffrey Langlands who passed away on 2nd January 2019 aged 101.
http://forum.commandoveterans.org/cdoForum/posts/list/1713.page
and
http://forum.commandoveterans.org/cdoForum/posts/list/6304.page
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Pete Rogers, son of LSgt Joe Rogers MM & nephew of TSM Ken McAllister. Both No2 Commando.
God and the Soldier, all men adore, In time of danger and not before.
When the danger is passed and all things righted, God is forgotten, and the Soldier slighted.
**** nb. I no longer monitor the pm facility **** |
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27/05/2020 13:11:15
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Bill Harvey
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Thanks Pete.
Bill
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Bill Harvey
Son of Gunner Bill Harvey No4 Commando who was killed in action on 1 November 1944 when liberating Flushing. "Their deeds shall live from age to age. They've writ their name on History's page. Upheld their glorious heritage. The Fighting Fourth Commando."
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27/05/2020 17:17:23
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Alexander Ross
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Thank you both Bill and Pete.
Very kind of you.
I will update you on my research as I go along.
All best,
Alexander
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27/05/2020 17:48:19
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Bill Harvey
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That will be very interesting Alexander.
Best wishes.
Bill
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Bill Harvey
Son of Gunner Bill Harvey No4 Commando who was killed in action on 1 November 1944 when liberating Flushing. "Their deeds shall live from age to age. They've writ their name on History's page. Upheld their glorious heritage. The Fighting Fourth Commando."
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11/06/2020 08:58:21
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Alexander Ross
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Good morning.
Has anyone seen the following films?
Dieppe 1942 (1979) Documentary (Dir. Terence Macartney-Filgate) and Dieppe (1993) TV Movie, Director: John N. Smith.
If so, what did you think?
Would you know how to get hold of them?
Thank you.
Alexander
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