Lieutenant Dudley Raymond Schofield - No. 2 Commando

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 11/04/2024 22:41:42

Hi, I am new to this forum so apologies if this is the wrong area to post this in, but I'm looking for some help finding out more about my grandfather who served in No.2 Commando during WW2. I do know a fair amount about his military career already, but I would like some help with finding sources and corroborating speculative information that I have.

Most of the information that I have on him is from a military record that my dad recieved shortly after he died in 1997. Whilst quite useful it only gives general dates of postings to certain battalions and dates of rank and not very much on where and when he would've been posted to X or Y location and or theatre/campaign.

Another complication is that having read a bit about Commando history recently I have become aware that quite often particular troops or sections of a certain Commando might be posted somewhere entirely different to the rest of the regiment making it quite hard to figure out exactly where a certain individual would be fighting in.

One of my main causes of confusion is that in the military record I have it has him listed as being posted to No.2 Commando on the 4th March 1941, but one of your Commando Veterans Archive pages lists him as being a part of a Malta Detachment (Force X)? I know he was involved in commando raids based out of Malta which ultimately led to him being captured whilst serving on HMS Triumph on 29th/30th August 1941, but I've never seen anything referencing this Force X apart from this website.

Again apologies for this rambling post but If anyone could help with corroborating some of the stuff I've heard through family or from things I've read around the subject that would be very helpful.

Hi Harry

I placed the two entries that refer to your grandfather into this archive some years back now so for the benefit of others here are links to each:

https://www.commandoveterans.org/DudleySchofield2Commando

and

https://www.commandoveterans.org/Malta_Force_X_Detachment

The term Force X was as found in a book 'Special Service of a Hazardous Nature' compiled by Dennis Reeves of the Liverpool Scottish Regimental Museum Trust. There is a bio for Captain Larry Taylor who led the group of 60 and had begun his military service in the Liverpool Scots before volunteering for and joining No.4 Independent Company. Looking at it Force X seems to refer just to the original group of 60 from the then Special Service Bn's during that short period of restructuring of the Special Service Brigade, the overall convoy operation for Malta being Operation Excess with the Naval Convoy as Force H. The book can be found here: https://www.liverpoolscottish.org.uk/index.php?page=shop.

I would like to add more about your grandfather to the above entry and include a photo if you care to send one? Also to include his dates and places of birth and death. I see your grandfather later served in Korea.

Pete

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 13/04/2024 14:55:39

In response to your query about unit designations it was a time of restructuring of the newly formed Special Service units. This might explain a bit more.

https://www.commandoveterans.org/IndependentCompanies

Pete

Hi Pete apologies for the late reply.

Thank you for your help with finding out about Force X. I will make sure to send an email to the Liverpool Scottish Regimental Museum Trust for a copy of that interesting book you mentioned.

To clarify some of your questions about Dudley I have listed several of my sources (including the military record) and a photo of him from around the time he would've been serving in the Commandos. If you have any more questions that need answering I'll be happy to help, and hopefully the sources should clear up some questions that you could help me with as well.

Born: 31st October 1919, Milford, Surrey, England
Died: 17th October 1997, Spalding, Lincolnshire, England

Here are all the London Gazettes I found mentioning him:

18th March 1938, Page 1848
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/34494/data.pdf

17th February 1939, Page 1140
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/34599/data.pdf

5th February 1946, Page 855
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/37459/data.pdf

9th April 1946, Page 1835
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/37528/data.pdf

29th October 1946, Page 5351
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/37773/data.pdf

21st April 1950, Page 1936
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/38889/data.pdf

27th October 1953, Page 5760
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/39998/data.pdf

4th December 1953, Page 6653
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/40036/data.pdf

13th April 1962, Page 3178
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/42649/data.pdf

Here are some links to websites that talk about three submarines he suposedly served on HMS Upright, HMS Utmost and HMS Triumph. Although I'm not entirely sure where the person writing these got his sources from.

HMS Upright
https://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/3536.html

HMS Utmost
https://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/3540.html

HMS Triumph
https://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/3488.html

This is an interview I found on the Imperial War Museums' website of Charles Leslie Prout who mentions Dudley by name (I believe on the second reel). But again I'm not sure if the dates and locations are entirely accurate as the person being interviewed was recalling events that had occured 50 years earlier.

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80018886

I'm probably forgetting a whole bunch of other sources and things I've looked at over the years, but I think this should be enough for now!

Here is the photo of him I mentioned

And the miltary record that didn't seem to attach itself to the last post for some reason.

Page 2

Page 3

Hi Harry and thanks for providing the excellent photo and information regarding your grandfather's distinguished military service. I have now updated the archive accordingly and these are the links to those entries. On the first you will see an additional link to his post war service timeline.

A-Z Personnel: https://www.commandoveterans.org/DudleySchofield2Commando

No.2 Cdo. Gallery (page 6): https://gallery.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/v/units/2/?g2_page=6

Pete