Messages posted by: craig summerhill

I have read that yur grandfather enlisted on the 24th March 1942 at Bristol, i was looking through my grandfathers papers and he enlisted on the 16th March 1942 at Fort Cumberland in Portsmouth after making his way to the Bristol careers office. small world eh.

Nick .

I think it was a case of recording everyone in the marines from drafting offices , as the RM historian told me about Oddyssey it was easier to stamp
the service records of a marine from a pay/ records office than to carry out the administration whilst overseas in conflict, however having reminisced with my family and listening to my grandmother as a youngster, i am convinced there is more to the story, other locations have come out since i started and one was folkestone ?? plus all the other stuff, i have been told .

Onwards with the search.

Regards Craig.

4 Commando Brigade Royal Marines HMS Royal Albert - Summer 1945

HMS Royal Albert is believed to have been in the Minden area in the Summer of 1945 before moving to Hamburg in September of that year, and then on to Hamburg.

HMS Royal Henry - 1945-1946

HMS Royal Henry was stationed in Minden from 1945 to 1946, and served as the Headquarters Allied Naval Command Expeditionary Force (HQ ANCXF).

4 Commando Brigade Royal Marines - 1945
(Including 47 and 48 Commando Royal Marines)

The Brigade was redeployed from the Dutch coast immediately after the German Surrender, reduced to Cadre strength, to provide the Guard Force for HQ ANCXF and associted occupation duties in the neighbouring area. The Brigade returned to the UK (via Warburg) in late 1945 and was disbanded in early 1946.arines - 1945

(Including 47 and 48 Commando Royal Marines)

The Brigade was redeployed from the Dutch coast immediately after the German Surrender, reduced to Cadre strength, to provide the Guard Force for HQ ANCXF and associted occupation duties in the neighbouring area. The Brigade returned to the UK (via Warburg) in late 1945 and was disbanded in early 1946.

Just found this on the BAOR site

Nick.

Having read your piece about Oddyssey and it having other names, i have checked Jacks papers and he was at the following:

E Coy R.M.T.T.D - HBL - 16,03,1942 - 21,05,1942. ( I know this is a technical training depot for Royal Marines at Fort Cumberland).

HMS Mercury II- 22,05,1942 - 29,11,1944.

Odyssey - 30,11,1944 - 14,06,1945

Royal Albert NP1749 - 15,06,1945 - 11,10,1945

Royal Albert NP1749 - 12,10,1945 - 05,04,1946

Ports Division -06,04,1946 - 11,04,1946

Ports Division - 12,04,1946 - 26,06,1946

Released Class A .

It may well be that these names had more to do than being admin offices, Hms Mercury II later became Oddyssey it was also Appledore, just hitting a brick wall at the moment with Oddyssey, the same info keeps coming up, i did find out on a BAOR site and it mentiions Royal Albert and
2 Commando units being there after the hostilities ceased , it was the HQ of the C in C Germany.

I think a trip to the Corps museum is due .

Regards Craig.

It looks like a Globe and Laurel cap badge ,its difficult but the shape of it is more R.M than R.E , I have served in both units and would go for marines, it is rounder than the engineers badge. this was probably taken prior to the issue of berets in the R.M as 2 of the lads in the photo are wearing the forage cap.

Even tried looking with a magnifying glass.

Thanks for the heads up on the capbadge, i found one today in a tin of old badges i have, totally forgot about it. i noticed on my grandfathers service papers HMS MERCURY, which i know was a signals school, it may be possible that jack moved around different units, as a signaller, this was prior to Oddyssey, his papers state he enlisted at Fort Cumberland then went to a home base ledger ( doesnt state which one) i would imagine it being Eastney as he was a Portsmouth div service number, and also was at R.M.T.T.D which is the technical training school at fort cumberland.

Stay low move fast.

have looked at the pathe news film , and the globe and buster cap badge is quite clear, in the film it shows 4 royals doing a patrol through the area where they have all those prisoners, i have noticed a lot of commandos removed their cap badges, probably due to the principles of cam and concealment " a shiny badge is a dead giveaway in the field" i doubt if they had darkened cap badges then. some good clips though.

Discharged in 12 june 1946.

i know the marines transfered around in theatre, i read a book called ,they died with their boots clean and the author who was in 48 R.M.Cmdo was transferred to a non green beret marine unit at the end of the war and then to a army cmdo after that, the fog of war people could be moving in various locations as ATTS and Detts.

I will ask about the general killing himself i thought it was goering but will speak to dad . dont have any other photos of jack in the war, i have a photo of him as a C/SGT in the royal marine cadets in 1973 in lovetts but wearing his peaked cap, also have a photo of his bar in the compound where he lived in saudi arabia, in which he was wearing a Green Beret , the bar was dedicated to his service life.

I did have some commando flashes , but they were misplaced during a house move a long time ago, thanks for the comments i will check to see when he came home from germany.

Stay low move fast.

Nurmeberg, yes jack was at the trials , spoke to my dad earlier ( soning law) jack spoke to him about his service more than anyone else,dad said he mentioned seeing one of the top generals ( possibly Goering) die right in front of him from a suicide pill, also remembers him saying about lots of recce behind the enemy lines , and on one occasion he went temporarily blind from a bottle of liberated wine he rescued during a raid, said it had been spiked . Jack didnt come home to the UK until sometime in 46 and went back to the Portsmouth Division where he demobbed .

30 AU will be my main concentration of research.

Wait out.

Thanks for the tips guys, i have had contact with the corps historian Cpt Derek Oakley a few years ago , and he couldnt say much but did comment on 1749 being all over europe, i have lots of memories from my late grandmother, she remembered grandfather coming home from Fort William area with a green beret, being in an embarkation camp in southampton, D,Day going over on landing craft, belsen liberation, being COs driver in holland and the 2 officers stood up in the back of the jeep being be headed by a wire across the road, she also told me that he met mount batten when he visited his camp one time.
My uncle is a military researcher and he hit a wall a few years ago due to the official secrets act still being in force, one thing i was also told was he was on Pathe news escorting german prisoners , i have started looking and their is some footage on their of 30au in the bremen area , the link is on the 30 au site.
Ill keep on trying and post any findings :)

Many thanks.

My grandfather was a ww2 Royal Marine Commando who served under Lord Lovat, i have his discharge papers (copies) from DRORM, and his medals 39-45 star France and Germany star, war medal, defence medal, he didnt speak to much about his service, but did mention Lovat , D,Day, Belsen, and Nurembourg i have interpreted his papers to a degree, but they are not complete ,my gran used to tell me he was in France , Germany
and Holland , he was in a camp in Southhampton prior to D,Day and had all his mail censored, unfortunately my grandparents both passed away a long time ago. If anyone can throw any light on Hms Oddyssey 1944 and NP1749 Royal Albert i would appreciate any help, i believe a good friend of his in the war was a sailor (chief petty officer) . I know 45 R.M. Commando were in lovats 1st Commando brigade just need any pointers on Oddyssey and NP 1749, I know oddyssey was in ilfracombe as a admin office and NP1749 was in Germany also as Admin , and there were 2 R.M. Commandos in Germany stationed there at the time he was there, and he was also at Munster where some of the commandos were billeted. Any one who can offer information would be much appreciated.I know there used to be a F/S dagger in the family years ago.

Regards Craig Summerhill