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Hi Alex,
welcome aboard - it's good to see another person looking for info on No5 - the more people we have the more likerly we are to find out snippets and piece together the bigger picture.
There are a few photos of No5 Commandos on here - have a look as there may be a chance you can recognise your G/F...
also if you have any of him post them up.
Nick
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not Commando specific, but there are some great stories and anecdotes including that of David Paton, No 2 Commando MO at St Nazaire...
and Sergeant Richard (Dick) Bradley 1 Troop, No 2 Commando, captured at St Nazaire and escaped from Stalag VIIIB
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/categories/
nick
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The obituaries of Geoffrey Rees-Jones who died in 2004.
He is significant to me in that not only was he a great Welsh International Rugby Union player but he was also instrumental in forming No5 Commando.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1473259/Geoffrey-Rees-Jones.html
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I see the 'new look' forum is up and running and I think it is looking great - well done Geoff and Dan.
Obviously there may be a few teething problems and glitches - Geoff has already put right a couple that I pointed out to him.
Please pm any Admin type problems that you may discover to Geoff.
Work has already begun on moving old Topics into the relevant Forums - if you notice any problems regarding this (ie a particular Topic that you consider to be in the wrong Forum etc.) let me know by pm (i'm on here most days).
Nick
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Pete Keane wrote:Thats brilliant !
I think the paper was a Manchester one (hopefully Manchester Evening News as it still exists...) so I will follow that lead - hopefully they will have a copy of the paper, see if there was any associated text.
I think the photo shows a section of South Lancs troops, it is a local paper after all, which if it is the case means I can stop searching earlier records & photo's.
I would imagine that all the archives will be on microfiche or even, by now, transferred to computer media - you could be onto a winner here...
Pete Keane wrote:Some of the things I am looking for I doubt I will ever find, but some I have uncovered ie jim was a real sportsman, boxing, rubgy & soccer - he said he played alongside a Man Utd player for his regt. - i have managed to identify this as Stan Pearson, Utd & England player under Busby, he was a territorial in the 2/4 South Lancs !
I'm pleased I am connecting folklore to fact, just be glad when the army records arrive!
Fantastic work - all this research, detective work is so interesting, exciting and, hopefully, rewarding.
Don't forget to keep us all updated with your progress - it is always very encouraging to others when someone has a little success.
Nick
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Hi Trevor,
I've just been studying the SOE Monopoli photo and, having compared it to the earlier photo that Janet posted, I'm fairly sure that Bob Bishop is front row, third from right (very light webbing belt).
Nick
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Mark, Further to the previous answer, The Chindits were not Commandos in the true sense, although they were trained in some commando techniques.
142 Commando Company served with the Chindits (see previous posts regarding 142 Commando Company)
Regards,
Nick
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Phew thank goodness - I thought I was becoming a grumpy old man...
Thanks guys
I thought I would let one such specialist know and sent him a quick message on Ebay
NIC wrote:This badge is V Force - NOT No5 Commando! They were two 2 separate and unrelated units.
V Force were not Commandos and were not entitled to wear the coveted Green Beret.
Specialist wrote:I think you need to use Google my friend
what do you believe the Roman numeral V stands for ???????? the number 5!!
they were army commando in WW2 and actually for your information DID wear a green beret but absolutely nothing to do with bootnecks what so ever!!!
hey but glad to see you have time to e mail this stuff
you have a great day
Former WO2 Scots Guards, 2 Para & G Sqn (what would I know huh)
NIC wrote:Dear "Former WO2 Scots Guards, 2 Para & G Sqn (what would I know huh)",
In answer to your question - not a lot apparently!
I sent my message to you in good faith and thought that, as you advertise yourself as:
"THE WORLDS No1 SPECIALIST BRITISH MILITARY REGALIA, ACOUTRIMENTS & GIFTS DEALER Est 1965." you would like to get your facts right as it was obvious to me that you were confused about the difference between No5 (Army) Commando and V Force.
Your reply was rude, offensive and ill-informed; however, I will persevere in an attempt to put the record straight and, on behalf of your customers, give you the facts.
No5 Commando (V Commando) were formed in Bridlington on 23 June 1940 and commanded by Lt Col Wood, shortly after it's formation The Commando moved to Dover then to Helensburgh.
It was organised into The 5th Special Service Battalion and was redisignated No5 Commando on 26 Feb 1941.
No5 Cdo trained at Achnacarry near Fort William, were entitled to wear the Green Beret (originally with a yellow hackle).
The first recorded raid performed by no5 was in Aug '41 on beaches of Hardelot and Merlimot.
They provided expertise for the St Nazaire Raid (Dieppe) and then went on, on 23 Mar 42, to participate in the landings at Madagascar
Together with No1 Commando & 42 & 44 RM Commandos they formed part of 3 Commando Brigade (originally 3 Special Services Brigade) in the Far East from 1943 until it was disbanded on 26 Mar 1946.
V Force were NOT commandos!
V Force were a guerilla force whose officers were recruited locally in Burma
By May 1942 the area commanders had been appointed:
Ledo Area ~ Lt. Col. R. M. Pizey (a tea planter)
Kohima Area ~ Lt. Col. G. S. Lightfoot (a police officer)
Manipur Area ~ Lt. Col. E. M. Murray (Assam Rifles)
Lushai Hills ~ Commandant, Lushai Battalion Assam Rifles
Tripura Area ~ Lt. Col. Hollington Sawyer
Arakan Area ~ Lt. Col. Dona
Each area of V Force consisted of:
Commander
2 i/c
Adjutant and Quarter Master
MO
1,000 enlisted guerillas of the race living in the area
Four platoons of Assam Rifles
Specialist wrote:dear sir
again I am pleased that you have enough time to waste my time continually, the joys of retirement huh??
your e mails are tedious at best and you are a rude individual as well as an E mail hero
so I shall not waste my time on your further and neither shall I insult you as nature clearly beat me to it already!
good bye, keep taking the pills, if you stick to the prescription they will work
PS your cut and paste bull was a poor attempt,
but at a guess I would say a bootneck???? as only a bootneck would talk such twaddle
The fellow can't even spell ACCOUTREMENTS correctly!
Wish I'd have thought of Geoff's bidding trick - that was very amusing.
Nick
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I do get quite cross and hot under the collar when I see so called "Specialists" describing V Force and No5 Commando as one and the same...
I just seen an advert from one such dealer who describes himself as
THE WORLDS No1 SPECIALIST BRITISH MILITARY REGALIA, ACOUTRIMENTS & GIFTS DEALER Est 1965.
yet he is selling a V Force cap badge as
V FORCE 5 COMMANDO GENUINE REGIMENTAL CAP BADGE
Is it just me?
Nick
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Andy,
I've seen your photos in the Gallery and noted that you've pinned the photo down to Op Collar.
Well done!
Great to have a piece of documented Commando history in your possession.
Nick
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Stephen Donnison wrote:Ahh a hackle .My dad's got one on his tam o shanter in the pic but is it yellow?
Hi Stephen,
I'd never noticed your Dad's hackle previously!
From the info Andy pointed me to, I think it must have been Yellow!
Ahem! Any news on that No5 officers photo yet? )
Nick
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Here's a hastily restored version of the photo - hopefully you can identify features on the ground and Bob's static line (from the top of his parachute leading back up to the aircraft).
The white strip at the bottom centre is a road/track - you will notice that there is a "Y" juction where one branch of the road leads off through an avenue of trees to the bottom right of the picture.
Also, in the centre and across the width of the photo, just below Bob's feet, you'll see a fairly wide river/canal flanked by trees.
The point where the road crosses the river is obscured by the aircraft's fuselage.
Nick
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Nina,
how is your research going? Have you got any further?
One of the significant factors about your father was the yellow hackle/plume in his beret - well, it now seems that No5 Commando wore a yellow plume/hackle up to 1942!
http://www.commandoveterans.org/cdoForum/posts/list/672.page
However, I'm not suggesting your Dad was in No5 - his medals would suggest otherwise - but it shows that there are many pieces to fit together to form the full picture...
Keep us updated with your progress,
Nick
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Andy,
Thanks for that - it must have been discontinued before my Dad joined No5 in '43 and, unlike Stephen Donnison's Dad,
Stephen Donnison wrote:Ahh a hackle .My dad's got one on his tam o shanter in the pic but is it yellow?
I don't think my Dad had a Tam' either!
What a great site this is - everyday sees another tiny piece of the bigger picture uncovered.
Thanks again,
Nick
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Geoff has posted a number of prints of badges & insignia on the Gallery including this of No5 (V Commando).
A Yellow Hackle/plume?
I know Nos 9 & 11 had black hackles so does anyone have any info about this?
Coincidently, I recently did a search for units that wore a yellow hackle for another query and only came up with The Lancashire Fusiliers...
Nick
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