... The Dover party went ashore nearer Boulogne where they engaged German cyclist patrol - an easy target which should have beenambushed as it passed by. In the event, an officer mis-handled his sub-machine gun at the critical moment: as he belatedly cocked the unfamiliar weapon, the magazine dropped off before he pressed the trigger. Clarke, however, bled for his country. He got a bullet (only a glancing blow) along his neck and earlobe which must have stung a bit. So they returned to England without a prisoner...

The third party claimed a dead German in a similar skirmish, but he was not picked up. Such claims on such a dark night must be sustantiated. Tendancies to exaggerate go with inexperience, nerves and a lively imagination. The claim, on this occasion was 'blown' by the assertion that there had been no room in the crash boat and the corpse had been towed astern. The rope conveniently before reaching England.
Clarke had his severed ear sewn back on again after reaching Dover...

In the meantime, the men on board the boat that landed at Plage de Merlimont approached a large building surrounded by barbed wire. It was filled with the enemy and may have been the headquarters of a local garrison, or possibly an officers' mess. Two sentries were on guard outside and they were set upon and killed. One died silently, but the other screamed and his death cry gave the alarm. The wire was too thick for the attackers to charge the building and they therefore contented themselves with lobbing grenades through the windows, and withdrew with one of the corpses. So crowded was the boat, however, that they were forced to tow it behind and it sank before England was reached.

The First Raids... In the meantime Churchill was impatient for action, but, as yet the resources to begin carrying out raiding operations were very slender. The Commandos were still being formed, and all that was available were the Independant Companies. While Nos 1-5 and 10 Independant Companies were based in Scotland, it was decided to send Nos 6 - 9 to Cornwall, to help safeguard against invasion both there and on the Scilly Isles. Before they left Scotland, however, volunteers were called for to form a fresh Independant Company. No 11, for special operations. It was to consist of 25 officers and 350 other ranks and was to be commanded by Major Ronnie Todd. It was to be this unit which was to carry out the first of the commando operations.
No 11 was officially formed 14 June 1940, and moved to Southampton...
Operation Collar took place on the night of 24/25 June. Two parties set out from Ramsgate, each with two boats to operate in the Hardelot area, a third, with one boat, from Dover would also land at a different spot in the same area, while two parties from Newhaven would land at Stella Plage and north of Berck...
Of the Ramsgate groups, the first boat landed just southof Hardelot and met an enemy patrol which fired at them and made off. Fire was not returned. The other boat was not afterwards able to pinpoint where it had landed, but saw nothing, apart from coming under machine-gun fire during re-embarkation. The Dover party arrived too late to land, although they did come under some machine-gun fire. The party landing at Berck found nothing, and only the stella Plage group, which actually landed at Merlimont Plage, had a proper brush with the enemy.
"An enemy patrol of 2 men was encountered and both killed by sub-machine gun fire at a range of 15 yards. Nothing was removed from the bodies. ..."
The only casualty of the raid came in this last action when Dudley Clarke, who had gone as an observer, was hit behind the ear, but not seriously

CWGC wrote:Dear Mr C

Thank you for your e-mail of 12th November 2008.

We have checked our records and have found a reference to No.5.Commando for Sjt F H M Haldane. We have amended our database accordingly, please see below for the information we now hold:

Serjeant HALDANE, FREDERICK HENRY MILLER
Regiment: Royal Armoured Corps
Secondary Unit Text: and No.5
Secondary Regiment: Commando
Service No: 4537642
Age: 25
Date of Death: 15 March 1944
Commemoration: TAUKKYAN WAR CEMETERY
Myanmar
10. F. 5.
Additional Information: Son of Fred E. B. Haldane and Mabel Haldane; husband of Elizabeth Haldane, of Leicester.

Yours sincerely



Mrs J Williams

Enquiries Section

Caroline wrote:Many thanks Nic and I will pass on the good wishes today to my dad.
I will ask him re the joining of CVA and maybe do on his behalf, computers and things are not really his speciality!! although he does do an occasional email.
He has been writing a 'Dads Story' for myself and brothers, to pass onto us and is detailing all his earlier years and memories.
I have told him in the past about the various commando sites and the almost hero status that is acclaimed to them and my dad just says they were not heroes - they were just doing their jobs. I have to say I do think they were all heroes

Caroline

RELEASED TO CLASS Z(T),
Royal Army Reserve
16 9 47
(Class 'A' Release)
Taken on Strength
CLASS Z (T) Reserve
17 9 47