Messages posted by: markh

Film captures history of the "Lochaber Commandos"

A PROJECT highlighting the role of 30,000 commandos who trained in Lochaber has been captured on a DVD.

The film, launched last week at a ceremony in the West Highland Museum in Fort William, documents research carried out by Lochaber Archaeological Society members into the history of the commandoes, who trained at Achnacarry, near Spean Bridge

The 45-minute DVD shows some of the society?s discoveries set in an historical context with some evocative wartime black and white footage of the troops training at Achnacarry, and interviews with experts and commando veterans who share their memories.

http://www.lochaber-news.co.uk/News/Film-captures-history-of-the-Lochaber-Commandos-18062015.htm

Hi Wes,

Welcome to the forums.

I'm sure everyone on these forums would welcome you sharing the photos and documents you have. All further pieces of the WW2 Commando story.

Thanks for taking the time.

Hello Jordon, welcome to the forums.

Just to start things off, have you applied for George's service records from the MOD ?

It is straight forward, just requires waiting.
See http://forum.commandoveterans.org/cdoForum/posts/list/179.page

For benefit of others, your great uncle is sadly listed by the Commonwealth war graves commission here :

http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2735204/HALL,%20GEORGE%20STANLEY

Jordon also posted here
http://forum.commandoveterans.org/cdoForum/posts/list/45/1731.page

Good luck.

Few more pictures. I hope for those who can't visit, this gives you a taste of the area.

Phone camera gives the position of the Gibraltar stone as

Lat: 50.6649
Long:-3.3622

More images of Gibraltar Stone

I was recently back in Devon, UK, and paid a visit to the new Gibraltar stone, sited on the site of the old Dalditch Royal Marine training camp, and currently still used by the Royal Marines Commandos today.

The public are free to access the land, its popular with dog walkers, runners etc. and the occasional WW2 Commando history buff...

You can park in the carpark shown here - note the Royal Marine recruits shown in the street view link below.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@50.666616,-3.358292,3a,75y,30.33h,65.78t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sIzmJBRvpEaHOL9QsRmkJ5w!2e0

Cross over the road and go through the new wooden gate, which keeps the ponys in. The gate is not shown on streetview images at the time of writing.

Walk along the track and, in good weather you will see the gleaming white stone in the distance over a bank in front of you.

You soon will realise the stone is further away than you think, and that you need to descend one steep hill, cross a boggy area and go up another steep hill to get to the stone.. Its part of the modern Commando Endurance course , so be prepared with sound shoes, and a waterproof coat.

Here are the names listed in the programme Guy made me aware of.
3 Commando seem to have done well in the first tournament.

Boxing programme from Sidney Hall Weymouth - 17th December 1942. The contest was between No3 & No4 Commando.
3 Commando 4 Commando

Middle(11-6) L/Cpl Bennett L/Cpl Maloney 3
Light (9-9) Tpr Mc Cllelland Sgt. Evans 3
Welter(10-7) L/Cpl Jarrom Pte Lennie 3
Middle(11-6) L/Sgt. Harper Pte. Fraser 4
Feather(9) Tpr. James Pte. Ryder 3
Lt. Heavy(12-7) Cpl. Morris Gdn. Marshall 3
Heavy (over 12-7) Tpr. Dennis Gnr Lewington 3

Feather(9) Tpr. Dowling Pte. McGlory 3
Light (9-9) Tpr. Jones L/Sgt Heaynes 3
Welter(10-7) Tpr. Mappelbeck Pte Clark 3
Lt. Heavy(12-7) L/Sgt Taylor Rfm Ovenden 4
Heavy (over 12-7) Tpr. Saunders Gdsm Powell 4

I've converted the names in the images into text, so search engines can find the names.

Inter commando boxing tournament
Wednesday 23rd December 1942. GuildHall Winchester

Weight 4 Commando V 3 Commando

Light (9-9) Sgt. Evans V L/Cpl Jones

Middle(11-6) Pte. Fraser V L/Sgt. Harper

Welter(10-7) Pte. Clark V Tpr. Cordoza

Middle(11-6) L/Cpl Maloney V Tpr. MappelWeck

Feather(9) Pte. McGlory V Tpr. James

Sam Ham V Salley Halliday

Lt. Heavy(12-7) Gdn. Marshall V Cpl. Morris

Feather(9) Pte. Ryder V Tpr. Dowling

Welter(10-7) Pte. Lennie V L/Cpl Jarrom

Lt. Heavy(12-7) Rfn. Ovenden V Tpr. Saunders

For the record, from CWGC

DRISCOLL, LEONARD HENRY PRITCHARD

Rank:Lance Corporal
Service No:3964051
Date of Death:02/12/1942
Age:24
Regiment/Service:Welch Regiment and No. 1 Commando
Panel Reference: Face 23. Memorial:MEDJEZ-EL-BAB MEMORIAL
Additional Information: Husband of Florence Driscoll, of Cardiff.

http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2541799/DRISCOLL,%20LEONARD%20HENRY%20PRITCHARD

Cemetery details
http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/2054200/MEDJEZ-EL-BAB%20MEMORIAL

Satellite image
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@36.6259564,9.5718371,487m/data=!3m1!1e3

Memorial on Woodbury Common

http://www.commandoveterans.org/GibraltarStone

Thanks Pete.

Here are a few pictures of what remains of Dalditch camp on Woodbury Common.

http://forum.commandoveterans.org/cdoForum/posts/list/4033.page

Hi Kakette

A link and information on the MOD forms is here, which Nick kindly added : http://forum.commandoveterans.org/cdoForum/posts/list/179.page

Well worth the wait. You can find some examples of service records on this site.

Do you have any photos of your granddad from during his service you might be able to share ? They can provide clues, as well as helping to piece together the Commando story.
I found a few pictures of my late Granddad on this site, thanks to others sharing them.

Good luck.

Hi ResearcherAtLarge, thanks very much for posting.

I looked at the very clear photo link you kindly provided, and sadly thats not my grandfather, nor another relation. My George had left the Army in 1947, lucky for him not having to be in another war.

While visiting the Royal Marines Museum in Portsmouth, UK, they also had a photo of this George Barnes, so perhaps one day somebody will encounter your post.

Thanks again for posting.

Update.

I just checked on the photos I took at the Royal Marines Museum back in 2013, and the musuem has the very same photo of George Barnes.
The description draws attention to the fact that 41 Commando operated with the US navy at this time, and used American uniforms, equipment and weapons, only the Green beret being retained.

Isn't it wonderful how everyone is trying to help ;-)

Carolyn, while you wait for the service records, following on from Kevin's earlier post, what about following the South Lancashire Regiment path and
contacting or visiting the Lancashire Infantry Museum ?

While they will not have any service records, perhaps they have a list of MM winners, or may point you in another direction ?

http://www.lancashireinfantrymuseum.org.uk/research/ - I'm not connected with this museum by the way.

NWE 3.6.44 to 13.6.44
Home 14.6.44 to 7.1.45
NWE 8.1.45 to 9.3.45

Interesting how North West Europe is recorded as 3rd of June. It is well documented that the Overlord invasion was postponed due to the bad weather, so perhaps this is the date he embarked on his invasion vessel rather than had his "boots on the ground" in France. Perhaps somebody can clarify if being in transit somewhere counted as being in that theatre for record keeping.

Thinking aloud, the home period might be after being wounded you mentioned in your post, so that narrows down the MM medal award period to the two NWE time slots.

A summary of South Lancashires in WW2, which mentions Nijmegan, but that is after William returned home on 14th June.
http://www.lancashireinfantrymuseum.org.uk/world-war-ii-1/

if you type a search such as "william roberts mc london gazette 1945" into your favourite search engine, this does return
London Gazette entries for Roberts, but not found your William yet.

eg via Google, this returns another namesake, but with the NewZealand forces.
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/37310/supplement/5102/data.pdf

So worth persevering.