I can confirm that your Grandfather, Ernest Ashton, and his friend Ted McGhee, were both in No.2 Commando. Your Grandfather was in the Royal Artillery ( Light Anti Aircraft) prior to the Commandos. He was attached to No.2 Commando from there. Ted was in the Royal Artillery (Coastal) and attached from there to No.2 Commando. The list I have is an unofficial one but quite an accurate one. The next of kin for your Grandfather is shown as his wife from Cumnock, Ayrshire (full address supplied), and his father from Barnsley (full address supplied). Incidentally your Grandfather's friend Ted McGhee's next of kin is shown as his wife and resident at the same address in Cumnock as your Grandfather.

To get the full details of his military service you, or your father, would have to apply for a copy of his Army Service record from the MOD. If you decide to go down this path please contact me and I?ll explain how to do so should you need that. In the meantime I will update the forum post put on by Nick. Your Grandfather you say served in Gibraltar, Sicily, and Italy, this was the route No.2 Commando followed. They then went to the Island of Vis off the coast of Yugoslavia, Albania, back to Italy, and finally some went to post war Germany. Of course this would be dependant on him staying within No.2 Commando

According to our sources in Yizkot - In Memoriam book, there is an entry re. Eliahu ("Chiko") Rapoport, som of Tanya and Hayim, born at February 2,1922in Pahlawi, Iran. Has made Alyiah in 1933 with his father and sister and settled in Tel Aviv. His mother went to visit Soviet Union and didn't recieve an exit visa , only 15 years later. Eliahu studied at Tel Nordau school and later at professional school Max Fein. Was an outstanding swimmer

He was amongst the first volunteers to the British Army at WW II outbreak. His first assignment was with RAF ground auxilliary forces. Later, he volunteered to Commando Unit and took part in its activities. At the eve of British invasion to Lebanon and Syria, then under rule of Vichy French , he was sent to undertake a sabotage on telephone lines between Tyre and Beirut. They embarked on a boat named "Mona Lisa", 3 officers and 4 soldiers, Palestinian Jews. The group left for assignment on June 6,1941 and arrived close to the place of assignment. Part of the men were on a small boat which was hit by a great wave and the boat was drawn by the wave. The men arrived to the coast swimming, but Eliahu didn't make it and was proclaimed as missing in action at June 7, 1941. There is another information that he was found by New Zealand soldier at sea and was sent to Egypt to a hospital where he died

For your information, the following criteria is used by our Regional Supervisors' when assessing the legibility of an inscription on a commission headstone:

Inscriptions may be carved in stone for many uses but the monumental inscription is usually designed to be a record for those who care to search for it rather than an announcement to the world not so much an advertisement as a confidence.

That was the view of the distinguished panel of experts assembled to advise on monumental art: Sir Edwin Lutyens, Professor A E Richardson, MacDonald Gill and Gilbert Ledward.

As all inscriptions on the Commission's stone structures are monumental, optimum legibility has never been the aim. They should be readable at reasonable light levels and viewing distances by visitors with normal vision who look for them. They are not intended for instantaneous reading or easy photography. No maintenance task is more important than preserving legible commemorations. Legibility is influenced by lighting, cleanliness and moisture content at the time of inspection. Supervisors assessing the need for re-engraving or replacement should disregard such factors and consider only these criteria:

Military and personal inscriptions must be legible at two paces

Inscriptions may prove illegible if:

Lettering is badly designed or badly carved.
Contrast between incision and stone is inadequate.
There are constant extremes of light and shade.
Erosion or localised spalling reduces the effective depth of the inscription, or removes some or all of the inscription