Messages posted by: Vlewis

Hi Kevin

Welcome to the CVA forum,

From the number given above it looks like it was allocated from the Royal Welch Fusiliers 4178001 - 4256000.

I'm sure someone will come along soon who has more knowledge of 4 Commando who can shed more light.

Good luck

Regards Vic

Nice find John,

Any info from the seller about its origin or how it came into his possesion (Commando family?)

Regards Vic

Mike,

What I found interesting from the list was 5958741 L/Cpl Lutter. My Dads service records state 5958740 L/Cpl (Royal Corps Signals) Roy William Lewis, enlisted at Croydon as a private into the Territorial Army posted to 70th Battalion The Befordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment 24 September 1940. I am assuming my Dad was ahead of L/Cpl Lutter in the queue possibly and both ended up serving with the Commando's ultimately, or they were at different recruiting offices, and of course the assumption that the numbers were allocated sequentially rather than random?

Regards Vic

Hi Graham,

I have seen current produced, supposedly only authorised maker to use the name Fairbairn Sykes Knifes retailing at 999 Shillings :) £49.95. From the look of them they appear to be J Knowill as Wilkinson has ceased prodcution.

The interesting thing about that memo is whether Wilkinson were producing anything other than the 3rd pattern for the Commando Association? An orginal Wilkinson knife would obviously fetch a lot more than £50 depending on pattern, condition and associated history.

Regards Vic

Hi Bill,

Welcome to the CVA forums,

A Captain James H Davies is mentioned in the following thread if you haven't seen it already

http://www.commandoveterans.org/cdoForum/posts/list/2943.page

Good luck in your search.

Regards Vic

Nick,

Thanks, I hope this eventually helps the daughter of Martin (Mickey) Quinn. The Commando Signals is not that well documented and every bit of information helps pull the picture together.

Mike,

Interesting couple of links from the Imperial War Museum website showing Special Service Brigade Signals badge and HQ Company Special Service Brigade badge. The latter having S S in Red on embroidered bullion daggers!

http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30060250

http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30060249

Regards Vic

Mike,

There's two books by Cliff Lord covering the Royal Corps of Signals ISBN 1 874622 92 2 & an accompanying supplementary volume ISBN 10: 1 874622 33 7 that pretty much covers the history of the Royal Corps of Signals. Unfortunately, under the Specialist signals section relating to Commandos there is only about a page of information.

With regards the badges, I have read that the 2 Commando "SS and dagger" cap badge used silver braid to denote officers? I'm wondering whether John's reference to this was in the same circumstances?

I haven't seen any coloured variants of the badges but have seen some very poor copies where the lightning bolt is in the foreground of the dagger rather than the dagger being most visible.

Regards Vic

Nick,

I also drew a blank with the Royal Signals museum when researching my Dad's movements which I found a bit surprising so I sympathise with Christine entirely.

I am just wondering whether there might be a slight chance the service number given was incorrect for the MOD search? Is it worth checking the first numbers to see if they correspond with the parent regiment?

If Martin "Mickey" Quinn served in Italy and the Balkans it was probably with 2 SS Brigade Signals, I know they were present at Sicily, Salerno, Albania and Vis to name a few.

Regards Vic

Mike,

Further information on the dates for the badges below from the book "The Royal Corps of Signals: Unit Histories of the Corps (1920-2001) and Its Antecedents".

I also have the metal cap badge as mentioned below which is in two parts, the figure of Mercury "Jimmy" being separate from the other piece. Initially I though the badge was broken as it looks a rather crude break but could of been by design?

Heraldry and ceremonial:
Commando Signals wear the green beret of the Commandos. Signal Officers have a green backing on their wire-wove signals beret badge.
During the Second World War, commando signals wore two different types of signal badge. From March 1942, to June 1943, Special Service Brigade Signals wore a black square patch with a silver lightning bolt and dagger crossed with the letters S S on either side. Their patch was designed by A.J. Leahy, the first Commando Signals. This was replaced in July 1943 by a shoulder title with the words COMMAND SIGNALS in red on a navy blue background. This title was worn until mid 1945.
When the first Commandos were raised, their members wore no distinguishing badge. The bronze Royal Signals badge was unpopular with the volunteer signallers. The instrument mechanic of the original SS Brigade Signal Section altered his cap badge by sawing off the bronze ?Royal Corps of Signals? surrounding the figure of Mercury and rearranged the hooks so that it could be mounted in the new Commando green berets then being issued. This unofficial badge was approved by the OC and adopted by every member of the Commando Signals, and it was worn throughout the War.

Regards Vic

Paul,

Thanks for this information, I've read some of WO 218/60 1 Special Service Bde. Signals 1944 Jan.- Oct. on the Pegasus archive site but haven't looked at the others. Will see if these can be downloaded or alternatively a visit to Kew when I have some time. I'm wondering whether 2 Brigade Signals from the period Jan to Dec 1943 exist?

Regards Vic

Mike,

Thanks for the interest, and the PM of which I'll reply to. I have tried to research the movements of the Commando Signals but it's made more tricky because of the fact that there initally appeared to be 4 Brigade Signals formed 1,2,3 & 4 but they were not directly related to the main Commando 1,2,3 & 4 but were aligned to the respective Special Service Brigade containing various Commando. I know that 2 Brigade Signals were supporting 2 and 41RM Commando at Salerno and at some point my Dad was attached to either 1 or 4 Special Service Brigade Signals as you have mentioned. Studying the war diaries for the latter period post D Day I can only conclude that Commando Signallers were brought through from Holding Operational Command to backfill casualties from the initial wave. I have a post card of the Eiffel Tower and on the back it says "Paris 1944 Sept after we had reached the Seine, then in 45 Royal Marine Commando" so am not sure what Commando he was attached to before that period.

I think it was common, and often confusing for research into individuals movements, for elements of Commando Signallers from the Brigade to be attached to various Commando's and specific raiding opportunities when required to do so for whatever reason.

Regards Vic

JB,

Yep, I remember him telling me this when I was kid, I think he regretted giving the titles away some 30 odd years later but at the time I guess he got caught up in the moment :)

Mike,

Brief summary of service from the records we recieved (not sure which period the badges come from but suspect from the Italy campaign).

Enlisted at Croydon in the Territorial Army and posted to 70th Battilion the Bed & Herts 24th September 1940

Transferred to The Royal Corps of Signals as a Signalman and transferred to 1st Operators training battalion 03 February 1942

Posted to 1st Holding Battalion 17th July 1942

Posted to Special Service Brigade Signal Troop 04 August 1942

Embarked UK for Sicily 15 August 1943

Disembarked UK 04 January 1944

Posted to Holding Operational Command 30 May 1944

Embarked UK for France 05 August 1944

Posted to Special Service Group Signals 07 August 1944

Embarked France for UK 07 September 1944

Embarked UK for East Africa 22 January 1945

These were my Dad's L/Cpl R W Lewis 2 Brigade Signals.

In the flesh these have a blueish tinge, not sure whether that's a pigment change over the years?

Regards Vic

I got the opportunity to fire a MK2 Sten at a range on a trip to Las Vegas with the lads for my 40th a while back, apart from being rather jittery for about 20 minutes because of not being used to guns and the noise of people loosing off, the damn thing kept jamming and was a bit of a mare to get going again. When we finished I mentioned to the guy behind the counter that it needed sorting out and he smuggly replied "what do you expect man, it's 60 years old and British"

I didn't respond but a few choice expletives came to mind )

John,

I agree with you,

Upon further research just trawling the net it appears to me that knives were taken to the Falklands, not only by Royal Marine Commandos but also the Parachute Regiment (and probably others) and it looks likely from descriptions that these were Nowill & Sons of Sheffield marked by their cross keys stamping. Whether these were officially handed out for the job, or personal items or standard issue before the conflict it is not clear. There are also reports of troops being put on standby to go (but didn't) being issued with the J Nowill knife?

Regards the 250 Wilkinson items that were allegedly produced for the conflict, from the photos I have seen they are all black 3rd pattern with a rather long Wilkinson etching that is about 1/3rd of the blade long from the cross guard. Although not shown on the photos, the Falklands Wilkinson Knives allegedly have the markings "FR693" stamped onto the handle near the pommel nut.

Hope this helps, most of this information and more is easily found by googling "Falklands FS knife"

Cheers Vic