Messages posted by: Rualiam

Gerald Desmond

? 03/09/1940 Enlisted in the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers.
? 12/12/1940 volunteers Special Services unit. Placed in No 5 Special services Battalion.
? 05/03/1941 No 6 Commandos.
? 07/05/1941 No 4 Commandos.
? 10/06/1941 No 6 Commandos Troop 5. (Volunteers for Mission 204 China.)
? 17/03/1942 India and Burma Campaign. 142 Commando Company (Operation Longcloth)
? 01/10/1942 142 Commando Company transfered into Kings Liverpool Regiment.
? 14/04/1943 Captured by Japanese.
? 10/04/1943 to 19/06/1945 POW Rangoon Jail.

I am looking for help with regard to his time in No 6 Commando. I know he was on Operation Kitbag but some of the family stories match Operation Archery. There was a small group from No 6 Commando at Vaagso during Operation Archery, is there a nominal roll for the men who went on this raid. The mission No 4 Commando were getting ready for in May of 1941 was this Operation Puma? There is family story that he was on a submarine off Crete and under cover of night brought arms ashore for the resistance and took wounded back to the sub. Also that he trained for Operation Flipper but it was cancelled because it was thought the Germans had been tipped off about the raid. I can't find any mention of No 6 commando being involved with this mission, as far as I can tell it was only the Middle East commando units that trained for this mission. If anybody is working on No 6 Commando and comes across his name I would be grateful if they could let me know.

Hi,from what I can tell 142 Commando Company was mainly made up from a about a 100 Commandos that volunteered for the 204 China Mission that arrived in India 17th May 1942 under Lt Col Featherstonehaugh. They never got to take part in the 204 mission because on route to India the situation had changed in Burma and with the Chinese. You will see these Commandos referenced as draft unit RZGHA. They made up the advance section that set up the Jungle training base in Ramma Camp, Patharia. The rest of 142 Commando was made up of volunteers mainly from the Durham Light infantry, R.E and Wiltshire regiment. A few that had been with Calvert on the retreat out of Burma also volunteered from the Bush warfare School. Nearly half of those Commandos that arrived from the UK that were called draft unit RZGHA where from No 6 Commando. Only about half of the RZGHA unit transfered over into 142 Commando Company I don't know what happened to the other half.

The Royal British Legion put this together, they asked several people to read out what happened during the war with Japan. Well worth a watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UY5hqzj80rk

Hi Shane,

I don't have him listed in the commandos that went into Burma on Operation Longcloth with Wingate in mid Feb 1943. The fact he arrived in India in Dec 42 makes it unlikely he was with them but I could be wrong. Others here will be able to help you but I would also go to the site Chasing Chindits, Operation Longcloth 1943.

Best of Luck.

15/07/ 13.00 R/S Lake, leaving us for China, appears that things are moving.
17/07/ Draft leaving today.
23/07/ The Draft for China are handing in their rifles again today.
24/017/ The Draft are moving to Calcutta on their way to China. They go by plane from Calcutta. Memo - I may be going to Saugor today.

Kevin what do these section of the diary refer to? Is the draft refering to Draft R.Z.G.H.A. Did they send more troops into China in mid 1942? There is a family story that Gerald was on a runway about to leave when Wingate gave a speech and asked them to volunteer to join the 77th Indian Brigade and to a man they all stepped forward. It was always persumed they were flying back home but the mention of going by plane from Calcutta makes me wonder.

Thanks for the previous posts, they have help alot.

Liam.

Thanks very much for the information Kevin, Its been a very good day in my search. Steve Fogden has supplied me with the proof I was looking for putting Gerald in Draft R.Z.G.H.A. He is listed in the B.O.Rs that are considered suitable for employment with 142 Company.

Liam

I stand to be corrected on everything I am about to post, I have been putting this together the last few weeks from family stories and reading some of the great information posted on this forum. At this moment in time this is how I see Geralds journey to joining the Chindits but finding proof to support any of it is proving difficult. Any ideas as to documents to go through would be helpful.

Gerald was part of a group of a 100 commandos who volunteered for a secret mission 204. They left for India on the 10th of January 1942 from Liverpool as part of WS 15 Convoy. ( I know Gerald was in Capetown on the way to India, the WS 15 convoy is the only one I can find that matches the dates and route).There route took them to Freetown in West Africa, then on to Capetown and then from there on to Bombay. Where they docked on the 4th of March 1942. While on the 8 week journey to India and the Japanese continuing invasion of Burma, the original mission they had volunteered for ceased to exist. After disembarking at Bombay they were sent to Deolali for acclimatisation and then onto Jubalalpoe Ridge. Lieutenant Colonel Featherstonehaugh, the senior officer of the group travelled to Army HQ at Meerut to obtain their orders. On arriving at Army HQ he is told they knew nothing about their Mission. The unit left in limbo adopted the letters that made up their drafting code for overseas posting as there Unit identity, RZGHA. Orde Wingate who was forming the 77th Indian Brigade ( Chindits) for a new operation against the Japanese, quickly took them under his command. (Gerald told a story to my mother that he was on a runway about to leave India when Wingate arrived. Wingate made a speech to the group asking them to volunteer for another mission, to a man everyone stepped forward and volunteered to go with Wingate. I can find no evidence as yet support this.) They are sent by Wingate from their base at Jubbulpore to Ramna Camp, Patharia (In a snippet of a letter Gerald wrote to a friend he mentions being in the advance party into the Patharia jungle.The War Diary of 142 Regiment mentions "Advance party of RZGHA (Cooper-Key and Molesworth above and 30 B.O.R.'s) left Jubbulpore for Ramna Camp, Patharia." ) Together with those that had survived the original Mission 204, Wingate formed the 142 Commando Company and on the 1st of October 1942 they were placed in the 13th Kings Regiment.

The above could be pure rubbish but at this moment in time with what little information I have it makes the most sense.

Thank you Nick,Kevin and Pete for your help so far.

My Grandfather was Gerald Desmond 4278348 Troop 5 No 6 Commando and Colmun 5 in Operation LongCloth. I am trying to find as much detail as I can on his time in WW2. I found a note he left which mentioned volunteering for Mission 204 China. I know he was in Norway in Dec 1941 and enters the India and Burma Campaign the 17/3/42. I think he was part of the RZGHA unit the Wingate took and formed into 142 commando company with the ex Bush Warfare training School. If anyone has any information I would be very grateful.

Liam