Messages posted by: Noel Rabouhans

According to "Raid de Dieppe" by Bucourt, Fihue, Jeanne and Masson (Heimdal, 2012) - page 81, the following landed at Yellow 2:

HQ Group
Major Young
Lieutenant Ruxton
Signaller Sayers
Signaller Meakins
Private Clark
Private Craft
Private Hopkins
Private Mulholland
Lance-Corporal White
Private Adderton
Private Dodd
Private Parsons
Private Saggers

3 Troop
Captain Selwyn
Lance-Corporal Bennett
Private Lilley
Private Mason
Private Abbott
Private Cunningham
Private Nicholas

Total 20 men

Hope this helps

Regards

Noel Rabouhans

Hi Pete, I visited National Archives today, and looked through the three dossiers you referred to.

WO 218/158 comprises the monthly war diaries for the Middle East Depot Commando for January - December 1941. I did not find any reference to any deaths in training.

WO 218/159 comprises the monthly war diaries for the Middle East Depot Commando from January - June 1942. For 10th May there is an entry:

"Cpl Shields D Sqdn died from burns received from accidentally ignited petrol drum thrown up on beach by sea at El Rakham Bay" (photo taken of relevant entry)

There is also a nominal roll of officers from early July 1942. (photos taken of relevant pages)

WO 379/115 is a series of file cards, with summary histories (of locations) for a number of commando units. (Photos taken of complete set of cards). No reference to any deaths.

I hope that this is helpful. I can send you the photos if you wish

Kind regards

Noel Rabouhans

Hi Pete,

Have only just seen your request, so perhaps you already have these files. I live reasonably near National Archives, and visit from time to time. If you still need to see these files, let me know, and I will photograph them for you on my next visit.

Noel Rabouhans

I wish to contact any member of Derek Mills-Roberts' family. Please send me a private message if you have any information.

Many thanks

Noel Rabouhans

I am writing on behalf of the Naval Attaché at the French Embassy to advise you of a commemorative event for the Free French commandos, and indeed all commandos who trained at Achnacarry, which will take place on Wednesday 12th July 2017, and to invite you to attend.
The commemoration coincides with the visit to Scotland of the cutter Mutin, the oldest ship currently in the Marine Nationale, to mark the 90th anniversary of her launch. Mutin was launched in 1927 as a sail training ship, and, disguised as a French tuna fishing boat, was engaged in SOE operations during WW2. From 10th to 13th July, she will be traversing the Caledonian Canal from Inverness to Fort William, and on 12th July will be at Gairlochy.
The commemorative events will include a ceremony at the Commando Memorial at Spean Bridge, where wreaths will be laid, a private visit to Achnacarry*, and a reception on board Mutin.
The ceremony will be attended by a delegation from Royal Marine 43 Commando, and possibly a small detachment from the present day Commando Kieffer. Veterans and families of other British commando units, and of the wartime Kieffer Commandos are welcome to attend.
The detailed programme has not yet been finalised, but I would ask you to let me know by 19th June if you would like and are able to attend, so that I will have an idea of numbers. I will then send you further details of the programme as soon as they are known.
I hope that a number of you will be able to attend, and look forward to hearing from you by private message.
Kind regards,
Noël Rabouhans
(son of Raymond Rabouhans, 5178 FN41)

*grounds, not the castle itself

Further to my earlier announcement about this book, I can now advise that in addition to the legal deposit libraries*, copies of the book may be consulted at:

1. National Archives Library, Kew. Freely accessible during normal opening hours.

2. Library of the West Highland Museum, Fort William. To use this library, you need to be a Member of the museum, cost £15.00 per annum.

*British Library, London
British Library, Boston Spa, Yorkshire
National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh
National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth
Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford
University Library, Cambridge,
Trinity College Library, Dublin

Those wishing to use the legal deposit libraries will need to conform to the requirements of those libraries (registration, etc).

Within the constraints imposed by the very limited number of copies available, of what is a private, non-commercial publication, I believe that the copies available for consultation in the afore-mentioned libraries provide a reasonable level of access, with good geographical distribution.

Copies have also been accepted by (but not yet delivered to) the following libraries in France:

1. Library of the Service Historique de la Defense, Chateau de Vincennes, Paris
2. Musee FUSCO, Lorient, Morbihan
3. Library of La Physiophile, Montceau-les-Mines, Saone-et-Loire

Should you have any questions, please send me a private message.

Noel Rabouhans

A UNIQUE MILITARY ODYSSEY
Today is the 100th anniversary of the birth of my father, Raymond Armand Rabouhans, who served with the 1ère Compagnie de Fusiliers Marins Commandos, including alongside No. 4 Commando at Dieppe in August 1942.
To mark this occasion, I am announcing the publication of a book about his military career, from 1935 to 1945. The book is result of five years of research, both in France and the UK, and includes previously unpublished accounts of the actions in which he participated. It is a private publication, intended primarily for family and friends. The book is entitled 'A Unique Military Odyssey'; the ISBN number is 978-1-910864-78-4.
I regret that the book is not available commercially, owing to the very limited number of copies printed. However, copies have been placed in the legal deposit libraries, and may be consulted there. I am also hoping to place a few additional copies in other public libraries.
I attach images of the book cover, the Contents page and Preface.
I hope that this is of interest. If anyone would like further information, please contact me by private message.
Noël Rabouhans
2nd February 2017

I have been asked by a French friend for details of the locations of the bases of No. 2 Commando. From information on the CVA website I have established that they were based in:

Penham Down, Tidworth, Wilts June 1940
Knutsford, Cheshire September 1940
Paignton, Devon February 1941

I believe that they were in Largs (Troon?) in mid-1942.

I would appreciate any further information to fill in the gaps.

Many thanks

Noel Rabouhans

Paul,

Thank you so much for your identification and explanation of these badges. I thought one looked like an anchor, and you have confirmed this for me.

Incidentally, I have a WW2 bachi with FNFL ribbon, but the anchor badge is missing. I have searched high and low for one - any ideas?

I am afraid that these photos are the best I have.

Kind regards

Noel

Thanks Nic,

I thought it would be the Croix de Lorraine - of course there are photos like the close-up of my dad taken on the same occasion, which clearly show this worn on the right arm.

But the badge on the left arm looks different to me. I attach a second picture, which is a bit sharper (taken again I think on 14th July 1942 - my dad is on the left). If you look at the image on the far left - a little blurred but quite large - the shape looks quite different to the Croix de Lorraine.

I have consulted a book "Les Francais Libres et leurs Emblemes", but it doesn't show anything like this.

Let me know your thoughts

Regards

Noel

I would appreciate any help in identifying the badge worn on the left sleeve of the Free French commandos in the attached picture (on upper arm, below the "France" and "Commando" badges).

The photo was taken on 14th July 1942. The same badge is worn in the Pathe News footage taken at Criccieth in October 1942, and also there is a photo of commando Marcel Joho taken at the FNFL hospital in Beaconsfield (date unknown), where he wears the same badge. Unfortunately I have not found a close-up so the best one can get is a rather fuzzy image.

Later photos taken in 1943 show that this badge has been replaced by the "Combined Operations" badge.

I would appreciate any information (is the badge French or British?)

Many thanks

Noel Rabouhans

Thanks Belly, this is just what I needed

Help needed with a question relating to "10 Commando" and Combined Operations badges (printed, not woven versions)

At what date did these badges first come into use? I believe that it was about the summer of 1942, but can anyone give me a more precise date?

Many thanks

Noel Rabouhans

Commando Kieffer families reunion at Criccieth, 18th June 2016

On Saturday 18th June, more than 50 members of the families of 12 Free French commandos gathered in Criccieth, North Wales, to commemorate those commandos who were billeted in Criccieth from July 1942 to May 1943. Four families from France and the Czech Republic were represented, and eight from the UK. I believe that this may have been the largest reunion of families of Free French commandos to take place in the UK since the war.

We were honoured and privileged by the presence of the Commandant, Pierre Roty, and two of his adjutants, from the present day Commando Kieffer Special Forces unit; and by Patrick Churchill, a veteran of the British No. 4 Commando, who fought alongside the Free French commandos at Walcharen in November 1944.

The day started with the unveiling of a commemorative plaque, at Beach Bank, Criccieth, immediately below the large house 'Llety', which served as Kieffer's headquarters during the war. This was followed by a group photograph.

The plaque is the only such monument in the UK to the Free French commandos, and as Commandant Roty in his address put it so well "...in Criccieth today, the hometown of the Free French commandos".

We then moved up to the Memorial Hall, where a French flag was raised by the Commando Kieffer, and a short ceremony was carried out by the Reverend Sue Williams, Padre to the British Legion. Commandant Roty made a short but moving address. Wreaths were laid from the families of the Free French Commandos, from the citizens of Criccieth, and from the Commando Veterans Association, represented by Patrick Churchill. The ceremony concluded with the Welsh, British and French national anthems.

Extracts from Commandant Roty's address.

"Nothing had been prepared or organised for them here; nothing had been adapted to host a military garrison. However the citizens of Criccieth (the parents and grandparents of those present here, and of many others) immediately engaged to support these young men in their mission to continue their training, and prepare for the ultimate battle. They opened their doors to these young Frenchmen, and shared their tables. They did what was possible and necessary to support them, whilst they were far from, and out of contact with, their families in occupied France. They provided a home-from-home, and a refuge from the hard training and the loneliness that would otherwise have engulfed them".

"So today I want to express my gratitude to you, the citizens and community of Criccieth, for what your families and your town did for us some 74 years ago. As you may know, many of those young men that you hosted took part in the first landings on D-Day.
177 men of the Kieffer Commando were the first to land on Sword Beach at Ouistreham, alongside their British comrades in No. 4 Commando. So Criccieth was an important milestone towards what they accomplished later in the War, and we can consider that through them, Criccieth also played a part in D-Day and the liberation of France".

"It is entirely fitting that we have just unveiled in this town, facing the sea from whence they came to the UK, and from whence they returned to liberate their homeland, and next to the house which was their war-time headquarters, the only commemorative site in the UK to the Free French commandos".

A reception followed in the Memorial Hall, where an exhibition had been mounted, with panels explaining the origins and training of the Free French commandos, their 10 month stay in Criccieth, and their participation in the Dieppe raid in August 1942 (their only action during their time in Criccieth). The military odyssey of Raymond Rabouhans was illustrated with photographs and documents pertaining to his service in the Marine Nationale before the war, the FNFL and the Free French Commandos. And finally a brief biography of each of the Free French Commandos represented was displayed.

In the afternoon, a small group met in Llanystumdwy, a small village 3 km from Criccieth, and the site of a famous photograph taken in the summer of 1942, of Kieffer and his men on a route march through the village. The original photograph was recreated with the places of Kieffer, Trépel, Morel and Lanternier taken by their sons or daughters. A unique and moving moment for all those involved.

The day concluded with a dinner in the Memorial Hall, to the accompaniment of the Welsh harp and piano, played by 10 year old Emma Buckley.

This commemorative day was blessed by magnificent weather, under which the French flag flew from Criccieth Castle.

The following morning (Sunday) a few hardy souls braved the driving rain for a ramble through 'Commando country', where the commandos trained during the war. We followed the Watkin Path, as far as the Gladstone rock, past the ruined house, Plas Cwm Llan, where the bullet-scarred walls are testament to its use in the war for training in urban warfare.

All in all a unique and memorable occasion. For the most part, those families who came to Criccieth were meeting for the first time. We came as strangers but left as friends, bound by our common links to the Free French commandos, and our gratitude to and respect for our fathers and grand-fathers, to whom we owe our present freedoms and way of life.

The plaque was commissioned, and the reunion was arranged by the son Noël, and daughters Marie-Louise and Annette, of Raymond Rabouhans. We would like to thank the many people in Criccieth, without whose enthusiastic support, our little project would never have got off the ground, let alone been the great success it proved to be.

I am pleased to report that Patrick Churchill will represent No. 4 Commando and the CVA at Criccieth, accompanied by his wife Karin and son Frank.

Thanks are due to Bill Harvey for re-posting my message on Facebook.