Messages posted by: bowtr

Hi,

I wonder if anyone would be able to identify any of the RM NCO s in this photo please? Possibly 48 Commando but not certain. My Grandad is second from the left on the top row.

Thanks,
Ian

Thanks John,

I'll keep you informed, you've made my day as well.

Ian

Hiya John,

I've just spoke to Mark and he says hello.

While we were speaking, he also asked me to post this up as it's the knife he used for reference as well as some dimensions we downloaded. He asked if you recognised it, as its the one you bought him from a surplus store when he was after one, seeing as it was the time of the Falklands War etc and the shop wouldn't sell him one.
He also mentioned that you put it alongside your father's Fairbairn Sykes for a comparison, but that he couldn't remember whether it was a 1st or 2nd pattern?

Small world indeed.
Ian

Hiya John,

Yeah, I know Mark well. It was him who made the knife and who the bow that I made is for.

I remember him saying he used to Judo, so I'll pass on your regards if you like?

I've added a photo of us all at a display we did a couple of years back in Brittany. Obviously you'll recognise Mark and I am in the red in the back row, with Scott who passed away to my right. It was Scott who passed away almost exactly a year away that sort of started things rolling and why I am raising money for Macmillan Nurses alongside Not Forgotten as both he and my Grandad died from lung cancer.
At the end of the day it started out as just an excuse for me to go to Achnacarry and it's sort of snowballed from there. I'm just looking forward to it as I've wanted to go for years.

Three weeks away. We're doing it with bergens and the weight, although the hour deadline is a bit optimistic. If anyone's interested I will keep this updated and post some pics from along the way?
I've managed to pick up a couple of genuine WWII Commando bergens and others have got some modern ones. As we are not Commandos but longbow archers in our 30's and 40's, we've decided not to wear berets or insignia apart from our version of a combined arms patch which only those going will get. One of us is taking his fathers old beret rolled up in his epaulette as he was also an RM Commando and spookily enough was in the same unit as my Grandad just after the war.
We're doing it from the station to the castle and hopefully getting a look round the museum when we get there.

A few of us from The English Warbow Society are going to do the march from Spean Bridge to Achnacarry for charity. It started out because I wanted to visit anyway as my Grandad had trained there with (as far as I can assess) 48 Commando.
Then a close friend in the society died from cancer last year as did my Grandad, so a few mates asked if they could come along and we'd do it for charity. Therefore we are going to do it for the Not Forgotten charity and a few of us are doing it for other personal beneficiaries such as MacMillan nurses, but I digress.
My friend Mark who makes medieval Rondel and Bollock Daggers, has made a 1st Pattern Fairbairn Sykes fighting knife for me in exchange for a new bow, so I thought I'd post the photos up.

Regards,
Ian

sjb007 wrote:Hi Jeff

My father (William Baker EX1278(T)) also joined at Exton on 29 January 1940 and held this service number until 31 December 1945. He then went into the RFR for his 12 year service with a CHB Service No. (Chatham Class B). His war time service record shows him as a Tradesman (Driver, I believe) and possibly the T therefore stands for Tradesman, or perhaps Transport?

Best wishes
Sarah

I was told that the 'T' stands for Technical, indicating that he had been trained in a certain area?

A worthwhile book for you is D-Day Commando by Ken Ford. It helped me pin down my Grandad to 48 RM Commando as it overlapped most of the places he went prior to his commando service. These included sailing to Durban as part of the MNBDO then up the African east coast to Egypt and North Africa, then Scicily, before being recalled to Britain and Achnacarry and then into Normandy.

NIC wrote:other MNBDO Info:

SHIP............Location...................Function

MARTIAL.........Alexandria (Egypt).....MNBDO Depot Ship

MASHOBRA......Narvik (Norway).......MNBDO Base ship

MENACE...........Portsmouth..............MNBDO2 Base Ship

Nick

Hiya,
I know my Grandad Bert was on the Mashobra. I've put a picture of it in the thread with his name (Bert Coote)

http://www.commandoveterans.org/cdoForum/posts/list/15/1401.page

My Dad's also got a pair of binoculars that he had while he was on it. Last week when I was visiting my parents, my Dad was telling me how my Grandad was up somewhere near the bridge when some shrapnel for an explosion cut his chinstrap and hit the man next to him, which I think killed him.
I remember watching The World at War as a kid when it was covering the battle for Norway. At one point there was some footage from a circling ship that was taken from a German plane. My Grandad was watching it with me and until that point had said nothing relating to it, but then suddenly remarked 'at about that point I was jumping off it' which surprised me a bit. I think this must have been the Mashobra.
I also know he was off the coast of Egypt as I remember him telling me how they used to swim round the ships in dock for fun and nearly took a bite out of the biggest turd he had ever seen when he was going to take a breath. That pretty much sums him up, he just used to tell me the odd funny thing and snippets of places he had been when talking in passing, which is now helping me piece it all together.
I've just bought a copy of D-Day Commando-From Normandy to the Maas with 48 Commando by Ken Ford and it preety much ties in with everything I knew about his time in the Marines including the MNBDO and visiting South Africa.
It also explains about the Ardennes Offensive as my Dad can remember saying he was pulled into it to bolster support, but until the book, I could find nothing about it.
I think I'm finally getting there and everything is falling into place, such as him having Blondie Hasler as a C.O. when he was with Fortress Unit etc.
There's loads I wish I had asked. I don't want to know about the blood and gore etc. Just to know a bit more.

Ian

Hiya,
I think I've pretty much nailed my grandad down to 48 Commando. I know he was at Le Havre and also visited Durban as he made moves towards emigrating to South Africa after the war. If you want to swap any information, I would be glad to do so.
Thanks,
Ian

bowtr wrote:I was looking through the photos from Achnacarry and think this may be my Grandad....

The photo says it is of an unknown course. I know my Grandad was a RM Commando and most likely 41 Commando if this helps? Were soldiers from different Commandos on the same course, or were they mixed?

Ian

I've just come back to looking at some research on this and I think it may be a photograph of 48 Commando. Can anyone confirm this?
Thanks,
Ian

Hiya Nick,

Well if it can be established that this is a photo of 41 Commando or any other for that matter, it would help me a great deal as I still don't know if it was 41 Commando that he was in. I've also got some photos of him with his comrades on here. I thought I'd already posted them up, but it may be in another section? I'll dig them out and put them up if it helps anyone.

Thanks,
Ian

I was looking through the photos from Achnacarry and think this may be my Grandad....

The photo says it is of an unknown course. I know my Grandad was a RM Commando and most likely 41 Commando if this helps? Were soldiers from different Commandos on the same course, or were they mixed?

Ian

Hiya,

Not sure if it's relevant but I know my Grandad was in the MNBDO and I know he did visit South Africa. Here's the link to the thread if anything on his service record helps with your research.

http://www.commandoveterans.org/cdoForum/posts/list/15/1401.page#12753

thanks,

Ian

Thanks for that Mike,

I'll let you know how I get on.

regards,

Ian