Messages posted by: Pete Keane

Sorry to appear dim - is it the second name down on the list?

It looks like T*NTON ?

Funny, but I know every single one of the buildings mentioned, but never a clue about the history.
The brewery became the home of dartmouth pottery, that closed a few years back and it has now been split up into million pound apartments.
The area over Warfleet bridge is likewise a playground for the rich.

Next time I am there i will pick up a few photo's.

We owned a pub in Stoke Fleming, I wonder if any of the lads lodged there - what a thought!

I understand 1 Commando were reformed in Dartmouth, but does anyone know where?

Naval College looks most likely, but wondered if anyone knows?

I'm down there a lot, I am hoping to pop into the museum and take a look at their photo library.

Regards

Pete.

The service records of Royal marines who enlisted up-to 1936 are now available online at:

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/royalmarines.asp

Regards

Pete.

Mona,

Take a look at the info. on the forum front page - you need to start by applying for his service record - full name, date of birth are minimum required - you can download the application form from the verterans website.

I assume he survived the war? Ironically, its harder to track down the living than the dead.

Are there any photo's, medals - anything tangible really.

What makes the family think he was a commando - do they have any idea what his first regiment was?

Regards

Pete.

Although not an expert on either the Marines or uniforms in general, I would hazard a guess that the middle photo is the oldest - did he join the navy as a seaman and then transfer or re-join as a marine?

The bottom photo is his battledress, whilst the top photo is his dress uniform - did he become an officer, as it looks like a pip on his eppaulette?

I assume you have his service card? Does it carry more than one service number, if he left and re-joined he may have two service cards?

Regards

Pete

From a chindit website - the 5th Kings ( a chindit unit) joined the 2/4 lancs in April 1945 for a 500 mile march on Rangoon !

I reckon he served with the 2/4 Lancs throughout, not a commando unit.

I've still got to confirm all this, but I have come a long way in few short weeks.

Will let you know the final outcome - I have also come across some very good sites for research, I will make sure they are all posted up.

Cheers

Pete

Thinking about it, he may have been training at No.1 Combined Training School , this was at Inverary and was for training as you describe.
See www.combinedops.com

Good luck

Pete.

www.firepower.org.uk this is the website for the RA museum, maybe they can help with info on the units, and where they were on the dates mentioned.

I seem to be on a bit of a roll at the moment !

I have pieced together the following dateline, and spoke to my uncle again - if I'm heading in the right direction then its possible Jim trained as a Commando in Scotland, or went to Burma with the South Lancs.

Jim was in the South Lancs in Nov. 1942 (from clipping)

In March 1943 the South Lancs trained at Inverary, home of the Combined Training Centre.

In July 1943 the 13th Battalion (Lancashire) Parachute Regiment was formed and trained at Ringway, Manchester - this was raised from volunteers from the 2/4 South Lancs.

Jim said he was in Scotland, and volunteered for parachute training because it was close to home (Salford).

When he sailed for India, he sailed down the Clyde (not Liverpool). The ship stopped off at Cape Town. The South Lancs sailed from Liverpool, via Freetown.

My uncle tells me that Jim then did 'Commando' training in India.

Jim told my dad that he parachuted into combat with the Chindits.

I am hamstrung at the moment by the lack of his service record, but will work on that next week.

Commando units were also trained at Inverary (250,000 men were) so this is still on the cards, but it is a big coincidence his mother regt. was there at a similar time?

Should be busy next week.

This is the other photo I now have:

It is Jim on the right, and a colleague on the left - my uncle thought it was Stan Pearson, but it isn't.

The background is, I think, a backdrop. I had hoped to pick some more clues, but unless someone recognizes either of them then, in clue terms, its a dead end.......however........I now have a good quality photo of Jim, which is light years ahead of where I was two weeks ago, plus the clipping which came out of the blue.

Spoke to the Central Library in Manchester - they have the newspapers there, going to coerce my Uncle to go in and see if he can find the picture and see if there was any text or story with it.

Regards

Pete

Thats brilliant !

I think the paper was a Manchester one (hopefully Manchester Evening News as it still exists...) so I will follow that lead - hopefully they will have a copy of the paper, see if there was any associated text.

I think the photo shows a section of South Lancs troops, it is a local paper after all, which if it is the case means I can stop searching earlier records & photo's.

Some of the things I am looking for I doubt I will ever find, but some I have uncovered ie jim was a real sportsman, boxing, rubgy & soccer - he said he played alongside a Man Utd player for his regt. - i have managed to identify this as Stan Pearson, Utd & England player under Busby, he was a territorial in the 2/4 South Lancs !

I'm pleased I am connecting folklore to fact, just be glad when the army records arrive!

I have managed to get hold of a newspaper clipping showing Jim

Not great quality - I only know its him because my great-uncle cut it out of the paper when it was published.

I am trying to date the clipping (how hard does this have be!), and on the back is the following:

Not being overly familiar with timelines of WW2, it looks to me like the capture of vichy French territory in North Africa ? Can any give me any clues as to what the event was? I can then date the photo roughly.

Thanks

Pete

My dad remembers the Lancs Fusiliers, they were based in Bury at the Wellington(?) barracks and the yellow hackle was part of their hat badge. There was also a pub called the Prince of wales which showed their badge & hackle, apparently it represented his feathers. The suggestion would be that it was an honour bestowed by a prince of wales.

I cant imagine a unit using a hackle without recognition, maybe it was devised by members of the Fusiliers who were attached to 5 Commando?

Pete

Kevin, I have pm'd some info. to you.

Regards

Pete.