6 British Pathe films - 2 x training, 2 x Boulogne Raid, 1 x vaagso, 1 Spean Bridge

This message was edited 4 times. Last update was at 15/12/2009 13:22:44

Here are some links to some very good quality film footage by British Pathe - the commentaries can be very 'enthusiastic...

Commandos Training:
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=52990
Belgian Commandos training (post WWII):
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=62665
Commando Raid on Boulogne:
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=22606
Returning from Boulogne Raid:
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=22960
Commando Raid on Vaasgo:
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=22416
Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, unveils the Commando memorial at Spean Bridge:
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=30371

Nick

Hi Nic,

Very 'watchable'.

Harryj

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 26/10/2009 19:14:32

Nic,

Very good link indeed!

I have watched them closely and on the link "Commando raid on Boulogne" I noticed the blackend face of gunner Len Ruskin who went on the Dieppe raid in August 1942. Have a look at 0:53 to 0:56. I might be mistaken but I think it is him.

On the next link http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=60249 I noticed a very interesting thing!

I am currently reading the book "Stricking back" by Peter Masters. He was one of the members of 3 Troop of No. 10 (IA) Commando. In his book he mentions Maurice Latimer, whose original name was Moritz Levy, a Jewish socialist from the German Sudetenland. Latimer (Levy) had fought in the Spanish civil war in the international brigade on the loyalist side.

With a few men of 3 Troop he took part in the raid on Dieppe in August 1942. Attached to No 4 Special Brigade and more preciesly to 41 Royal Marine Commando for the invasion in Normandy, he was wounded: he broke his finger in the triggerguard of his Colt .45, when he hit a German over the head with it!

He was with 41 Cdo again during Operation Infatuate, the landings on Walcheren. In the town of Westkapelle a small unit of Germans held out in the light house, a tall tower on the end of the village. A friend of Latimer gave his tommy-gun to him and went forward shouting to the Germans to give up. Latimer went around the tower and got the Germans to surrender to him. In the book of Peter Master there is a photo of Latimer taking the Germans down the street in Westkapelle.

In the above link you can see Latimer at 2:05, carrying the mentioned tommy-gun and looking straight into the camera. I am quite sure it is him, as I recognized the German soldier next to him who is carrying some sort of a school bag. It is the same man and bag as on the photo in the book. The other Germans are also recognizable from the picture and the number of Germans is the same as on the link. The light house/tower can be seen in the next shot at 2:12!

There are more pictures of the Walcheren landings in this link: http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=23502

Hi Jack,

Thanks for that - some great observations there.
I have also noticed that a lot of well known 'stills' - some of which we have in our Gallery - must have been taken from these film clips.
I think these clips will also give us the answer to the question of identity of one particular commando, a still of whom was posted in a previous thread (all I've got to do now is find that original thread!)

Nick

The last clip at Breskins are not Commandos. The No4 Commandos wore Berets when landing and they went in a dawn. I would suggest that the clips are of the KOSB who wore helmets.

Bill