units in the commandos

hi can anyone tell me how i can find out what unit my dad was in the commandos, i have is army records but it does not say what unit it says he joined no6 commando in 1943 but further along it says TOS no1 cdo it also mentions NO3 CDO but nothing about any unit and why different commando numbers when he joined no6, also what is the 1939/1943 star medal he was awarded and can i get a replacement as i have never seen one at home , BY GUM HE MUST HAVE BEEN GOOD I WILL STILL BE LOOKING INTO THIS WHEN I AM 90 BUT ITS FANTASTIC :) thankyou for any help maz

Maz.The 1939-1945 Star was awarded for service between 3rd September 1939 and 2nd September 1945. Qualifying period was six months active operational service. Unlike medals of WW1 unfortunately medals issued in WW2 were no personalised and originals can be bought for between £10 and £15. He should also have had the Defence Medal and the 1939-1945 War Medal. And could well have more Star Medals depending on theater of operation, e.g Burma Star.

Kevin

Maz,
With regards to the '39-'45 Star please see the link:

http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceFor/Veterans/Medals/19391945Star.htm

You can get a replacement for about £15 but not from MoD - unless the original has been stolen or destroyed,

Service Personnel and Veterans Agency wrote:"Replacing campaign medals

Medals for campaign service are supposed to be treasured possessions, reflecting service to one's country and awarded by The Sovereign on behalf of a grateful nation. While their market value is often only superficial (though some can be quite valuable, parcticularly awards for gallantry), the recipient is expected to treat them with care and be mindful of their security. In view of this, once medals are issued they become the sole responsibility of the original recipient, or his/her next of kin. They will not, therefore, be replaced by the MOD if they are lost. The only exception to this rule is if the medals are stolen or accidentally destroyed beyond the control of the owner, for example in a house fire. In these cases the MOD may replace the medal if proof of the loss is provided in the form of a Police Report or a claim to an insurance company. A charge is made for medals that are replaced to cover the cost of manufacture and a nominal charge for administration. It should be noted that in many cases the replacement medals will be stamped as such to avoid confusion with the originals should they ever be found. For those who have lost their medals in circumstances other than this, please do not apply to the MOD for replacements. In these cases it is recommended you approach a reputable medal dealer to obtain them (look in Yellow Pages). In most cases you will be surprised at how reasonably priced campaign medals are. Some people have suggested that second hand medals from a commercial supplier are less original than replacements bought from the MOD. This is not necessarily so. It should be borne in mind that the MOD does not hold vast stocks of new, un-issued medals dating back 50 years. The Royal Mint is still manufacturing medals for Second World War campaign service and supplies the medal offices in batches. Replacement medals will probably be of very recent manufacture, rather than date back to the late 1940s, so medals purchased from a commercial medal dealer may be, in fact, no more or less "original" than those supplied by the MOD."

This is one of many companies that offer replacement medals:
http://www.awardmedals.com/index.php?cPath=40

For your information, your father's original medal would not have had his name, rank or number engraved on it.

Regards,
Nick

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 16/07/2008 23:28:37

I see Kevin was a little quicker than I was in replying...
Have to disagree with him on one point -

Kevin wrote:He should also have had the Defence Medal

Not necessarily...

MoD wrote:

The 1939-45 Defence Medal

Ribbon

Flame coloured in the centre flanked by stripes of green to symbolise enemy attacks on Britain's green and pleasant land, with narrow black stripes to represent the black-out.

Criteria

The Defence Medal was awarded for non-operational service. This type of service in the UK included those service personnel working in headquarters, on training bases and airfields and members of the Home Guard. Home Guard service counts between the dates of 14 May 1940 and 31 December 1944. The Defence Medal was also awarded for non-operational service overseas, for example in India or South Africa.

The table below shows the qualifying time required depending on the area served.

Area

Time required
UK 1080 days
Overseas non-operational 360 days

Overseas non-operational in an area deemed to be closely threatened or subject to air attack
180 days

Nick

Maz,
In your first post on the CVA you told us that your dad was with the HLI (Highland Light Infantry) - that was his (parent) unit/regiment.

He must have then volunteered to become a Commando and, after training, was Taken on Strength (TOS) with No 6 Cdo...

It was not uncommon for trained commandos to be Struck off Strength (SOS) from one commando formation and TOS with another [in this case from No6 to No1 and then, possibly, to No3)

But his parent or home unit/regiment was still HLI - he would have worn the HLI cap badge and received his pay through them too!

Basically, the commandos were only 'attached to' or on 'temporary duty' with the Commando formations...

Hope this helps?

Regards,
Nick

This message was edited 8 times. Last update was at 17/07/2008 13:00:55

Maz,

Let me just say that what you have from the MOD is a 'summary' of your fathers service record it is not a complete transcription. We will possibly see the release of the orginal documents in a few decades time.

I assume by what you mean by "unit" is Troop? Each Army Commando was organised in 1943 into five troops. To establish which troop your father served can be a very difficult task, in the old days all one had to do was write a letter to the forerunner of this association and all details would be given. Sadly the chaps who used to reply to those letters are no longer with us. The best way I have found is a very long slog but is very rewarding. You need to cross reference the dates on your MOD letter in regards commando's served to the what is called the War Diary. Each Commando has a war diary and in there many names of Commandos are listed including which troops they belonged to. I cannot comment on No.1 or No.6 Commando war diaries since I have not seen them, but 3 Commando diary is very detailed.

From previous topics on this forum I would assume that there are people here who do hold copies of the war diaries so you might try finding those posts and then contacting those individuals through this forum. If you have no luck I`m afraid a trip to London is required and you must handle the war diaries yourself at the National Archives.

Its worth a look because I can guarantee your father will be mentioned due to his wound. That will be discussed in detail in the war diary.

The other remote possibility are the Commandos histories, however so very often only the most senior officers are mentioned and OR's are only included if they did something very heroic, even then there is no guarantee of a mention in the books.

Good luck with your research.

Hi Maz
My father was in No1 Commando and I am currently researching his time with this unit, as part of that research I am planning a visit to the National Archive at Kew to view the afore mentioned war diaries hopefully later this summer. If you send me your fathers full name etc I will keep an eye out for any mention of him. I am hoping to try and copy as many of the No1 diaries as I can, or am allowed to do.

Cheers Andy

This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 18/07/2008 09:28:18

Andy,

May I suggest before you visit the TNA please consider buying or hiring a digital camera. Many people to avoid high copying costs at the TNA take digital photographs of the pages of war diaries. You may be able to help other people on the forum and also it saves a repeat visit.

......oh and when you do take the camera make sure your well stocked up on solid state memory for the camera. The war diary may be very detailed, some months can be 60 + pages in length for some commandos, thats 60 + photos. Solid state memory for camera's is cheap enough these days.

It is possible to order specific extracts from the diary if you so wish through the TNA web site, although I have not had much success with this.

Hi
Thanks for the advice, sounds like a good plan, will definately take a digi camera with me and possibly a small tripod to guarantee accuracy and quality.
If you can think of any other tips that may be of use, please do let me know.

Many thanks
Andy

Dont forget to mention at the circulation desk that you will be using a digital camera. They will then provide you with the correct facilities and thus ensure you do not annoy anyone.

Another reason why we use digital cameras is not just the cost (a copy of the full diary would cost you in the region of several hundred pounds) but also the long wait for copying.

All good stuff again many thanks

Andy