Commando Signals

I have transcribed a section from the book The Royal Corps of Signals By Cliff Lord, Graham Watson which amongst other specialist signal units contains information relating to the Army and Royal Marine WWII Commando Signal units of which my father served.

Commando Signals

What follows is a brief account of British Army Commando Signal Units from 1940 ? 1945.

7.1940 ? Special Service Brigade Signal Section
1.1943 - Commando Signal Troop
11.1943 ? 1 Special Service Brigade Signals
11.1944 ? 1 Commando Brigade Signals
1946 ? disbanded

5.1943 ? 2 Special Service Brigade Signals
11.1944 ? 2 Commando Brigade Signals
1946 ? disbanded

8.1940 ? The Royal Marine Division Signal Company
11.1943 ? HQ Special Service Group Signal Company
11.1944 ? HQ Commando Group Signal Company

8.1940 ? 102 Royal Marine Brigade Signals
11.1943 ? 3 Special Service Brigade Signals
1974 ? 3 Royal Marine Brigade Signals

8.1940 ? 101 Royal Marine Brigade Signals
11.1943 ? 4 Special Service Brigade Signals
11.1944 ? 4 Commando Brigade Signals
1946 ? disbanded

The involvement of Royal Signals personnel with the Commando forces began in the summer of 1940 when a section of two officers, 5 NCOs and 20 Signalmen came together under the command of Lieutenant John Leahy, R. Signals. For the most part, the initial work of the Special Service Brigade Signal Section was concerned with training in the west of Scotland and in the development of new equipment, although Commando Signallers did take part in the raid on Vaagso Islands, off the coats of Norway on 27th December 1941. The Signal Section was expanded to 5 officers and 100 men in 1942, and detachments supported the raids on Bruneval in February 1942, and in Dieppe in August 1942, and took part in Operation Torch in November 1942 and in the subsequent operations in Tunisia through into 1943. A challenging problem which faced the Commando Signallers was the development of Signal Support for the No. 10 Inter-Allied Commando, a uniquely polyglot unit which consisted of French, Belgian, Dutch, Norwegian and Polish troops.

The further expansion of Commando Signals commenced in May 1943, when a Signal Section was formed to support the Commandos role in operation Misty, the invasion of Sicily in July 1943. In November 1943, following the establishment of the Special Service Group, the existing commando units were re-formed into four Special Service Brigades. The 1 Special Service Brigade was formed in the UK from existing Royal Marine Commando units and it took part in the D-Day landings in Normandy in June 1944, and in the attack on the Siegfried Line and the Rhine crossing in 1945. The 2 Special Service Brigade was formed in Italy, and took part in the Anzio landings in January 1944, operated in the Aegean, and in April 1945 played a decisive role in the battle of the Argenta gap in Northern Italy. The Signal Companies for both of these Brigades remained Army organisations. The 3 Special Service Brigade operated along the Arakan coast of Burma, while the 4 Special Service Brigade landed at Normandy on D-Day plus one, where it joined 1 Brigade, and it then landed on Walcheren on 1st November 1944.

The Royal Marine Division had been disbanded in 1943, and its headquarters became the administrative headquarters for an all-commando force. The Royal Marine manned Signal Units of the 101 and 102 Royal Marine Brigades became the Signal Companies for the 4 and 3 Special Service Brigades respectively.
In 1946, the wartime commando resources were concentrated in the 3rd Royal Marine Commando Brigade, which has since operated worldwide. The Brigade moved from the Far East to Malta in June 1947. It moved to Hong Kong in August 1949, and then on to Malaya in June 1950. It returned to Malta in March 1952, only to be sent to the troubled Suez Canal Zone a few months later. Another sojourn in Malta lasted until April 1961, when the Brigade moved to Singapore. During its ten years in the Far East, the Signal Squadron was heavily engaged in operations in Borneo.
Since December 1971, the Commando Brigade Signal Squadron has been based in Plymouth, from whence numerous exercises and operations have been mounted. In scale and intensity, the largest operation was the Falklands War in 1982. Commando Signals are also provided with regular training for arctic warfare, and heli-borne operations from assault carriers.

Heraldry and ceremonial:
Commando Signals wear the green beret of the Commandos. Signal Officers have a green backing on their wire-wove signals beret badge.
During the Second World War, commando signals wore two different types of signal badge. From March 1942, to June 1943, Special Service Brigade Signals wore a black square patch with a silver lightning bolt and dagger crossed with the letters S S on either side. Their patch was designed by A.J. Leahy, the first Commando Signals. This was replaced in July 1943 by a shoulder title with the words COMMAND SIGNALS in red on a navy blue background. This title was worn until mid 1945.
When the first Commandos were raised, their members wore no distinguishing badge. The bronze Royal Signals badge was unpopular with the volunteer signallers. The instrument mechanic of the original SS Brigade Signal Section altered his cap badge by sawing off the bronze ?Royal Corps of Signals? surrounding the figure of Mercury and rearranged the hooks so that it could be mounted in the new Commando green berets then being issued. This unofficial badge was approved by the OC and adopted by every member of the Commando Signals, and it was worn throughout the War.

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=031WegRPmM8C&pg=PA315&lpg=PA315&dq=special+service+brigade+signal+troop&source=web&ots=r8g5LxO_Gs&sig=PXeFYUN-vIFfO3GwS70Dw5QWF1M&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#PPA315,M1