No. 11 Commando - Uniform Insignia , Newfoundland soldiers in WW2 Brit Commando units.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 07/08/2022 14:54:23

Hi everyone,

need info please

Question 1: I?m wondering what No.11 (Scottish) Commando wore for insignia? tombstone style combined ops badge or circle? did they have No.11 in their shoulder title or just the word ?Commando? . They were the unit from the failed Operation Flipper (aka. Raid To Capture Rommel). Any photos or info would be fantastic.

Question 2. Also looking for info on Newfoundland soldiers that served in WW2 British Commando units, one such Newfoundlander was James Kearney who was part of the infamous Rommel raid.

Hope to hear from someone on both questions !

This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 08/08/2022 09:14:22

11 (Scottish) Commando wore no insignia, badges or flashes on their uniform all they had was a Black Hackle on the Tam o Shanters.

SA Abbott Gnr 970064.

A Holden Gnr (Possibly TT Holden 970131).

JF Kearney Gnr 970050 - POW - Operation Flipper.

JA Reynolds Gnr 970558.

MRN Wood Gnr 970158.

Their RA Attestations can be found on Find my Past apart from Holden. Their RA Unit was 57th (Newfoundland) Heavy Regiment Royal Artillery.

In 11 (Scottish) Commando they all served in 1 Troop, i believe around 20 volunteered but only 5 made the grade.

In Cyprus they were stationed with 6 Troop at Larnaca and moved to Salamis with 10 Troop after 6 weeks ( May and June) 1941.

1 Troop were part of Y Party and were the right hand troop when landing on C Beach in Syria during Operation Exporter and were with HQ Troop, their officers were Gerald Bryan A Section and B Section were led by Alistair Coode, they saw quite a bit of fighting there.

Kearney was the only one of the above on Operation Flipper the rest were returned to the UK on Layforces disbandment and as far as i know all survived the war. Kearney was part of 1 Detachment and they were to go to the supposed HQ, he was part of the covering party along with Varney, Hughes and Heavysides, oncde they withdrew to the beach and Laycock gave the order to make their own way out he along with Bogle, Brodie, Coultread, Dunn, Heavysides and Murray headed south towards Mekili where courtesy of some previous action with the LRDG they were alert and ended up in the bag.

Whats interesting is that Laycock reported that there were no signallers in the party which was not strictly true, there were two and also Kearney himself was a trained RA signaller.

Hope this wil be of some use.

Alan.

Alan, wonderful info. Thank you so much. Kearney survived the war. There is a book about him. hete is the lonk.

https://flankerpress.com/product/joseph-kearney-and-the-hunt-for-rommel

Would you know what insignia the 11th would have worn on their sleeve ?

Nothing at all, they would have been wearing the KD shirt so all one would have on them were rank chevrons.
Alan.

Alan, what about their typical battledress worn at home before missions? Trying to understand if it was a tombstone style combined ops patch or circle? and if their shoulder titles were ?No. 11 Commando?, or just ?Commando?. I?ve never seen an original removed from uniform ?No.11 Commando? shoulder title. Are there photos of No.11 Commando somewhere that i could see?

Combined Ops badges didn't come out until summer 42 well past the date of Layforces disbandment, they had no Commando insignia. Shoulder titles and patches or badges came later. There are images of 11 on this site, go to main menu head for gallery look into Commandos WW2 and 11 are on there. As far as I know shoulder titles in 1940 were discouraged for security reasons but some did wear them, for a tombstone a Black Hackle would be appropriate.
Alan.

After No.11 (Scottish) Commando was disbanded the men were then used to make up No. 3 Troop of Middle East Commando battalion. These were the men that went on Operation Flipper. I assume at nase their BD would have had a Me.Commando shoulder title combined ops patch (circle or tombstone?)

No, Comb. Ops badge was 1942, they never had them at all, the ME Comm badge was most likely for 50/51/52 Commando. The brass badge was also originally for 5051 and 52 but I have seen pictures of s chap from 8 Commando wearing one on his FS cap. No badges were worn.

Alan.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 08/08/2022 17:35:07

Here are some links to information that may be of interest:

Gallery for No.11 Commando: https://gallery.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/v/units/11/

Newspaper article about the Combined Operations patch: https://gallery.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/v/Commando+Badges+and+Memorabilia/Com+ops+badge/Comb+Ops+cutting.JPG.html

Joe Kearney: https://www.commandoveterans.org/JoeKearney_11Commando

And a photo of four from No.11 Commando from the gallery

This is one of the 63 Spaniards who were recruited into 50 Commando, he later served in the MEC, 1SSR and then left Special Forces. He wears the Tam o Shanter with Black Hackle which was adopted by MEC and shoulder titles also on hat is his brass 'fanny' badge.

what about epaulettes/pips on the tropical tunic? what colour were they ? was there a lanyard for the commandos and if so what colour? I?m putting together a display. i have an original 9th scottish tam with the black hackel and a tropical shirt. but not ssure about the epaulettes and lanyard. i am trying to do a display im my collection to honor Kearney.

Please let me know on the epaulettes/pips and lanyard.

thanks for all the great info! my email is [email protected]

The epaulettes were detachable fed through the loop where the shirts arm joins the body. They were if the overhead type with a 4 button placket and a double pleat at the back, the lanyards would be of their corps in the case of the RA it was white. You could also add if you wished a pair of RA cloth shoulder titles which slipped over the epaulettes, as he was a trained RA signaller he may have had the crossed flags badge of course this would have been pre Commandos. As long as the Tam looks like a cowpat in size you will be okay, the size has been severely reduced over the years. No pips as such. There kit would have been KD shirt and shorts, short putties with attached tapes, short socks and hosetops with garter, the tam and a khaki v neck pullover, along with a cap comforter, 37 Pattern webbing, the shirts had a double buckle fastening, two side pockets, one dressing pocket on the right front and 3 belt loops, the 1 at the back was off centre to the right, B5 Ammuntion boots with 25 studs, heel and toe irons.

Alan.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 08/08/2022 16:40:52

.. wow excellent knowledge Alan. So i just to clarify the slip on epaulettes would have been his rank chevrons, which I?m not sure of? I assume the epaulettes would have of tropical sand cloth in colour with his rank chevrons sewn. here is my tropical tunic.

and here is the 1939 broad arrow marked tam with black hackle.

Well the hats okay, the epaulettes would have been plane, any chevrons if rank would be on the arm but he was a gunner so no chevrons. The shirt is not correct, they wore a shirt with 2 pleated chest pockets and 4 buttons, it was one you had to pull on over your head like a jumper. The epaulettes would have been of the same colour. If you go to Soldier of Fortune website it will show you the uniform type he would have worn. If you want copies of his WO 417 files and his record if attestation let me know and I will send them to you.

Alan.