Henry (Harry) H G Day - 40 Commando 1950s

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 25/11/2024 22:33:45

Hi all,

I have been trying to track down anymore information I can find on my fiancee's late grandfather, Henry Day, although he was always known as Harry.

What we do know is that he served in X Troop, 40 Commando during the early years of the Malayan Emergency. He never spoke of his time in the Marines and so we don't even really know from when and too he served, it's very possible that he was just doing his National Service.

We also know, as he had written this down himself, was that he was a member of a patrol on 2nd April 1951, which was ambushed and resulted in the deaths of the patrol commander, Lt James Coop, and a Cpl Ryder. Marine Harry Day (my fiancees grandfather) was the only other injury, however we don't know the nature of that injury. There has always been a general knowledge in the family that Harry was wounded in the eye, and he certainly had sight problems in one eye for as long as anyone knew him.

I have reason to believe that this patrol was also the one where an Iban tracker decapitated the one enemy who was killed in the ambush, which later led to the media storm that surrounded the routine beheadings of enemy fighters by the British paid Iban tribesmen.

What I would like would be to find some sort of record of the injuries taken by Harry Day during that patrol, plus any general information about X Troops activities around that time. And if anyone can point me to any more information about Harry Days Marine service, that would be much appreciated.

Harry Day is the marine standing in the bow of the boat in this image.