Messages posted by: GUY

Chris,
The photograph of your grandfather looks like it was taken in Alameda Botanic Gardens, Gibraltar. The camp was below the gardens, the car park for the cable car now occupies the site.
Guy

WO 417/79 casaulty list also confirms Crete.

Pete,
Brown is listed as Yorkshire Hussars R.A.C on all the war office casualty lists.

WO 417/27, listed as missing Crete 2/6/1941

WO361/1937, Prisoner of War, action logs of deaths and woundings; books 1-3, gives confirmation that he was shot while escaping.

Guy

Pete,

6088017 THOMAS Norman 2nd Battalion Queens Royal Regiment (West Surrey).

He appears on four War Office casualty lists, none of which list any Commando unit.
He is first listed as missing on Crete, 2/6/1941. He is the only soldier from 2nd Queens listed as missing on that day.

2nd Queens were sent to Crete on the Glenroy but were unable to effect a landing due to enemy air action.

http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/ww2/middle_east/qme008.shtml

Guy

EX/5515 Sergeant Henry William Hill MiD No.40 RM Commando Kia 11/4/45

http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1716633/HILL,%20HENRY%20WILLIAM

130871 Captain Harold Hammond Pennington Hampshire Regiment & 4 Commando Kia 28th March 1942
Obituary from Evening Express Thursday 25th March 1943

PLY/X 112140 Marine John Thomas Jones 41 RM Commando

http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2033930/JONES,%20JOHN%20THOMAS

Pete & Bill
Thank you for the additional information. It clarifies why he is photographed with a truck from the 4th Special Service Brigade.
Guy

5111581 Pte Samuel Watson Goff Royal Warwickshire Regiment & 4 Commando. Died of Wounds 10th June 1944.

http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2350352/GOFF,%20SAMUEL%20WATSON

Lewis Teasdale second from the left.

Lewis Teasdale 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment Palestine (on right)

Lewis Teasdale born 23rd June 1922, served with the West Yorkshire Regiment and 12 Commando. After the disbandment of 12 Commando, his subsequent Commando service is unclear.

He served in Normandy from 14th June 1944 until 8th September 1944 (87 days). He returned to North Western Europe on the 9th October 1944 and remained there until the 26th June 1945 (261 days)

He transferred to the 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment on the 4th January 1946 and served in Palestine from 24th March 1946 until 11th January 1948 (1 year & 294 days)
He is released from the Army Air Corps on the 14th April 1948 after 7 years and 63 days service with the colours.

He died in Rotherham in 1994.

The photograph that I have attached shows him stood in front of a vehicle of the 4th Special Service Brigade (The Arm of Service serial number is partially obscured by the Commando's hip)

Lewis Teasdale is on the right.

2073288 Cpl Hubert Jones Royal Engineers & 1 Commando Killed in Action 31st January 1945

http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2086522/JONES,%20HUBERT

Pete,
The file reference is;
WO417/50 Other Ranks 930-943

Beckett and Burns are listed in 938
Paterson in 943

Guy

Graham,

Would like the copies of the register entries for Burns, Beckett and Paterson?

Guy

Graham,

1 Commando and 1st US Rangers were training in the Dundee area throughout September 1942. Capatain Leonard Maxwell Harper-Gow attended the Dundee Royal Infirmary and signed the death register entries for the three men.

I would suggest this is strong evidence that Burns, Beckett and Paterson were attached to 1 Commando.
The 1 Commando war diary may have recorded the accident, I would be interested to know who the other four injured men were?

Guy