Messages posted by: craig summerhill

Looking to see if there is an official nominal roll for 45 in existence. Mums dad was in 45, I have re applied for his records from R.M.
ORiginally applied 20 years ago, but his basic details were sent out, found out I couldn?t have full service details as he hadn?t been deceased for 25 years.
Any info on Troop numbers, names would be appreciated.
I have identified him in the photo collection of Sgt Noakes MM, R.M. As in 45.
Name is Cpl Jack Wiliams. PO/ X 111957. Portsmouth rating. Also served in HMS Oddyssey and NP1749.

I have just acquired an edition 3 dagger in need of TLC, point of blade is missing, and it has a wooden handle, anyone have any info on why wooden handles.
Collecting Wednesday hopefully.
Any info greatly appreciated.

The photo shows the sea service navy blue beret with the red backing behind the globe and laurel cap badge, probably before the commando service, I have read that when the units disbanded the marines had to revert back to the ser service beret.

I believe all marines were discharged from there division on demob which would have Been Portsmouth.

What dates do you have for Oddyssey ? And what date did he discharge I will compare to my grandfathers I will post the photo I found of my grandfather

Interesting as my grandfather was a PO/X 111958 a Portsmouth division marine, he has HBL which is a shore base or Home Base Ledger in the UK.
MNBDO II is a mobile naval base defence organisation and there history is on the Royal Marines museum site, Oddyssey is the Collingwood Hotel in Ilfracombe it no longer exists ! It is listed as an admin office for naval parties, however there seems to be more to the name than it says.
I recently found out my grand father was in 45 he never spoke much about it and he died age 54 but my gran always said he was on D,Day with Lord Lovatt in 45 commando and was piped ashore by Piper Bill Millin.
I have a thread on here for PO/X 111957 Corporal JT Williams if it helps you out. And he was also discharged from Ports Div in 1946 where his CO was. Cowley Way.

Hope this helps

Update on identifying which unit my late grandfather served in during the Second World War as a royal marine commando, I found a photo in the 45 commando gallery of someone who resembled him however the photo was a bit dark and difficult to identify as him.

I have emailed the photo to the black dot imaging company and had the photo colourised and enhanced, this along with a few long lost family photos we have recently found have been compared and we can now star that we have found him as a commando in 45 Royal Marines Commando as we were told by my late grandmother many years ago as part of lovatts brigade, currently re-applying for his service docs as the ones we had from DRORM were not the complete papers.

18 years I have searched for a photo of him in his green beret and my mission is complete, I also now have photos of him from his early days in the marines, when the colourised photo without the watermark is sent to me I will attach.

Photo taken in Jeddah Saudi Arabia 1970s when my grandfather Cpl J.T. Williams (PO/X111957) Royal Marines worked for Lockheed the bar was built as a project in the rest room and reflected his time in the marines.

My grandfather photo taken outside his parents house during the war, in No1 dress blues.

Great photo,

that is a commando green beret your grandfather is wearing, all other Royal Marine ranks wore a blue beret with red backing behind the cap badge, your story is very similar to mine little dits and stories passed on about recce behind the lines, D.DAY landings with Lord Lovat, training in Scotland at Fort William Area, I have a photo of my grandfather in his No1 dress blues taken in the war years and one taken in the 70s behind the bar he had built in Saudi Arabia in the Lockheed compound where he worked, unfortunately he didn't speak to much about his time in the war unless a drop of rum was involved.

His service papers are vague and mention HMS Oddyssy and NP1749 ( Germany ANCXF) I can remember seeing commando flashes in a tin with his medals which I now have along with cap badges and a brass union locket( parade belt buckle) and a commando lapel badge.

We also had a green beret which has been lost years ago unfortunately but I have scanned all the photos in the gallery and think I have found him in the 45 commando collection in the photo gallery which would tie in with the Lovat connection as 45 came under Lovat.

Regards Craig.

Jamie.
I have been researching for 10 years and it isn't easy, but its realy good reading about the units and there roles, once you have the service docs post on here and you will no doubt get replies, yes not all marines were commando, if you have access to James Ladds book By Sea and Land its a comprehensive history of the corps since before the war and a must read,

keep us posted..

The service number is a Royal Marine number indicating he was in the Chatham Division, hence the CH/X at the start of his service number other divisions were PLY/X for Plymouth Div, and PO/X -Portsmouth division, the series of numbers indicate he was a hostilities only marine who joined for the duration of the war, but im sure there are many others on here with more info to offer.
Do you have his service papers that would be a good start to finding out his background, hope this helps.

CH/X105444 is the service number of a Royal Marine from the Chatham Division, the CH/X standing for Chatham, other divisions were PO/X - Portsmoth Div, PLY- Plymouth div, there is a good book by James Ladd called By Sea By Land - the authorised history of the Royal Marines Commandos a very good read with lots of info.
The R.M Engineer commando was formed as demolitions and assault engineers in 1943, HQ; holding troop and 2 x fighting troops(RMcirc 1303/43G dated 26th November 1943) by June 1944 there were 180 all ranks, forming a small HQ with a training troop these were re-organised for the Normandy invasion with HQ and training troop in the UK, one section with 1st Special Service Brigade, one section with 4 Special Service Brigade and six Landing craft obstruction clearance units.

1st section of 39 ranks landed on D,Day commanded by a lieutenant at H+75 minutes to demolish bridges

Do you have your Grandfathers service docs as they could be a great help to other on the forum who are researching family members.

Hope this little bit of info helps, also look at the R.M Historical society and the book named above.

Regards. Craig.

Yes my grandfather was a commando he trained at Achnacarry Scotland in 1943, my gran told me he came home on leave with a green beret after being advised never to volunteer for anything !! was in a camp in Southampton prior to D.Day landings went ashore with Lord Lovats brigade, unfortunately he would only talk about it now and then to my dad, so I am going off what the family knew and tories related to me from my gran.
I have only one photo of him wearing his beret and that was taken in a R.M Bar he built in Saudi Arabia in the early seventies when he worked for lockheeds the other photo he is wearing his dress blues probably just after passout.
I have a thread on here for Cpl Jack Williams POX/111957 have a read there is some good stuff on there.

Regards..

Your grandfathers papers are almost identical to my grandfathers except for place of enlistment, my grandfather enlisted at Fort Cumberland ( RMTTD) and the theatre of operations was Europe not the far East.

On the question of berets there is an extract in a book called " THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS CLEAN" written by a former 48 Commando Royal Marines veteran who was posted to a non commando unit where they insisted they wear the blue beret not the green one, and after a protest they were moved to an army commando on attachment, in later years an associate of mine who was a 22 year R.M Commando said that if they went to sea service they had to remove the commando flashes and wear R.M flashes.

I have been researching for years on my grandfather and am slowly putting a picture together ( he didn't talk much of what he went through) but he did tell my dad he was on D. Day with Lord Lovat, witnessed the liberation of Belsen and saw a high ranking German General commit suicide by taking a pill, having researched this it appears 30 Assault unit caught Himmler and he swallowed a cyanide pill and they threw a blanket over him and cracked on.

Keep up the research mate its interesting stuff, may well be worth a visit to the Corps museum..

Just read your grand fathers service record the last commanding officer he had was Joseph Cowley Way who commanded the Portsmouth division where a lot of marines who were from that division would have demobbed into civvy street, my grandfather was demobbed from Portsmouth as a class A and his last C.O was JH Cowley Way, this was after his return from Europe where he was attached to NP1749 which was the naval HQ for the Minden area, there were also 2 Royal Marine Commando (47,48) units there to look after the HQ this was in the Minden area, 30 year after this my uncle was in the same barracks with the infantry.
interesting stuff keep the posts coming.

Regards...

Just read your threads on your grandfathers service!! I noticed your grandfathers service number, my grandfathers service record is POX/111957 so not far in front of your grandfather the POX indicates they were in the Portsmouth division, and the photo does look like a green beret, cannot see any red tombstone as you call it !!! the blue beret was for the naval service marines or non commando trained, if you left a commando unit to go to a sea service unit you had to swop berets.

As for the service documents being vague I am going through the same issue as you at the moment vague papers (copies) and only memories told to me by relatives about D.Day and Achnacarry, Belsen and time in Germany.

Good luck with your search I looked for months on here and think I have found my grandfather in Germany but the picture is a bit pixelated but it definitely looks like him.