Messages posted by: NIC

Hi Darren,

Received this morning and at first glance there shouldn't be too much of a problem...

I could have saved you the postage as I was in Sandown on Friday!

Nick

Darren,

I have sent you a PM.

Nick

I'm pleased to say that Ken followed the Forum's Guidelines and approached me before posting.

Although 'The Danger of Life' is fiction, I'm sure that Ken has researched Achnacarry well and I imagine that there will be details in the book about the long history of Achnacarry Castle and Achnacarry House.

I look forward to reading it.

Nick

Hi Darren,

If you scan the records then you can email them to me - [email protected]

The reason I asked if your grandfather had a middle name is that we have three Deakins on the No.5 Nominal Roll -

Alf Deakin - who later changed his name to Hill.

Gnr Joseph Deakin.

Gnr John W Deakin.

Until you contacted us, nothing was known about the latter pair so I was just checking to make sure that Joseph and John weren't the same person but there had been a typographical error somewhere down the line... The presence of a middle name could have helped to prove that either way!

Nick

Hi Darren,

Unfortunately we don't have any photos of Joseph Deakin - that we know of!
Obviously, within the tens of thousands of photos we have in the CVA Gallery, there are many photos of commandos in our No.5 Commando Album, many of whom have not been identified.
Joseph may be one of those - we just don't know...

As a matter of course, we always urge relatives of commandos to look through our respective albums and if they spot their relation, to identify him to us, but we are fully aware that there are going to be many who will remain anonymous; however, they have been identified, for posterity, as commandos, albeit, anonymously!

I am assuming, that you are a relative(s) of Joseph's? In which case I would imagine that you're not going to give up with your research? Many of our members have learnt never to give up looking as often someone else will turn up a photo that has not been seen before.
After decades of searching and research into The Commandos, just a fortnight ago I happened upon half a dozen photos of my father - who was also in No.5 Cdo but he passed away 63 years ago - which I'd never seen before! If you do manage to find a photo of Joseph, would it be possible to have a copy for our archives.

If you're struggling with the Service Records and need them deciphered, I am happy to have a look at them for you - although I do have a few that I'm working on at the moment, so it mightn't be that quick...

Could you tell me if Joseph had a middle name and, if he did, what it was...

Thanks and good luck with your search.

Nick

Here is an appeal for help from all you canny sleuths out there...

'The SAS & LRDG Roll of Honour, 1941 - 1947', by ex-L/Cpl 'X', Queen's Gallantry Medal, is a seminal project that brings together the moving stories of every Special Air Service and Long Range Desert Group casualty of the Second World War.
Meticulously and passionately researched over 13 years, this exhaustive work is a unique combination of operational reports, personal service records and medal citations, all given colour and depth through correspondence with next of kin and the recollections of those that were there.
Lavishly illustrated, with many photographs published for the first time, it celebrates the extraordinary and largely unreported bravery of 374 casualties now commemorated in seventeen countries...

All 5000 copies of the first run sold out with 100% of profits donated to Service Charities and to the erection of memorials to those 374 casualties.

This summer a new memorial to eight SAS, shot after capture, will be opened in France!
L/Cpl 'X' would like to find relatives of the fallen - so they can be invited to witness the unveiling of the memorial.

So far L/Cpl 'X' has managed to trace relatives and find photos of all but one of those 8 brave souls - Pte Leonard E. C. LLOYD still evades him...

Leonard Edwin Charles LLOYD was born in Sydenham 05 November 1920 - the son of Charles & Mildred Lloyd (née Allen) of Hayfield Rd, St Mary Cray, Orpington,Kent

2063834, Sapper Lloyd joined the TA 35th AA, Royal Engineers at Dulwich on 24 October 1938 and was mobilised late August 39. The following summer the unit was transferred to the RA & he was re-badged with rank of Gunner.

Here's where I appeal to you all to use all your resources to try to trace Len Lloyd's relatives and pass details to me (by email or PM, please) or email: [email protected]

Thank you,

Nick

Hi Anne-Marie,

Unfortunately Sheila Guppy emailed Geoff Murray, our former National Secretary - who has since emigrated to Australia.
As she emailed Geoff and didn't register on the Forum, we do not have her email address.

I don't know if Geoff still has her email address - I will ask if he has...

Nick

Hi Dennis,

Your father had to have been in a regiment or Corps before becoming a commando.
And, from what his Commando Service Certificate tells us is that he joined up into the General Service Corps - shown by his service number which is an eight digit number in the 14200001 - 15000000 series, but then transferred into the RA (Royal Artillery) and served in the LAA (Light Anti-Aircraft) - an air defence unit of the RA - before volunteering to be a commando...

There are two group photos of No.6 Cdo in 1945 - one taken in January, the other in August - if you can identify which photo your father is in and who you father is, I can annotate the photo accordingly ( and probably confirm his regiment by his cap badge)...

His Commando Service Certificate bears out what I said about No.6 Cdo being disbanded in November 1945; therefore, by 1946, he probably would have returned to the RA - unless he volunteered for another regiment or corps...

Nick

Hi Dennis,

Welcome to the CVA Website and Forums.

No.6 Commando was officially disbanded on the 19th November 1945 (according to the No.6 Cdo official War Diary), so your father wouldn't have been in Italy with No.6 Commando in 1946.
The Commando Units were unformed/ irregular units and were only formed for the duration of the War.
These irregular units were formed by individual volunteers from all the regiments & Corps of the British Army - on loan from their parent regiments. When the Commandos were disbanded these soldiers generally returned to their parent regiments to serve out their time - although some found the thought of returning to a 'regimental' life of parade squares and drill a bit tedious so volunteered for other special units , such as the Paras.

Your dad probably returned to his regiment and was then sent out to Italy as part of the Central Mediterranean Force (CMF) on peace keeping duties.

This was also the case with my father who enlisted into the King's Royal Rifle Corps (KRRC), volunteered for Special Service, became a commando and was posted to No.5 Commando, serving in India and Burma. After the War finished he returned to the KRRC and was posted to Italy - patrolling the border between Italy & Yugoslavia.

Although we have your father listed in the nominal roll for No.6 Cdo, we don't have his service number or his regiment - could you let us have these details so I can amend the Nominal Roll please?
Neither, it seems, do we have any photos of your father - do you have any that you'd be willing to share with us and that I can upload to the No.6 Cdo Album in our unique Gallery ( see the link below)

https://gallery.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/v/units/6/

Nick

Hi
The only custodian for WWII Service Records is the MoD and you /your mother can apply for a scan of his original service records.
This will cost £30 one off payment and you will need a copy of his death certificate - available to order on-line from Gov.Uk.

Don't worry about getting his service number right - as long as you know his Date of Birth then that will be enough for the Records Office to conduct their search.

It sounds as if you have already experienced the On-Line genealogy sites, such as Ancestry or Forces War Records etc., which claim to have WWII service records - but it costs a lot of money to find out that they don't! Stay well clear of them - as I said the MoD are the only custodians of WWII records and will be for a few years yet...

Below are links to the forms you will need.

Death Cert: https://www.gov.uk/order-copy-birth-death-marriage-certificate

Service Records:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/711147/20180524-request_service_details_NOK_part1_v6.2.pdf

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/711157/request_for_service_details_rnrm_application_part2__1_.pdf

These are all quite straight forward but, if you do get stuck then drop us another message.

Also, we like feedback - so let us know how you get on...

Nick

The Annual Parade & Service of Commando Veterans and Chelsea Pensioners took place at The Royal Hospital Chelsea on Sunday, 28 April 2019.

Photographs of this fantastic event can be seen in the CVA Gallery by following this link:

http://gallery.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/v/events/Chelsea/Chelsea_001/

Nick

I have replied to Brian by PM and explained that, temporarily, I have been forced to put a large portion of my research on hold - but if anyone else can help him I would be massively obliged.

Nick

Hi Mark,

I'm sure you have already seen this but just in case you haven't:

https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ship/2560.html

and we have remembered your dad's cousin, James Hutchinson here:

http://www.commandoveterans.org/JamesHutchinson40RMCommando

Nick

Hi Mark,

Welcome to the CVA Website & Forums.

An interesting question, but I don't think it has any connection with any Commando raid.

Marked on the screenshot is 'Lord Lovat's Bay' on the Isle of Mull, at the top of the bay is 'Lord Lovat's Cave' where it is said that Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat hid during the 1745 rebellion - getting provisions from the proprietor of Lochbuie House before he was captured by the Redcoats and taken to London where he was beheaded on Tower Hill, 9 April 1747...

Nick

A great story Ander, thanks.
There were many brave men and women who risked everything to help friends and strangers and we too thank Ladislav Karasec.
But we'd also like to remember your grandfather Geoff Broadman.
We have him listed in the No. 10(IA) Cdo nominal roll but we would love to have a photo of him in the website gallery.
Do you have a photo of him you'd be prepared to share with us?

Nick