Hi peter i recently emailed you with regards to my grandfather No46 Sergeant John Rigby No 2613497 ,and you recommended that i obtain a copy of his military record, i have done that ,i had to get it from the grenadier guards adjutant ,He has informed that my grandfather was a cooks sergeant who achieved Full sergeant status i.e. Gold Sergeant ;from his record i can deduce that he served with following units grenadier guards 2nd Bt 9/2/1933 ;Transferred to HB=Heavy Bomber 29/4/40 Transferred to 3 = reconnaissance 16/6/1940 Transferred To Y Company 18/6/40 Y company = Royal Marines Based Defence Unit ie protection of Naval Bases From this i think its likely that his duties would have been to work within Heavy bomber plane maybe on the guns or something like that apparently on these planes it needed Ten Crew to man it; i would assume that their duties would been to bomb or shoot down any enemies approaching any of our naval bases.With regards to Y company My Grandfather then transferred back To HB=Heavy...
Hi peter i recently emailed you with regards to my grandfather No46 Sergeant John Rigby No 2613497 ,and you recommended that i obtain a copy of his military record, i have done that ,i had to get it from the grenadier guards adjutant ,He has informed that my grandfather was a cooks sergeant who achieved Full sergeant status i.e. Gold Sergeant ;from his record i can deduce that he served with following units grenadier guards 2nd Bt 9/2/1933 ;Transferred to HB=Heavy Bomber 29/4/40 Transferred to 3 = reconnaissance 16/6/1940 Transferred To Y Company 18/6/40 Y company = Royal Marines Based Defence Unit ie protection of Naval Bases From this i think its likely that his duties would have been to work within Heavy bomber plane maybe on the guns or something like that apparently on these planes it needed Ten Crew to man it; i would assume that their duties would been to bomb or shoot down any enemies approaching any of our naval bases.With regards to Y company My Grandfather then transferred back To HB=Heavy Bomber 11/8/40.Ycompany was a commando trained unit of the royal marines so it seems very appropriate to me that all personnel protecting these naval bases receive the very best training available order to protect the bases and themselves in order to survive.Most of my grandfathers service seems to of been at home during the 2nd world war protecting these bases until he went North Africa 26/2/1943 and was killed on the 25/5/1943 as result of a land mine,he was in jeep at the time.Whilst all of this apparent with regards to your photograph i think could have been no later than the 26/2/1943 or indeed much earlier ,i also think it may not be solely commando No1 operatives ie there maybe other types of commandos in the photo to, i suppose you have go through all their military records to find this out, Any how No 46 is Sergeant John Rigby.
Yours sincerely
Posted by Mark Harrison on Sun 02 Nov 2014 13:37:43 EST
Ref comments posted with query on date
Email sent to Mark
Posted by Pete Rogers (Admin) on Tue 12 Aug 2014 06:49:55 EDT
The date of the photograph of number commando is wrong ,it was taken in April 1943 and not November 1943 I know this to be fact as No 46 is my grandfather ie seargeant john rigby and he was killed on 25th may 1943! however that is not to say that the film may not have been developed until November 1943.
Best regards
Mark
Posted by Mark Harrison on Sun 10 Aug 2014 18:58:00 EDT
Photo updated
Jimmy Smith identified by his daughter Pamela Hook as 309
Posted by Pete Rogers (Admin) on Mon 02 Jun 2014 13:23:12 EDT
Photo updated
with names from comments
Posted by Pete Rogers (Admin) on Sun 08 Sep 2013 11:47:51 EDT
my dad
number 31 is my dad THOMAS JOHN (Jack)PRICE
Posted by richard james price on Sat 07 Sep 2013 08:08:28 EDT
No1 Commando panorama photo No 327 and 335
*** Photo updated.Register and post a message on our Forum if you have any relevant photos***No 327 is my late father James Henry Davies. At the conclusion of the war he was a Major serving in Burma/Malaya.
I can also identify No 335 as his younger brother, Alan J. Davies who also served in Burma/Malaya, ending the war as a Captain.
Posted by Bill Davies on Wed 06 Mar 2013 17:16:24 EST
Photo updated
Roger Pilling identifies his father CSM Harry Pilling, and Sgt's Jack Hillier and Percy Smith.
Posted by Pete Rogers (Admin) on Fri 15 Feb 2013 05:05:03 EST
Photo updated
Alison Bond identifies 490 as her father Pte Hugh MacKenzie
Posted by Pete Rogers (Admin) on Tue 04 Dec 2012 17:18:29 EST
My Father Sgt John (Jack) Thomas no.391
I believe this is my father John Thomas 1911-1991,born and raised in Wales and originally a member of the Welch Regiment. Is there anyone who could verify this for me? I know he was in 1 Troop No.1 Commando and many of the names in the photograph are familiar to me from my conversations with him. Any comments please?
Posted by Gerald James Thomas on Fri 30 Mar 2012 17:24:13 EDT