Posted by Pete Rogers (Admin) on Sun 17 Jan 2016 20:29:11 GMT
Hi Pete . hope this gets to you cant find a proper link to answer your questions .
i was a eight years old when the war started & albert was 15 years older than me.Albert died about 15 years . most of this information has come from my brother George who is ninty & knew him quite well being in the HLI himself.
I remember him coming home from one of these early raids though & my father who served in the first world war takin him into the bathroom & cleaning him up. i was hiding on the stairs so i saw quite a bit of what was going on.
We lived in custom house right next to the docks so he must have been dropped of.
I remember him giving me a silver table bell that he had brought back as a souvenir .
I think he was on boulonge or Guernsey raids . he was never one to talk about it a lot.
Hope this helps ..i will add as i get more info.
Regards Ron
Posted by ron copus on Sat 16 Jan 2016 19:56:57 GMT
My eldest brother albert copus ,,seaforths, joined the army in 1939, volonteerd for the early commandos.
Posted by ron copus on Tue 12 Jan 2016 17:49:32 GMT
names update
W1: Therion seen elsewhere as Therien; Vilnaff seen elsewhere as Vilneff.
W2: Offags seen elsewhere as Offless.
W3: add A. Germaine (A/AB - V38689); additionally variation on spelling of the following - Morel seen elsewhere as Horel; Celev seen elsewhere as Caler; Hardine seen elsewhere as Harding.
Posted by Pete Rogers (Admin) on Tue 24 Nov 2015 11:15:20 GMT
Photo updated
Details and link added
Posted by Pete Rogers (Admin) on Tue 22 Sep 2015 19:07:23 BST
Photo updated
Rfn Frank Goode identified
Posted by Pete Rogers (Admin) on Wed 24 Jun 2015 12:11:16 BST
Photo updated
The man shown as Rfn. Frank Goode was originally named in error as Pte. Frank Gooch. 7016236 Rfn Frank Goode, 3 troop and taken POW at St Nazaire, identified by famnily and friends and confirmed by other sources (POW records/CVA notes for 2 cdo DR)
Posted by Pete Rogers (Admin) on Thu 11 Jun 2015 13:59:26 BST
firing a mortar
the commando firing the mortar is my father Laurence Murphy 5338001 of number 2 commandos. he is 98 next month and still living on his own. When we visited Vaagso, my father remembered exactly where he fired the mortar from. The Norwegian people invited us into their homes showing us, with great pride, the bullet holes in their walls from the attack. They were and still are grateful for this raid which is taught to every Norwegian soldier as the best example of a co-ordinated attack by the three services.
Posted by john murphy on Thu 14 May 2015 14:02:09 BST
Bush warfare school Burma
My dad Thomas Waters, nick named Darkie was with Mike Calvert He went into China in Jan 1942 and was flown out by the Z
Americans in October 1942here and went into China. Any one with information that would help me
Posted by Sylvia Atkinson on Wed 26 Mar 2014 15:40:20 GMT
Photo updated
Albert O'Hare identified by his niece Christina Orr
Posted by Pete Rogers (Admin) on Thu 23 Jan 2014 17:32:20 GMT
Correction of detail
Andrew Mapstone informed us that his father's name had been spelled wrong - corrected to Mapstone, 05 Jan 2014
Posted by Nick Collins on Sun 05 Jan 2014 23:21:06 GMT
Photo updated
CSM (later Lt.) Thomas James Sawkins (2 Cdo) of Ramsey, Huntingdon died in 1994. CA newsletter 99 obituaries.
Posted by Pete Rogers (Admin) on Mon 09 Dec 2013 17:19:38 GMT
Richard Shailes No.4 Cdo
Brian Shailes believes the man extreme left is his father 855693 Bdr. Richard Shailes No.4 Cdo
Posted by Pete Rogers (Admin) on Tue 26 Feb 2013 22:27:18 GMT
ST-MACLOU church
( Eure, Normandy )
Posted by stephane on Thu 09 Aug 2012 11:54:44 BST
Wolves of the Aegean
"Busty" Read (reed) was my Father. So nice to see a pic of him on this forum. He was a Memebr of the Raiding Forces and also of the Greek Sacred Band. So difficult to find info regarding their movements back then because most of the time they were working semi-autonomously. Any readers that may be able to help with identifying the actual unit he was attached to would be gratefully recieved. I will add some pics that my Father took, a little later.
Thanks David...photo now updated... Pete R
Posted by David Read on Sun 01 Jul 2012 13:39:20 BST
Thanks Nick for posting my notes. Can I add that I was on a flight from Vienna to London seated next to the Queen's Messenger and started to chat. It turned out that he served under Brigadier O'Flaherty. Unfortunately, he also informed me that the Brigadier had died a couple of years earlier. A pity as I would have liked to have met the Brigadier.
Adding to the information about the raid: My father said the landing craft stopped and discharged him into water that was above his head! He had to run fast underwater to get onto the beach. They were pinned down by the enemy losing men. At one point a mortar landed beside hm throwing him in the air and down the beach. He could not feel his leg and feeling down with his hand it was sopping wet. He thought he had lost his leg. And if so he knew he would have to shoot himself rather than suffer or be taken by the enemy. Forcing himself to look was the hardest thing ever but when he did he saw his leg was intact. It was his water bottle that had been ...
Thanks Nick for posting my notes. Can I add that I was on a flight from Vienna to London seated next to the Queen's Messenger and started to chat. It turned out that he served under Brigadier O'Flaherty. Unfortunately, he also informed me that the Brigadier had died a couple of years earlier. A pity as I would have liked to have met the Brigadier.
Adding to the information about the raid: My father said the landing craft stopped and discharged him into water that was above his head! He had to run fast underwater to get onto the beach. They were pinned down by the enemy losing men. At one point a mortar landed beside hm throwing him in the air and down the beach. He could not feel his leg and feeling down with his hand it was sopping wet. He thought he had lost his leg. And if so he knew he would have to shoot himself rather than suffer or be taken by the enemy. Forcing himself to look was the hardest thing ever but when he did he saw his leg was intact. It was his water bottle that had been blown apart by shrapnel.
Posted by Richard Page on Sat 25 Feb 2012 10:46:00 GMT
The officer on the right with the bayonet is Derek Gordon Page. He was my father and recounted details of the raid to me. His landing craft stopped too early and when he disembarked he found himself submerged and running for his life underwater to get to the beach! They were pinned down on the beach by enemy fire. At one point during the raid while still on the beach a mortar went off beside him throwing him up in the air and down the beach. He thought he had lost his leg as he could not feel it. He agonisingly felt down his leg and it was sopping wet thinking and fearing the worst and that he would have to shoot himself if he had lost his leg rather than be taken by the enemy. He said it was the hardest thing to look down. When he did he saw his leg was intact and it was his water bottle that had shattered. He said it was a fantastic relief to find that out.
Postscript: I was on a flight back from Vienna when I was seated next to the Queen's Messenger returning from Istanbul. We started...
The officer on the right with the bayonet is Derek Gordon Page. He was my father and recounted details of the raid to me. His landing craft stopped too early and when he disembarked he found himself submerged and running for his life underwater to get to the beach! They were pinned down on the beach by enemy fire. At one point during the raid while still on the beach a mortar went off beside him throwing him up in the air and down the beach. He thought he had lost his leg as he could not feel it. He agonisingly felt down his leg and it was sopping wet thinking and fearing the worst and that he would have to shoot himself if he had lost his leg rather than be taken by the enemy. He said it was the hardest thing to look down. When he did he saw his leg was intact and it was his water bottle that had shattered. He said it was a fantastic relief to find that out.
Postscript: I was on a flight back from Vienna when I was seated next to the Queen's Messenger returning from Istanbul. We started chatting. It turned out he knew Captain O'Flaherty who had been his commanding officer. He informed me he had risen to the rank of Brigadier and wore an eyepatch as he had lost one eye in the raid (My Dad said Capt O'Flaherty was hit in both eyes). I learned that Brigadier O'Flaherty had died a couple of years back - which was a pity as it would have been great if I could have met and spoken with him.
Posted by Richard Page on Sat 25 Feb 2012 10:33:46 GMT
l'écarde quarry 16th july 1944
Posted by stephane on Thu 09 Feb 2012 23:52:24 GMT
Adele Crossley has had it confirmed by her Grandmother (who has the same picture) that the man sat directly in front of Montgomery is her Grandfather Wilfred Moore.
Posted by Geoff Murray on Sat 01 Oct 2011 02:17:24 BST
photo duplicate
this photo is replicated in the No.5 Commando album
Posted by Pete Rogers (Admin) on Sun 05 Dec 2010 17:51:24 GMT
Cpl David Scott (Scotty) Burns on the left.
Comment by his son.
Posted by Alistair Burns on Wed 28 Jul 2010 01:23:50 BST
I believe that the Gentleman on the right is Lt Stan Weatherall.
Posted by Alistair Burns on Wed 28 Jul 2010 01:19:22 BST
I believe that the Gentleman on the right is Lt Stan Weatherall.
Posted by Alistair Burns on Wed 28 Jul 2010 01:19:00 BST
Cpl David Scott (Scotty) Burns, Front & centre
Posted by Alistair Burns on Wed 28 Jul 2010 01:16:17 BST
'Dick' Palmer and comrades from 2 SBS
Cpl David Scott 'Scotty' Burns
Centre front row.
Posted by his son.
Posted by Alistair Burns on Sat 24 Jul 2010 21:32:53 BST
