LSgt. Joe Rogers MM, No.2 Commando 5 Troop

LSgt. Joseph Gerard Rogers MM. Information and photos from his family. Posted by his son Pete Rogers who provides the following detail:

My father was born on the 3rd June 1917 in Liverpool. Coming from a very impoverished background he and a few other local Liverpool boys received a church scholarship to Fort Augustus Abbey School in the Highlands, a prestigious independent boarding school run by the Benedictine Monks. They called themselves "The Liverpool Boys", stuck together in school and remained in contact for the rest of their lives. My father excelled in sports including cricket and hockey, but was most proud of the fact that he later became Captain of the School, quite an achievement for a lad from Ponsonby Street, Liverpool 8.

Returning to Liverpool on completion of his education he was employed as a Clerk with the Municipal Housing Authority before enlisting on the 17th January 1940 joining the 1st Battalion (Bn) Liverpool Scottish, Queens Own Cameron Highlanders TA. Whilst with 'C' Company he responded to the request for volunteers for 'special service of a hazardous nature' and was posted to No.4 Independent Company with effect from 15th July 1940. It was here he met Ken McAllister with whom he served for the rest of the war. Ken introduced him to his sister Joan, whom my father married after the war on the 23rd April 1946.

21st July 1940 attached to RTC Inverlochy. 9th November 1940 attached to 'B' Company, No.1 S.S. (Special Service) Battalion at Paignton. 4th March 1941 attached to the newly formed No.2 Commando. Here he joined 5 troop or, as it was known at that time, the 'Liverpool Scottish troop'. They were based primarily at Dumfries and Ayr, as well as demolitions training at Cardiff and Burntisland specifically for Operation Chariot.

28th March 1942 he and many others of No.2 Commando departed from Falmouth in convoy for Operation Chariot, the raid on the Atlantic deep sea dock at St Nazaire. He embarked on one of the little wooden motor launches, ML 443, and was part of a demolitions team. The raid was a complete success but there were many casualties and even more taken prisoner. Being one of the few who made it back from that raid, he rejoined what was left of No.2 Commando and was with them as new volunteers replaced those lost. They spent much of the next few months in the UK at Ayr.

Subsequently promoted to the rank of Lance Sergeant and embarked with No.2 Commando for Gibraltar on the 13th April 1943. Three months later No.2 Commando took part in operations on Sicily followed by subsequent operations in Italy, Yugoslavia, the Dalmatian Islands, and Albania.

28/29 July 1944 Albania during Operation Healing 2, awarded his Military Medal (recommended by Major F.W. Fynn MC). He was wounded during this action and later further injured. As a result he was subsequently attached to 2 Commando Brigade Headquarters. Released to the reserve list on the 17th May 1946.

Click on the link to view (middle name misspelt) London Gazettes L.G.5.10.44

Citation:
"Lance Sergeant Joseph Gerard Anthony Rogers 2933493 Cameron Highlanders, No.2 Commando
Military Medal ( Immediate ) Spilje Bay, Albania 28th/29th July 1944 Operation Healing 2
L/Sgt Rogers personally led his sub section with conspicuous gallantry.In the face of heavy fire from two spandaus he continued to advance against his objective. Although wounded and in great pain he led his men on to close with the enemy and killed the machine gun teams. By this action, the troops on his left who had been held up, were enabled to advance again. L/Sgt. Rogers throughout showed a complete disregard of danger, and continually refused to allow his wound to interfere with his duties until the objective had been captured, and other casualties in his section had been dealt with first."

** My father never spoke much about his war and most of this information is from the National Archives or other official sources. My own personal thoughts on why so many of the Commandos never said much are varied. Certainly the horrors of war is the obvious one. I also believe it is because most of the Commandos were not regular soldiers as such. They joined when war broke out, later volunteered for the commandos, and then went back to their civilian life when war ended. He was an office worker before the war and that's what he went back to afterwards. Joe Rogers MM was a member of the St Nazaire Society, and became Secretary of the Edinburgh branch of the Commando Association and remained so for many years. He always said the WW2 Commandos would be forgotten about when they all died off. I said that would not happen. This website archive is the evidence that in this case I am pleased to have proved him wrong. My mother Joan passed away on the 18th September 1987. My father was 78 years old when he died on the 4th April 1996, having fathered 8 children. I am just one of those eight, but one who is not simply very proud of my father, but very grateful to both my father and mother for being the loving parents they were.

[nb]Follow this link to read more including a letter mentioning the death of my mother Joan Rogers: [Main Archive entry for LSgt Rogers MM]

There are additional pictures of my father in the troop photos and the Commando Association album. **Pete Rogers[*]