Major Oswald Basil (Micky) Rooney
Oswald Basil Rooney, aka Micky, Mickey, Mickie, (letters used to arrive addressed Major Michael Rooney); Born 19-Nov-1916 Walton On The Hill, Surrey; 21/9/1939 - 21 Artist Rifles, officer training; 26-Oct-39 posted to Scots Guards; 6-Feb-40 5th Battalion Scots Guards Ski Battalion Sent to Chamonix in France as Ski Battalion;
20-Apr-40 2nd Lt Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, Omagh;
21-Jun-40 Capt Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers Omagh;
6-Aug-40 Joined No 12 Commando The Irish Commando, Londonderry, reverted rank to Lieutenant to join Commandos;
2-Jun-41 Married Rachel Blair White, Dublin;
27-Dec-41 Operation Anklet 12 Cdo raid which was a part of the main Operation Archery, Lofoten Islands Norway.
Feb-42 No 12 Commando Small Scale Raiding Force 62 Commando. Based in England on the South Coast Also Anderson Manor.
2-Sep-42 Raid on Aldenay MTB 344- 8 raiders to the rocks beneath the lighthouse. When they returned later they had the enemy's code books and seven prisoners - the lighthouse keepers, radio operators and guards.
3-Oct-42 Operation Basalt Sark Channel Islands seems to be conflicting info as to whether he was on this raid. In a letter in the 1990s he says he wasn't but in an interview in USA in 1945 he says he was.
11-Nov-42 Operation Farenheit The Pointe de Plouezec - Raid on a signalling station French Coast.
1942 Anderson Manor other people there Anders Lassen VC., Peter Kemp Appleyard & Pinckney.
1942 Foretop France (Foretop N Allied 1942 - 1943 NW Europe Plan to raid U-boat bases on French coast, abandoned as too impractical);
Jan-43 Forefar Raids French coast - there were a number of Raids called Forfar raids Forfar- Beer -Dog -How -Love-Item
2-Sep-43 Fofar Item. First raid to go into France by Parachute came out by MTB.
20-Nov-43 Posted to the South Wales Borderers, Western Isles of Scotland. According to the SWB records they were in the Western Isles Scotland training-they held the 24hr marching record (this is a guess the training was for "D day the SWB had a forced march to get inland and relieve Commandos holding a bridge).
16-Feb-44 Posted to 3 SAS French, Troon Scotland. Training French SAS--this is where the Cross of Lorraine comes from, given to Rachel Rooney by the French Colonel at the handover of 3 SAS after training.
1-Apr-44 Posted to 2 SAS Troon Scotland.
All SAS came under Army Air Corps--went to France in Aug till Dec broke his back dropping into Metz--went to Italy in Dec Naples got Jaundice. Roy Farran dropped with Micky's men into the Po valley Northern Italy.
Nov-44 Verdun; 17-Dec-44 CMF with 2 SAS;
3-Feb-45 Posted to 21 Air Group from CMF - 2 SAS Naples Italy.
27-Mar-45 Posted to BAS Washington.
3 originals of the SAS Maj Mike Sadler RSM Tait Sarg Maj Rose and Major Rooney sent on USA lecture tour
1-Jul-59 Relinquished Commission
Major Rooney died in December 1995
Information and photos courtesy of his son Chris Rooney
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Date: 05/04/2011
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