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30 Commando Assault Unit
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 2330 Assault Unit Officers, Jan.'45
Extract from the Navy Lists - Quarterly - January 1945
Source: National Library of Scotland website.
Source: National Library of Scotland website.
Volume 2 Page 1106. (page 262 on N.L.S. website page list)
Commanding Officers —
Commanding Officers —
Act. Col. R.H. Quill, M.V.O.
Act. Lieut.-Col. A. R. Woolley, D.S.O..
Staff Officer —
Staff Officer —
Capt. C. R. Lamb.
Intelligence Officer —
Intelligence Officer —
Act. Tempy. Capt. G. H. E. Bailey.
Majors —
Majors —
30 Cdo. AU Roll of Honour
The Fallen from No. 30 Commando Assault Unit
30 Commando Assault Unit
nb. The following history is from different named sources and should not be taken as the "Official" history.
In Sep 1942, the Director of Naval Intelligence authorised the formation of the Special Intelligence Unit, composed of 33 (Royal Marines) Troop, 34 (Army) Troop, 35 (RAF) Troop and 36 (Royal Navy) Troop. The Special Intelligence Unit was later renamed 30 RN Commando (Special Engineering Unit), and was redesignated 30 Assault Unit in December 1943 **.
ALEXANDER, John Moir
Marine John Alexander died during operations at Dieppe. He has no known grave.
Extract from the Dundee Courier
"Royal Marine Commando J. M. Alexander, 58 Mains Road, Dundee, has been reported missing whilst on combined operation. Aged 21, he joined up three years ago. His brother William is in the Royal Navy."
Sources
[1] CWGC.
ASHTON, Colin William
Fusilier Colin Ashton, 34 Army Troop, was killed during operations on Leros when his unit was attacked and bombed by enemy aircraft.
BANCROFT, John
Bombardier John Bancroft, 34 Army Troop, was killed during operations on Leros when his unit was attacked and bombed by enemy aircraft.
BELCHER, Thomas Eaton
Captain Thomas Belcher, 34 Army Troop, was killed during operations on Leros when his unit was attacked and bombed by enemy aircraft.
BENTLEY, Lennard
Marine Lennard Bentley died during operations at Normandy. He died when anti personnel bombs were dropped from enemy aircraft, as did Lieut. Ionides and Cpl. Leo Wright.
BRADSHAW, Leslie Charles
Marine Leslie Bradshaw, 10 Platoon, 'X' Coy, was awarded the Military Medal in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in the combined attack on Dieppe.
Recommendation
Operation Jubilee (Dieppe Area) 19th August 1942.
COWAN, Kenneth
Marine Kenneth Cowan, from Belfast, died in an accident.
Extract from the Belfast Telegraph Monday 29 January 1945
"Commando Killed. Commando Kenneth Cowan, Royal Marine Commandos, third son of Mr. and Mrs. Cowan, 12 Jellicoe Avenue, Belfast, killed in an accident in England. He had five years' service, including two in the Merchant Navy. Two brothers are in the Royal Navy. His father has 27 years' service in the R.N. and is still serving."
Sources
CWGC.
HUNTINGTON-WHITELEY, Herbert Oliver
Captain Herbert Huntington-Whiteley died during operations at Le Havre.
IONIDES, Theodore Alexander Maurice
Lieutenant Theodore Ionides, a RNVR underwater weapons expert attached to 30 Commando AU, died when anti personnel bombs were dropped from enemy aircraft, as did Cpl. Leo Wright and Mne. Lennard Bentley.
(Source: Ian Fleming's Commandos: The Story of the Legendary 30 Assault Unit, author Nicholas Rankin.)
JEFFCOTT, Henry Raymond
Marine Henry Jeffcott died during operations at Normandy.
KILBRIDE, Joseph
Corporal Joseph Kilbride died during the period 40RM Commando were engaged in the invasion of Sicily. The exact circumstances of his death are not known to this archive.
MCDAID, Francis
Trooper Francis McDaid, 34 Army Troop, was killed during operations on Leros when his unit was attacked and bombed by enemy aircraft.
(Source: Ian Fleming's Commandos: The Story of the Legendary 30 Assault Unit, author Nicholas Rankin.)
NORTHERN, Samuel Bernard
Marine Samuel Northern died during operations at Dieppe.
The CWGC shows his unit as HMS Locust. This was the name of the ship that carried about 200 Royal Marine Commandos on the raid at Dieppe.
O'CALLAGHAN, Frank John
Marine Frank O'Callaghan was killed [1] by a sniper while attached to 30 Commando AU during operations at Normandy. He had previously served with 40RM Commando [2].
Sources
[1] CWGC
[2] The book Attain by Surprise edited by David Nutting.
Notes
ROBINSON, Anthony Denzil
Lieutenant Anthony Robinson died in Italy.[1]
Extract from the Derby Daily Telegraph - Wednesday 13 June 1945
SANDERSON, Herbert William
Marine Herbert Sanderson died during operations in France.
SHAW, Geoffrey
Marine Geoffrey Shaw died during operations at Le Havre. Also killed on that day from his unit and buried at Sanvic was Captain Huntington-Whiteley.
The Asti Seven 30AU
Extract from Commando Association newsletter 85 issued September 1987
Peter Jemmet (30 Cdo) writes: -" The Asti Seven ".
These seven members of No. 2 Section, 30 Commando (Special Operations), parachuted into the Asti area of N.W. Italy, ending the war in Turin (1945). They were:-
- Major Strachan,
- Lieut. Paterson,
- Sgt. Eddie Smith, MM.,
- Sgt. John Fairey
- Pte. Denman
- Pte. Anderson
- Pte. Dan Whitcombe.
WRIGHT, Leo Arthur Philip
Corporal Leo Wright died during operations at Normandy when anti personnel bombs were dropped from enemy aircraft, as did Lieut. Ionides and Mne. Lennard Bentley.
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