30 Commando Assault Unit
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30 Cdo. AU Roll of Honour
"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them."
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
Mne Alexander was killed during operations at Dieppe.
The CWGC shows his unit as 40RM Commando which is technically correct at the time of the raid. However it should be pointed out that we have an Image of a Signals Intelligence Unit formed for the raid at Dieppe which operated covertly on on this raid as a platoon of 40RM Commando. On that image Mne Alexander is named as a member of the unit.
ASHTON, Colin William
Fus. Ashton, 34 Army Troop, was killed during operations on Leros when his unit was attacked and bombed by enemy aircraft.
Also killed were Captain Belcher, Bdr. Bancroft, and Tpr. McDaid.
BANCROFT, John
Bdr. Bancroft, 34 Army Troop, was killed during operations on Leros when his unit was attacked and bombed by enemy aircraft.
BELCHER, Thomas Eaton
Capt. Belcher, 34 Army Troop, was killed during operations on Leros when his unit was attacked and bombed by enemy aircraft.
BENTLEY, Lennard
Mne. Bentley was killed during operations at Normandy. He died when anti personnel bombs were dropped from enemy aircraft, as did Lieut. Ionides and Cpl. Leo Wright.
HUNTINGTON-WHITELEY, Herbert Oliver
Captain Huntington-Whiteley was killed during operations at Le Havre.
We have an Image of a Signals Intelligence Unit formed for the raid at Dieppe. It operated covertly on on this raid as a platoon of 40RM Commando. On that image he is named as a Lieutenant and commander of the unit and the image is annotated that he was later KIA.
JEFFCOTT, Henry Raymond
Mne. Jeffcott was killed during operations at Normandy.
KILBRIDE, Joseph
The exact circumstances of the death of Cpl Kilbride are not known.
It should be noted that we have an Image of a Signals Intelligence Unit formed for the raid at Dieppe which operated covertly on on this raid as a platoon of 40RM Commando. On that image Cpl Kilbride is named as a member of the unit and the image is annotated that he was later KIA.
MCDAID, Francis
Tpr. McDaid, 34 Army Troop, was killed during operations on Leros when his unit was attacked and bombed by enemy aircraft.
Also killed were Capt. Belcher, Bdr. Bancroft, and Fus. Ashton. (Source: Ian Fleming's Commandos: The Story of the Legendary 30 Assault Unit, author Nicholas Rankin.)
Also killed were Capt. Belcher, Bdr. Bancroft, and Fus. Ashton. (Source: Ian Fleming's Commandos: The Story of the Legendary 30 Assault Unit, author Nicholas Rankin.)
NORTHERN, Samuel Bernard
Mne Northern was killed 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.
It should be noted that we have an Image of a Signals Intelligence Unit formed for the raid at Dieppe which operated covertly on on this raid as a platoon of 40RM Commando. On that image PO/X 101038 Mne Samuel B. 'Ginger' Northern, is named as a member of the unit.
O'CALLAGHAN, Frank John
Mne. O'Callaghan was killed by a sniper while attached to 30 Commando AU during operations at Normandy. He had previously served with 40RM Commando.
(Source: The book Attain by Surprise edited by David Nutting.)
ROBINSON, Anthony Denzil
Lieutenant Anthony Robinson died in Italy.[1]
Extract from the Derby Daily Telegraph - Wednesday 13 June 1945
SANDERSON, Herbert William
Mne. Sanderson was killed during operations in France.
SHAW, Geoffrey
Mne. Shaw was killed during operations at Le Havre. Also killed on that day from his unit and buried at Sanvic was Captain Huntington-Whiteley.
WRIGHT, Leo Arthur Philip
Mne. Wright was killed during operations at Normandy. He died when anti personnel bombs were dropped from enemy aircraft, as did Lieut. Ionides and Mne. Lennard Bentley.
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