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Displaying 1 - 51 of 51Three UK based Army Commando units, Nos. 7, 8, and 11 Commandos, were initially combined within 'Force Z' for operations initially envisaged against Rhodes in the Eastern Mediterranean. Other elements of the Force included a number of men from No.3 Commando and the Canoe section of No.8 (Guards) Commando. They sailed from the Isle of Arran on the 31st January 1941, and arrived at Suez on the 7th March.
Major R.A. HANBURY-TRACY CSM. A. RICHARDSON |
The Commando was formed on the 23rd June 1940 reaching full strength in September at Burnham on Crouch, Essex. Mostly made up of members of the various Guards Brigades, it became unofficially known as No 8 (Guards) Commando.
In 1946 the Army Council decided that the Army Commandos were to be disbanded and no provision was allowed or made for any depository or office which would have at least contained a complete Roster of Names of the men who served in the various units.
Corporal Kenneth Baker was killed in action during operations in Libya with Layforce.
Sources
CWGC.
British Army Casualties List / National Archives file WO 417/35.
Notes
4 Special Service Bn. was a very short lived title redesignation of Commando Units and was no longer in use at the time of his death. 'B' Bn Layforce was made up of men from No 8 Commando whose unit had been part of 4 Special Service Bn.
Corporal Leslie Brown died when his jeep patrol was attacked whilst en route to harass the enemy in Southern Tunisia. He was serving with 1st SAS ('B' Sqn.) at the time of his death having left the Commandos. He had previously served in both No 8 Commando and 51ME Commando.
Regimental Sergeant Major Anthony Drongin of No 8 Commando gave up his rank to join L Detachment SAS when 8 Commando was disbanded. He served as a Corporal and is reported to have died of wounds inflicted during SAS operations near Benghazi.
Post war member of the Commando Association from Roy Bridge, Scotland
Sources
Commando Association newsletter 96.
Lance Sergeant Thomas Headland died as a result of an accident during operations in Syria.
Sources
CWGC.
Casualty Lists 1939-45 / National Archives file WO 417/30.
Private Leonard Lacey died whilst assigned from the Commando to Middle East Detachment 2, later redesignated 2nd Special Service Detachment (SSD 2), in Burma.
Lance Sergeant Fred Senior died when his jeep patrol was attacked whilst en route to harass the enemy in Southern Tunisia. He was serving with 1st SAS ('B' Sqn.) at the time of his death having left the Commandos. He had previously served in both No 8 Commando and the Middle East Commando, and 'L' Detachment SAS.
Sergeant Sidney Stone was serving with "L" Detachment, S.A.S. Bde Special Air Service Regiment, A.A.C. at the time of his death, having previously served in No. 8 Commando.
(The following is from the Times obituary.)
LIEUTENANT David Sutherland and Royal Marine John Duggan were the only two to return from Operation “Anglo”, a raid on the Italian-occupied island of Rhodes by the Special Boat Service in September 1942. The SBS team was pursued relentlessly; it had attacked two airfields and destroyed aircraft positioned to support Rommel’s threatened advance on Cairo and to bomb supply convoys to beleaguered Malta.
Joe Rogers MM
No 2 Commando
Bob Mewett
No 12 & No 1 Commando
Mick Collins
No 5 Commando