StNazaire 2010 - Help for Heroes

This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 30/12/2009 23:41:46

I am trying to find some information on a member of 2 commando who was a rider at the pre war TT races and took part in the St Nazaire raid. Also is there any information on Louise Jaouen?s final resting place as this was the lady who tended the graves of the fallen during the occupation. I am visiting St Nazaire in 2010 and hoping to raise £1000 for help for heroes. www.justgiving.com/TheGreatestRaid/

Hi and welcome to the CVA. Although I cannot directly assist with your enquiry you may want to contact the author James Dorrian who has written books, endorsed by the St Nazaire Society, about the raid. In the past he has been most helpful to me. He can be contacted via his website blog on this link:

http://www.blogger.com/profile/13359437982333918290

When it is nearer the time please update this forum entry with dates you are travelling on, and the link again to your Help for Heroes site for donations to such a worthy cause

Hi Pete
Many thanks will send james an email today. I will let you know how i get on and when we will be going to france.
Regards Chris Rollestone

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 12/08/2009 09:05:09

Hi Pete

James has replied to my email and he is looking into who the TT rider was and also has contacts in the area were Louise Jaouen's resting place is. Thanks again for your help.
Regards Chris

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 12/08/2009 09:46:23

Hi Chris

I am pleased to hear James replied so promptly and hope he finds some information for you. If he does keep us informed. On this link to a previous CVA forum thread on St Nazaire you will find some useful information and video links including a list of those who took part. It also includes some German archive photos and video footage. It may be of some interest to you:

http://www.commandoveterans.org/cdoForum/posts/list/830.page

The No.2 Commando Gallery also has some photos of those who took part, in particular in the 5 Troop sub album:

http://www.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/v/units/2/

This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 14/08/2009 15:51:23

Hi Chris

I have just received this email from Jean Cevaer which you will be pleased to know gives the location of Louise Jaouen's final resting place.

"Upon a query from James Dorrian I was able to locate the grave of Louise Jaouen. In her old age she apparently left La Baule to retire in or close to Morlaix, where she was laid to rest in the Saint-Charles graveyard, carré N° 10, grave N°135.
What is to be admired is that she tended the British graves and collected money to do so during the German occupation which was especially multifarious from Saint-Nazaire to Le Croisic. I know, I was there.
Sincerely.
Jean Cévaër "

My personal thanks to Jean Cevaer and Jim Dorrian for their help in this matter

It would be nice to try and get a picture of Louise to include in the St Nazaire sub album of the CVA WW2 photos. If anyone finds one please post it or let me know

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 14/08/2009 15:50:12

Just a further couple of updates for you Chris:

For anyone visiting the cemetery at La Baule, Jim Dorrian has emailed me to mention that there is a full list of the fallen from St Nazaire on his website, and also a plan of the cemetery and where the individuals are buried. Here is that link to La Baule:
http://www.jamesgdorrian.com/the%20fallen_la%20Baule.html

here is the link to his roll of honour for Operation Chariot :
http://www.jamesgdorrian.com/Roll%20of%20honour.html

and finally Chris, Jim mentions that Jean Cevaer, and a friend Hubert, are "staunch allies".

When you get your travel itinerary if you wish I will email Jean to advise him of your plans. He lives in St Nazaire.

Regards

Hello Pete

Sorry for the late reply, many thanks for your help I will plan a part of our trip to include the cemetery at Morlaix. James suggested making sure the grave is still there with the local authorities before we go. Some money has already been donated to Help for Heroes on the online site www.justgiving.com/TheGreatestRaid/ which is great news. I have had a story published on the Isle of Man about our trip to Normandy this year and they said they would mention the fund raising for the
St Nazaire trip in 2010.

Regards Chris Rollestone

Hello Pete

Have found a interesting item on the internet, Its about Peter Nagel who fought at StNazaire and can be found at

www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/ww2/Peter_Nagel.html his life story is on this site.
All going well with my plans and the justgiving collection is over the £500

Regards Chris

This message was edited 6 times. Last update was at 30/12/2009 23:39:40

Hi Chris

Thanks for the link .. quite an amazing man.

Just a reminder to anyone who may wish to donate to the Help for Heroes collection being made by Chris. This is the link to the Just Giving site which is an officially approved collection domain for Help for Heroes:

http://www.justgiving.com/TheGreatestRaid/

Let us all know before you set off

Pete wrote:For anyone visiting the cemetery at La Baule, Jim Dorrian has emailed me to mention that there is a full list of the fallen from St Nazaire on his website, and also a plan of the cemetery and where the individuals are buried. Here is that link to La Baule:
http://www.jamesgdorrian.com/the%20fallen_la%20Baule.html

Chris,
There's also Tom McCormack of 5 Troop, 2 Cdo, who Died of Wounds in hospital on 11th April 1942, a fortnight or so after the raid, and is buried at RENNES EASTERN COMMUNAL CEMETERY (Sec. 18. Plot 2. Row J. Grave 1).

There's a picture of the Commonwealth plot at Rennes here:
CVA Photo Gallery - Tom McCormack album

Tom's gravemarker is just to the right of the shelter in this picture.

Plan of the cemetery:
CWGC Plan of Rennes Cemetery

I'm not sure if any other of the "Charioteers" are buried there, I'm afraid, but I can say he's the only soldier there with a date of death between the Raid and the end of June 1942, so it rather looks like he has none of his comrades there with him.

It would be lovely if you could include Tom in your itinerary. Rennes is about 80 miles N of La Baule, but there's a fair chance you would pass through it if you're using Cherbourg or St Malo.

Cheers,
Mark

I have found a reference to a Sam Cooper (no relation) who was a pre-war TT rider. He was at Normandy but I have no idea if he was also at Dieppe. Hope this is of some help.

Peter Cooper

Peter Cooper wrote:I have found a reference to a Sam Cooper (no relation) who was a pre-war TT rider. He was at Normandy but I have no idea if he was also at Dieppe. Hope this is of some help.

Peter Cooper

Peter,
I think Chris was looking for a TT rider from 2 Cdo who took part in Operation Chariot at St Nazaire.

There's no S. Cooper listed as being on the raid in Appendix 3 of Chant's St Nazaire Commando.

The closest matches were ...
Captain R.H. Hooper - 2 Cdo
Cpl G. Hooper - 1 Troop, 2 Cdo

It might be worth double checking these two for a transcription error to be 100% sure (Chant has T. McCormack as J. McCormack for example), but that seems very unlikely, and the initials are wrong anyway.

I checked the naval personnel too and there are no Coopers nor close matches.
Cheers,
Mark

Mark,
This Sam Cooper was in No. 4 Commando and is mentioned in Donald Gilchrist's book, Don't Cry for Me'. I would have thought the chances of any pre-war TT riders also joining the Commandos would be very slim.
I live in the Isle of Man so have access to the Manx museum. If you had any possible names I could see if the museum could match them.

Peter

Peter Cooper wrote:Mark,
This Sam Cooper was in No. 4 Commando and is mentioned in Donald Gilchrist's book, Don't Cry for Me'. I would have thought the chances of any pre-war TT riders also joining the Commandos would be very slim.
I live in the Isle of Man so have access to the Manx museum. If you had any possible names I could see if the museum could match them.

Peter

Peter,
That would be a pretty big cross reference task as nearly all of 2 Cdo took part at St Nazaire - only a small cadre was left behind as a nucleus from which to rebuild the unit if losses were high.

I think there's a list somewhere on-line, but I can't lay my hands on it just now! Otherwise it's transcribing a lot of pages from either Stuart Chant's or James Dorrian's books.

Peter's link above is to the Roll of Honour for the Fallen of St Nazaire rather than the full roll.

You know I reckon TT riders would be exactly the type of men who would be drawn to the commandos, so it wouldn't surprise me if there were more than one!

I'll see what I can do about getting you a list after Hogmanay has calmed down :)

Happy New Year!
Cheers,
Mark