No 4 Army Commando

No.4 Commando was formed on 23rd June 1941 and ‘commenced operations’ on 15th July the same year.
The Commanding Officer was LtCol.P.Legard.
After initial training stints in Scotland during 1940 the Commando became a part of 3 Special Service Battalion but reverted back to No. 4 Commando on 26th of February 1941.

Early Operations included.
4th March 1941 ‘Claymore’ in the Lofoton Islands.
21/22nd April 1942 ‘Abercrombie’ at Hardelot Village.

No. 4 Commandos part in the Dieppe raid on 28th August 1942 was to knock out the Gun Battery at Varengeville. This was a stunning success and became a training book example of how to assault a static gun emplacement. Charismatic Commando leader LtCol The Lord Lovat was the C.O. for the two latter operations.
At Dieppe No 4’s Major Pat Porteus was to be awarded the Victoria Cross for his part in the operations.
Losses at Dieppe were replaced by a fine entry of former police officers who were to win many Commandos’ respect for the high quality of men enlisted.

Next for No. 4 was the Normandy operations where two troops of French Commando’s from No.10 Inter-allied Commando were transferred to operate with No 4 Commando, thus allowing French Nationals to be first ashore on the liberation of their own country.
D-Day objectives for N0. 4 Commando were to be the liberation of Ouistreham and to relieve the Airborne Units who had captured the Orne bridges. This was in tandem with other Commando units.
An incident which took place at this point has passed into Commando folk lore. LtCol The Lord Lovat apologised to the C. O. of the Airborne troops for arriving at the point of rendezvous several minutes LATE!!

The last operation for No.4 Commando was its part in the attack at Flushing again successful but with serious losses.
The Commando was disbanded along with other units of Army Commandos in 1945.