HOUGHTON, Joseph Blundell Johnson

Birth name: 
JOHNSON HOUGHTON, Joseph Blundell
Captain
130206
No 2 Commando
No 4 Independent Company
Queens Own Cameron Highlanders
Military Cross (MC)
Executed
Captain Joseph Houghton MC was executed whilst a Prisoner of War. He was one of the seven men of No. 2 Commando who were captured after Operation Musketoon, and executed under Hitler's Commando Execution Order, at Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, Berlin, 1942.

BLACK, Graeme Delamere

Captain
106240
No 2 Commando
South Lancashire
Distinguished Service Order (DSO)
Military Cross (MC)
Executed
Captain Graeme Black DSO, MC, was executed whilst a Prisoner of War. He was one of the seven Commandos of No. 2 Commando who were captured after Operation Musketoon, and later executed under Hitler's Commando Execution Order, at Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, Berlin, 1942. 

BROOME, Richard Frank

Captain
85468
No 2 Commando
No 4 Independent Company
South Lancashire Regiment
Killed in action or died of wounds
Captain Richard Broome, Officer Commanding 5 troop, was killed in action at Dragone Hill as the enemy attacked down the valley of La Molina towards Vietri, Italy. Initially buried on the forward slope of Dragone Hill. Son of Geoffrey and Ethel Broome; husband of Desiree L. M.

HODGSON, Eric Stewart

Captain
75234
No 2 Commando
Hertfordshire Regiment
Killed in action or died of wounds
Captain Eric Hodgson, Officer Commanding 1 troop, was reported missing believed killed 28 March 1942 after Operation Chariot at St Nazaire, later confirmed killed in action. He was in charge of the commandos on motor launch ML 446 and has no known grave.

BIRNEY, David Leslie

Captain
75991
No 2 Commando
Rifle Brigade
Killed in action or died of wounds
Captain David Birney, Officer Commanding 2 troop, died of wounds after Operation Chariot, the raid at St Nazaire which took place on 28 March 1942*. He was commanding an assault group that had embarked on Motor Launch ML 447. 

Madagascar - Operation Ironclad

Tuesday, May 5, 1942

Location

Diago Suarez
Madagascar
12° 13' 33.3156" S, 49° 22' 46.9452" E

Combined operation by Allied forces to invade Madagascar.  On 23 March '42, No 5 Commando set sail from Glasgow to participate in the Battle for Madagascar.

No 5 Commando landed near Diego Suarez  (also known as Antsiranana) on the 5th May 1942.  

The total campaign lasted 6 months but the bulk of the special work of Combined Operations and the Commandos was concentrated into a few days in early May 1942.

A full report of this operation can be found in London Gazettes [view....].

French Coast - Operation Myrmidon

Saturday, April 4, 1942
Abortive raid, River Ardour, Southern France. Some of the objectives of the operation were the coast defence guns at the entrance to the river, a T.N.T. factory, and a small aircraft factory, in addition to the  the port facilities. The original plan was for the expedition to sail on the 31st March and to assault on the night 4/5 April.
 
Source
War Cabinet Chiefs of Staff Committee (C.O.S. 42 99th Meeting) document reference National Archives file CAB/79/87/5.

 

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