RN Beach Commando 'A' + 'B'

'History of Naval Beach Control Parties (formerly Royal Naval Beach Commandos)'
 
Transcript of National Archives document file DEFE 2/987. 
 
'A' and 'B' Commando
 
It is not known when the first beach parties were formed, but up till the time the Madagascar expedition sailed in March 1942, the parties appear to have been associated with the particular troop transport to which they were more or less permanently attached. It is believed that the five or six parties that proceeded to Madagscar where known as "Keren" party, "Karanga" party, etc., and that subsequently they were named "A" and "B" by C.O.H.Q., though in actual fact there was by that time only sufficient personnel to complete one commando which was known as "A". As such it formed part of Force P in India in the autumn of 1943 under command of Commander Duncan R.N. and Lt. Cdr.  J.S. Scott-Wilson, D.S.C., R.N.V.R. afterwards moving in January 1944 to the Mediterranean where they participated in the Anzio landing.
 
Thereafter the Unit moved to Corsica where it remained untl 17th June when 'A'  1 particpated in the attack on Elba with 'OBOE', in which two Officers and eighteen ratings were killed. [view Elba ROH in archive]
 
The balance of 'A' returned to Corsica where they were relieved by 'DOG' before they returned to the U.K. in September 1944. The Unit reached Armadillo on the 28th October 1944 , where it was disbanded in December, in view of the casualties sustained and the long service of the majority of Officers and men in Beach Parties. 
 
Naval Beach Commando BAKER never had any real existence in fact, though on paper it was counted as a formed unit for a long period.
 
Lt. W. Bentham,  R.N.V.R
Cdr. Duncan, R.N.
Lt. P. Greenland, R.N.V.R.
S.Lt. W.R. Godwin, R.N.V.R.
S.Lt. Hodgson, R.N.V.R.
S.Lt. Lock, R.N.V.R.
Lt. J.B.  Luckin, R.N.V.R.
S.Lt. MacDonald, R.N.V.R.
Lt. Notley, R.N.V.R.
Lt. Phibbs, R.N.V.R.
Lt. Power, R.N.V.R.
Lt.Cdr. Scott-Wilson, R.N.V.R.

 


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