[Photo and information courtesy of his son Chris Rooney].

 

21.09.1939, 21 Artist Rifles;

26.10.1939 posted Scots Guards;

06.02.1940 posted 5th Battalion Scots Guards. Sent to Chamonix in France as Ski Battalion;
20.04.1940 2nd Lieut. Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, Omagh;
21.06.1940 Captain, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers Omagh;
06.08.1940 volunteered for and joined No.12 Commando (The Irish Commando), at Londonderry. Reverted rank to Lieutenant to join Commandos;
02.06.1941 married Rachel Blair White, Dublin;
27.12.1941 Operation Anklet No.12 Cdo raid which was a part of the main Operation Archery, Lofoten Islands Norway.
Feb. 1942 attached to the Small Scale Raiding Force 62 Commando. Based in England on the South Coast Also Anderson Manor.
02.09.1942 Raid on Aldenay MTB 344. 8 raiders to the rocks beneath the lighthouse. When they returned later they had the enemy's code books and seven prisoners - the lighthouse keepers, radio operators and guards.
03.10.1942 Operation Basalt Sark Channel Islands seems to be conflicting info as to whether he was on this raid. In a letter in the 1990s he says he wasn't but in an interview in USA in 1945 he says he was.
11.11.1942 Operation Farenheit, The Pointe de Plouezec - Raid on a signalling station French Coast.
1942 Foretop France (Foretop N Allied 1942 - 1943 NW Europe Plan to raid U-boat bases on French coast, abandoned as too impractical);
Jan. 1943 Forfar Raids French coast - there were a number of Raids called Forfar raids Forfar- Beer -Dog -How -Love-Item
02.09.1943 Forfar Item. First raid to go into France by Parachute came out by MTB.
20.11.1943 posted to the South Wales Borderers, Western Isles of Scotland. According to the SWB records they were in the Western Isles Scotland training-they held the 24hr marching record (this is a guess the training was for "D day the SWB had a forced march to get inland and relieve Commandos holding a bridge).
16.02.1944 posted to 3 SAS French, Troon Scotland. Training French SAS - this is where the Cross of Lorraine comes from, given to Rachel Rooney by the French Colonel at the handover of 3 SAS after training.
01.04.1944 posted to 2 SAS Troon Scotland.
Deployed to France in August until December, broke his back dropping into Metz; went to Italy in December. Contracted Jaundice in Naples. Roy Farran dropped with Micky's men into the Po valley Northern Italy.
Nov. 1944 Verdun; 17.12.1944 Central Mediteranean Force (CMF) with 2 SAS; 03.02.1945 posted to 21 Air Group from CMF; 27.03.1945 posted to BAS Washington. 3 originals of the SAS Maj Mike Sadler, RSM Tait, Sgt Maj Rose, and Major Rooney sent on USA lecture tour; 01.07.1959 relinquished Commission.

Member of the Commando Association (Commando Association newsletter 102 (1996).