Hi I'm the eldest son of Sgt Hector Wood who fought in No 12 Commando in the South of England during 1942/3 on raids to the French coast in Folboats via Submarine. In late 43 he sailed for India where he was stationed in Madras and the in Ceylon (Shri Lanka) Trincomalee Columbo. He became a member of 'A'Group No 2 Special Boat Section. He did some raids on the Burma coast and was then inserted in late 1944 on the Irrawaddy River near the town of Chauk a crossing at Sengu. His unit where using 2man Mk VI powered canoes fitted with Vickers LMGs. I have found this from the fact he was mentioned in despatches and there is a report in the National Achives at Kew. I am now trying to fill in the story of what he was involved in during his service in England and any other action he was involved in in Burma. Dad was a policeman in civvy street and died at the age of 37 in 1955 and since then Mum has lost or thrown away a lot of his wartime clobber that he brought home so this research is proving quite difficult as I only new him from the age of 6 to 15. If anyone can help with my research I would be most grateful or suggest ways of finding records. Many thanks Alan wood
Alan: Welcome and best wishes for success. I look forward to reading the results of your research. The campaign in Burma is a neglected area. JT
welcome to the forum Alan. Best of luck with your quest. Maybe getting in contact with the SAS/SBS association (there must be one, I see enough of their berets at the cenotaph each year) might help.
re canoes etc an ceylon i can assist you. regards Q# see synopsis of manuscript book to be published soon talks about this. would like to have more info on this canoe length would determine if MK2 . does it come in bags etc. with arrows on it it is not a ww2 canoe sorry. pics would be good also suggest take look at http://groups.google.com/group/WW2BMC set up as prelude to my forthcoming book, British Military CAnoes of WW2 never been done before total new info and from source not whispers. 7 years of research. WAR CANOES (working title) (publication late 2008) World War II British Military Canoes 'War Canoes' is the complete narrative of the British Military canoe designed and manufactured during WW2. Unquestionably this is the first ever account of such craft; it is both accurate and comprehensive. The manuscript is some <90,000 words in length with many vintage and rare previously unpublished B&W photographs available to use. Very rarely is there an opportunity to bring to the world something that has not been written about before; this is one such rarity. The 'War Canoes' story represents the first and only definitive reference work of the entire History and Development of British Military Canoes during World War Two, 1939 to 1945. But it is indeed much more than this, it is a gripping tale. It contains intricate details woven with events as well as the technology, design and the manufacture of the military canoe; it shows how the world of the canoe coloured so many areas as well as the lives of many skilled individuals. It is a tale about a most unusual mode of warfare, wrapped up within a very human story. It is also a celebration of those individuals who have become part of canoe history, both civilian and Military, some of great fame, many yet to become accredited through this work. Whilst charting this fascinating evolution of the Military canoe, with the keenness to publicise the Navy's very small 'boats', it is impossible not to include the activities of these craft in a tactical setting and to highlight exactly what was required of the units and therefore the men, to perform the tasks set, using these canoes. As far as amphibious assaults and reconnaissance with canoes are concerned, a few audacious adventures of the Second World War have been written, but hardly any detailed and accurate information about the 'accessories' used in the various raids exist. Much of the information in the manuscript has never been revealed before. Few existing publications even mention canoes. Of those that do much is inaccurate and usually found in an appendix. Even the simplest dimensions are wrongly quoted. 'Not a lot is known about this canoe' and 'no information exists' are perhaps the worst of the quoted references that can be mentioned. Yet the story of the British military canoe as written is a very interesting one. Within the manuscript 24 canoes are identified with a full description; with a further 17 canoes dealt with on a lesser scale, this being the entire stock of canoes developed, most unknown to Military historians and therefore the general public. The manuscript is evidenced by original source material, all referenced. Every detail that exists on the British Military canoe during WW2 is reported on. This work tries not to be too technical but has this element included as an integral of part of the overall requirement to understand the differences and the technology used in the individual canoes. It weaves the description of an intricate series of events within many different fields that have shaped the progress of development from pre-war recreational use of canoes to the needs of the military during WW2, briefly showing how some of these developments have had a direct effect and bearing on a much larger vessel of the modern day. It tells of the epic journey of progress that canoe development took from Scotland and Cornwall, London, Cambridge, Gosport , Brentford, Warwick, Poole, Southampton, the Island of Wight in the Solent to the tropical Island of Sri Lanka. The work chronicles all the detailed specifications and gives a timeline during the trials and tribulations experienced within military canoe development. It explains the journey each particular 'mark' took and how the development stages brought about each new genus of canoe for the military. Many of these stages were pivotal moments, giving an important insight into a new organisation that required a fast moving set of operational methodologies in order to deliver what was required. From the talents of a few the 'War Canoe' became a greater craft than that of recreational transport. The military used civilian held skills and technology to push the boundaries; each step was choreographed by need. Thousands of canoes of various marks and types were sent worldwide from the U.K. as far as Australia, and used operationally. Many details for other clandestine organizations are relatively unknown until now. The work is a product of real life testimonies within the stories of the Commanders, Inventors, Designers and the University boat race connections, together with many previously unseen photographs. The endeavour is to inform so that even from photographs it is possible to identify each Mark. The work also describes the purpose and some operations of the units, the Admiralty departments, Combined Operations and its various facets including the various Special Forces activities; each part adding to the raison detre for the canoe, pouring out the very essence of the British spirit. The narrative goes behind the scenes to expose the internal workings, it also explains how many different companies including those in the aviation industry were used to produce the canoes and the links between certain individuals. There are storylines which included men such as Mountbatten, Tollemarche, Hasler, Montenaro and individuals within and connected to the C.O.H.Q. as well as the S.O.E. and describes how the S.O.E. and one of the canoe inventors had a direct influence on writings of the author Ian Fleming Due the military association within the field of amphibious warfare it will be welcomed in the United States as the base from which their hardware evolved – proven links exist in this area are highlight within the manuscript. The work is not a difficult read; even with the craft descriptions it is easily absorbed. It will be enlightening and yet controversial due to it being in opposition to the small amount of incorrect information published. The work needed to be written, this information has been lost to our nation for long enough – to leave it unpublished would leave a void within British Military History. Each exclusive photograph used is accompanied with a detailed and authoritative caption. The originality is one of the strongest selling points about the work; it is the 'missing link', the means by which clandestine warfare was conducted by the various Special Forces during WW2. Quite possibly it represents the most comprehensive study ever undertaken in the field of the twentieth-century naval small 'boats'; deserving the description 'indispensable'. Hi I'm the eldest son of Sgt Hector Wood who fought in No 12 Commando in the South of England during 1942/3 on raids to the French coast in Folboats via Submarine. In late 43 he sailed for India where he was stationed in Madras and the in Ceylon (Shri Lanka) Trincomalee Columbo. He became a member of 'A'Group No 2 Special Boat Section. He did some raids on the Burma coast and was then inserted in late 1944 on the Irrawaddy River near the town of Chauk a crossing at Sengu. His unit where using 2man Mk VI powered canoes fitted with Vickers LMGs. I have found this from the fact he was mentioned in despatches and there is a report in the National Achives at Kew. I am now trying to fill in the story of what he was involved in during his service in England and any other action he was involved in in Burma. Dad was a policeman in civvy street and died at the age of 37 in 1955 and since then Mum has lost or thrown away a lot of his wartime clobber that he brought home so this research is proving quite difficult as I only new him from the age of 6 to 15. If anyone can help with my research I would be most grateful or suggest ways of finding records. Many thanks Alan wood
