hi i was looking for some information regarding my granddad he was in the royle marine comandos in ww2 he fought in north africa and burma i am trying to find out his service number at the moment so i can track where he was and what he did. he did receive a lot of medals but he also got one in 1992 or 1993 time not sure which one it was can anyone point me in the direction i need to go.
Joe, what was his name, are you sure he was a Royal Marine, as there were Army Commando's in both North Africa and Burma as well? Guy
Royal Marine Commandos did not fight in North Africa. Only 1 Army Commando (and maybe 5 Army Commando) fought in both.
There was an odd comment in my dad's manuscripts that I referenced as "pep-talk" to bolster confidence in the troops... This is what he wrote... ... We were later told that a Commando Battalion was sent out to India to “show us how it should be done”, but there were so many casualties among these “expensively trained men”, due to heat exhaustion, that they were returned to the European Zone... This was during their training period in India... he did not see these troops first-hand and it was purely a comment doing the rounds... Welcome Joe and good luck with the hunting...
Hi guys thanks for the reply's his name was Alexander Mcderment Black i know that he joined up in 1942 and did his training in the west coast of Scotland i am still waiting for my uncle to get back to me with his service number which i believe to be on his medals that he got. its years since i have seen his medals so i cannot remember all of the medals he has but as i said he got a medal in the 90's which he was asked to go to London to receive but he could not go due to ill health.
Joe, if he was a Royal Marine, his service number should have a letter prefix. CH Chatham group, PLY Plymouth Group, PO Portsmouth group, EX, Exton etc. This was sometimes followed by an extra letter indicating his trade. If he was Army Commando's he would have an Army service number linked to the Regiment he served in prior to joining the Commando's.
'The Third Jungle Book' 3 Commando Brigade: http://www.scribd.com/doc/98617545/The-3rd-Jungle-Book-No-9
Why is it that people tend to forget the name of their search ' object' and make an effort to really make it difficult to search ? Almost like a riddle: I have here a man that is old enough to be a granddad to someone, he says he was with royal marines (of unknown country..Holland ? Norway? ) in two rather common places at unknown times , where he ordered a beef-sandwich from a bloke who is half indian, in a place with three syllables and then went drinking a beer in another place and went pissing behind the fifth tree after the first corner on the left. Please, who can help me find his service number and rank ? (god oh god) By the way, have you tried asking your granddad ? Or visit the one who has inherited his belongings and see through those papers ?
The reason is that some people want to find instant answers without making the effort to read around a subject or undertake research in a methodical manner. Those of us who have this ability have enough patience to help them when we are in the right mood and encourage them towards finding out things for themselves.That way, if we are lucky, they will learn the joy of discovery and sustained long term effort.
