No 4 Commando 25.12.43

Discussion in 'Commandos & Royal Marines' started by Paul Reed, Oct 19, 2009.

  1. Paul Reed

    Paul Reed Ubique

    I'm helping a mate of mine, a coach driver who works regularly on battlefield tours of WW1 and WW2 (and whose son is in Hellmund at the moment). He has a relative who died with No 4 Commando, details below. I will be looking him up at Kew, but anyone got any information before I get to that stage?

    Name: PARK, JOHN
    Initials: J
    Nationality: United Kingdom
    Rank: Serjeant
    Regiment/Service: Royal Army Ordnance Corps
    Secondary Regiment: Commando
    Secondary Unit Text: and No. 4
    Age: 30
    Date of Death: 25/12/1943
    Service No: 3709917
    Additional information: Son of John and Sarah Anne Park; husband of Elizabeth Park, of Millom, Cumberland.
    Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
    Grave/Memorial Reference: Row 5. Grave 15.
    Cemetery: OYE-PLAGE COMMUNAL CEMETERY
     
  2. englandphil

    englandphil Very Senior Member

    Paul, I have quite a few South lancs killed with various commando Sqdn's including No 4.

    Here is some further details. Hel was originally enlisted with the The King's Own Royal Regiment

    PARK Serjeant John 3709917
    25th. December 1943
    Age 30
    Royal Army Ordnance Corps. & 2 Special Boat Service
    Killed in France on Op. Hardtrack raid on Gravelines near Dunkirk. OYE-PLAGE COMMUNAL CEMETERY, Pas de Calais, France - Row 5 Grave 15

    THE ALLIED SPECIAL FORCES ASSOCIATION - UK is dedicated to creating the ALLIED SPECIAL FORCES MEMORIAL GROVE at the NATIONAL MEMORIAL ARBORETUM which will commemorate the men and women who sadly lost their lives whilst serving with ALLIED SPECIAL FOR

    "Corporal" (PRO and "SBS in World War 2"(Courtney))
    "Parkes" in some accounts
    KIA Gravelines,near Dunkirk (Op.Hardtack 2)

    John Park - SBS - Special Forces - Roll Of Honour

    Also took part in the Dieppe Raid, so could have took part in the Dieppe raid, with no 4 troup ? of 2 commando.

    the report ( in french[​IMG] about GRAVELINES raid, and how sgt.PARK died.
    Two french commandos who took part to this raid died few years ago. Joseph MADEC and René NAVRAULT.
    I know than Sgt. PARK swim with Joseph MADEC, trying to take the diggy, Joseph MADEC came back to the beach but unfortunately not Sgt. PARK.

    John Park, No4 Cdo - KIA Gravelines France

    If he did serve with No 2 Commando, then he could be the 'PARKES' in the photo here, along side a number of my South Lancs guys.

    4 Troop, Number 2 Commando

    Three troops of No.4 Commando were used in Manacle operations on the Normandy coast. Their objectives were to take out German strong-points and to conduct reconnaissance, as part of Layforce II. They were unofficially known as the "Menday Force" after their commander. No.4 Commando participated in Manacle 5 at Qnival and Manacle 8 at Quend Plage operating from Dover. The latter was abandoned due to rough weather. The Menacle, and associated Hardtack pin prick raids, were finally abandoned on the orders of Laycock because they encouraged the enemy to reinforce their positions which, in the longer term, could be disadvantageous to the Allies. By April 1944, the command was passed to that of 21st Army Group.

    No. 4 COMMANDO

    Paul, finally here is a copy of the report in Franch, which i am sure you will be able to translate easier than me.

    [​IMG]

    N° 4 Cdos jusqu'à Troop 1 incluse - Ils étaient 177
     
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  3. Paul Reed

    Paul Reed Ubique

    Phil, that is brilliant. My friend will be delighted.

    Very interesting report on the discovery of his body!
     
  4. englandphil

    englandphil Very Senior Member

    Paul, any chance you can translate it as would be interested to know what it says

    P
     
  5. Paul Reed

    Paul Reed Ubique

    The section which mentions Park reads, and only my rough translation:

    "At Gravelines the corpses of two commandos were found, and were registered with the state with the date 31 December 1943 [i.e. as their date of death - presume when they were found?]. Buried in the civil cemetery as unknown soldiers, the bodies were later identified after the Liberation. The registrar mentioned that one of the bodies wore the uniform of a British soldier, had a signet ring with the initials E.J. and later found a photo of a woman tucked in one of his boots. This body, that of Wallerand, was sent back to his family at Cerisy-Pailly on the Somme. As for Sergeant Park today he is buried in the English cemetery at Oye-Plage in the Pas de Calais."
     
  6. englandphil

    englandphil Very Senior Member

    Cheers Paul, glad to be of help
     
  7. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

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  8. Paul Reed

    Paul Reed Ubique

    Thanks for that - my friend will be very pleased.
     
  9. DUREZ Bruno

    DUREZ Bruno Member

    Hello, I am French and I am writing a book on the Gravelines raid on December 24, 1943.
    We know his story a bit but we do not have pictures and we do not know his family. Do you have a way to contact one of his children or others ?
    I have the opportunity to go to his grave in Oye-Plage, I live 6 miles.
    I will take a picture and put it on this forum.
    Write me please.
     
  10. DUREZ Bruno

    DUREZ Bruno Member

    death certificate :
    [​IMG] upload_2018-4-2_11-54-35.png
    on December 31, 1943, at 4 o'clock in the morning on the beach at Petit-Fort-Philippe, a male person whose identity was not established and whose death appears to date back to seven days; the description is as follows: age around 28 years; size 1m80 (1,96 yard); Brown hair ; In the upper jaw, the subject has a bridge composed of two incisors and two canines, the last ones of steel; the body was dressed in the English uniform. drawn up on December 31, 1943, 16:15 on the declaration of Pierre Bouteille employee of town hall, 48 years old domiciled in Gravelines which, made reading, signed with Us, Hector Vendiesse, deputy, officer of the civil status by delegation of the mayor of Gravelines
     
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  11. DUREZ Bruno

    DUREZ Bruno Member

  12. No.4CommandoBairn

    No.4CommandoBairn Well-Known Member

    His name is on the Nominal Roll of those who took part, with No.4 Commando, at Dieppe.
    If you type his name in the search bar on the Commando Veterans Association Forum page, there's more.
     
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  13. DUREZ Bruno

    DUREZ Bruno Member

    Thanks very much ;)
     
  14. No.4CommandoBairn

    No.4CommandoBairn Well-Known Member

  15. DUREZ Bruno

    DUREZ Bruno Member

    Hello everyone,
    who could give me the first names of the 2 others Britishs during the raid of Gravelines Hardtack 11: Corporal radio JONES and the sailor of MTB CHAPMAN ?
    thank you in advance
     
  16. Harry Ree

    Harry Ree Very Senior Member

    Could this operation be one of a series of operations to French coastal sites in preparation for D Day and designated Hardtack,not Hardtrack.....information from "Codes" generously posted on the forum recently.

    Hardtack | Operations & Codenames of WWII
     
  17. DUREZ Bruno

    DUREZ Bruno Member

    Yes, it is a typing error. It's Hardtack 11 (Layforce II) Thanks for the remark
     

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