Soe Under A Different Unit Name?

Discussion in 'SOE & OSS' started by museumtom, Oct 5, 2004.

  1. museumtom

    museumtom Member

    Could a soldier who joined up and served with the Artizan works of the RE really have been part of the SOE or some other similar unit. The guy I am researching is William Coman who was a POW in Berlin, France and Poland. Seems to have been living with a French national for two years and sentenced to death. He was in Stalag IX which seems to be bot for the ordinary guy. he was supposed to have been blowing up bridges to keep the germans from the beaches at Dunkirk?
    Am I barking up the wrong tree?
    regards.
    Tom
     
  2. harribobs

    harribobs Member

    sounds like a very interesting bloke Tom

    have you got any further with him?

    chris
     
  3. museumtom

    museumtom Member

    Actually he was a VERY interesting guy. Believe it or not he was one of the Connaught Rangers mutineers in Jullundur in 1920. He emigrated to England (from Tipperary) in 1930 and joined up for ww2 in 10-1-1940. Using the same name!!!, spent 4 years in POW or other internment camps and I am find it a divil to get information on him. He was 1915054 Sapper Coman W.
    Regards.
    Tom.
     
  4. DirtyDick

    DirtyDick Senior Member

    Hi Tom

    SOE was a diverse organisation , and his apparent personality-type ad lack of ties, his experience with explosives (if he was RE) and possible French language skills, could have made him useful in some capacity, especially in the early days.

    Richard
     
  5. angie999

    angie999 Very Senior Member

    SOE did not formally come into being until July 1940 and it then took some time to really get going, but there were a few other little departments which preceeded it. See this:
    http://www.64-baker-street.org/organisatio...oe_history.html

    So, your man could not have been working for SOE as such at the time of Dunkirk. When was he taken prisoner?
     
  6. museumtom

    museumtom Member

    He seems to have been a bit of a n'eer do well, and had tried to shoot a Cafe owner, he was imprisoned not for the attemped murder but for carrying arms, the 2 year sentence was imposed and he was re-tried for the same crime and sentenced to death, representations from the Irish Goverment were heeded and he was released after the war unharmed. His jailers were charged with war crimes at the 1946 war crimes tribunal where a Lt Lawrence charged the Commander and warders of the jail for the war crime of informing him that he was sentenced to death and not telling him when they were going to do it. By the time the tribunal were having their investigation, not knowing if he was or was not executed....Bill was back in Tipperary.,
    Tom.
     

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