Sword Beach.

Many thanks Danny - this confirms for certain and helps to confirm the timeline, we will definitely be paying a visit and paying our respects on the 6th June.

 

Every now and then I come across a photo attributed to the Imperial War Museum which doesn't appear to be on the IWM website. The picture below, which is printed in David Young's 1972 book on 45 Commando, is one such example. I assume that the IWM has significantly more photos relating to the Normandy landings than are currently accessible on its website. If anyone here has previously accessed the IWM research facilities and is able to confirm the extent to which additional photographs are available of 45 Commando, either embarking their landing craft at Warsash on 5 June, landing at Queen Red Beach on 6 June or fighting on the Orne Bridgehead in the weeks following D-Day (when they were in Sallenelles, Merville village, Franceville Plage, Le Plein and Amfreville), I would be very interested to hear from you. I'm also particularly keen to locate additional photos of LCI(S) 518. The only photo I have so far been able to find of it is BU 1184 (displayed in my previous post above), which appears to be a still from the following short film: LANDINGS ON 'SWORD' BEACH, 6 JUNE 1944 (PART 3) [Allocated Title]. Many thanks in advance.

 

Your post was tremendously helpful, Danny. I managed to purchase a copy of "Soldier, Sailor", published by The Bombardments Units Association in 1947. There is a further quote from Capt. Goodall on page 119. I would love to know what the authors of the book were quoting from (presumably Capt. Goodall's daily FOB reports) and whether any of that primary source material still exists. Sadly, I suspect not.

 

This is a cropped version of IWM H39044 by Capt Evans, showing LCI(S) 501:


Capt Evans shot a number of photos showing Commandos prior to and during embarkation at Warsash (H39025 to H39049). Film A70 25-1 also features Commandos embarking.

Michel

 

Thank you. So, that is actually a photo of No. 3 Commando rather than 45 Commando. Perhaps all the IWM photos are available on their website then…

I think part of the problem is that a lot of the IWM photos are badly labelled. For example, BU 1184 incorrectly states that it shows commandos of No. 4 Commando.

Another photo I was unable to locate on the IWM website, despite being credited to the IWM, is attached below - said to be of two men from 45 Commando digging a slit trench near Amfreville.

 

I think the proportion of IWM images that have been digitised is comparatively low, but if a book or similar was being readied predigital era good old fashioned "photo research" was done by someone going through the physical archive, viewing a negative and then ordering a print.

Have you tried searching without "digitised assets only" selected? Although we're then into the issue of how well they have been labelled.

 

That's IWM B 5053.

 

Thanks. From a search of records without digitised media, I can see that IWM has some reasonably large photo collections that are still unavailable online, some of which contain various photos from Normandy (e.g. 4700-29). There's nothing to suggest that there are any further photos of the commandos at Warsash, other than what's already available online.

 

Thanks again for this, I have since been able to track down the casualties from the 9th British Infantry Brigade HQ War Diary and those wounded were:
Brigadier J.C. Cunningham - Argyll & Sutherland
Acting Captain R.F. Schooley - G.III Officer - Royal Welsh Fusiliers (Died 8th June - presumably of wounds received)
Acting Captain D.E. Baptiste - Brigade Intelligence Officer - Lincolnshire Regiment
Lieutenant T K Hounam - Liaison Oficer - Lincolnshire Regiment

although I have been unable to trace the "I Serjeant" who was killed on the day.....

 

I have to say Steve - your book is absolutely brilliant. Once I'd started it I was unable to put it down. I particularly like the helpful maps you have included at the front. I can see why you had to draw the line somewhere in terms of not including the action on the Orne bridgehead - although if you ever do write about that I'll be one if the first people ordering a copy.

 

Thank you Simon, I'm so glad you like it. And a book about the actions east of the Orne is on my wishtowriteitlist!

 

Thanks again for the inforamtion and just to close this off I made a detour to pay my respects and was good to see that the locals still remember and pay their respects to those that liberated them...

Quis Separabit

 

For some reason your book is not available on Kindle at the U.S. Amazon site.

https://www.amazon.com/Sword-Beach-...oks&sprefix=sword+beach,stripbooks,102&sr=1-1

 

A really excellent book, have been most impressed with the level of detail!

 

Hi Michel, apologies if I've replied in the wrong thread. I'm following up on previous threads I've seen about FOB's and BLO's on D Day. I was looking to open your spreadsheet to try if I could find my Grandfather who was either a FOB or BLO. I can't open your spreadsheet. I do know he talked about being on HMS Serapis. I have a photo of him on exercise before D Day jumping off an LCI it looks like. He is smiling so it must be an exercise... I've seen lots of the great pictures and research done on here and have been reading about HMS Serapis through Midshipman Lawtons diary and also Spitfires of the Sea Stephen Fishers excellent book on Sword beach where on page 177 he talks about Capt Glyn Llewellyn RA who is badly wounded and returned to HMS Serapis. So if you can point me to where I might be able to work out what my Grandfather, Capt. TGM (Tom) Guise RA role was in June/July 1944, FOB or BLO? I know he was 1 COBU as I also have a photo of him with his colleagues.

Colin

 

Hi Colin,

Capt Guise was BLO on board SERAPIS, which was alloted to FOB 90 Capt Hodgkin with 3 Commando.

Michel

 

Thank you so much appreciate your very quick response.

 

Hi, I'm newly arrived here, directed from the bibliography of 'Sword Beach' by Stephen Fisher. What a treasure trove of information & special recognition to Trux for stalwart work with all the listing of landings and times.
I'm always trying to flesh out detail on my Dad's story. He was a driver with H troop in 45 Royal Marines Commando. (1st Special Service Brigade)
It would seem from Trux's listing that it's likely my dad would have landed at H +7 hours when it's listed 30 Jeeps landed from different units but all from 1st Special Service Brigade.
Can anyone tell me where Trux got all the information from? Is it a source available to anyone? Just wondering if maybe the original documents would hold any further details? I was wondering for example, if I could establish which landing craft Dad would have come across on and also where he would have embarked in the UK.
My Dad wrote a few notes many years after the event and in them he said "Transferred the Jeep a mile out to sea onto powered raft." (This was subsequently ID'd by him as a Rhino Ferry). "This was then hit, so again transfered to a second raft that then landed on the beach behind the initial landing of men. Once ashore - confusion. Turned right and ended up with a different commando and amongst Canadians. Amongst six Jeeps we then headed east for Le Plein/Amfreville"
I'm wondering if this (brief) description would allow anyone to hazard a guess as to where on Sword he may have actually landed; who the other Commando where he mentions, and who the Canadians were?
Any pointers would brilliant!

 

Hi Jonathan,
I understand that the No.3 (Army) Commando were present at D-Day, especially at Amfreville. I am doing some research into the no.3, but this is for Sicily, which is the main topic of my book. All the best, William Donaldson.

 

Welcome to the forum Jonathan!

According to the SWORD Landing Table First Tide dated 19 Mar 44, the only vessels carrying Jeeps from 45 (RM) Commando were LTIN 381 (HM LST 361) with three Jeeps and three men, and LTIN 384 (HM LST 304) with seven Jeeps and eight men. They were to be ready to start unloading 1,000 yards off QUEEN Sector, SWORD Area, at H+330 (1255 hours) on D Day.

Because of possible amendments between 19 Mar and D Day plus confirmed last minute changes in the loading of the LSsT in that Group (Group 17), it is possible that some or all of those Jeeps were actually loaded in other ships or craft.

Capt Knight of 5 AFPS was on board LST 361 and took a few photos, some of which include Jeeps:

IWM H38980 and H38981 shows two (different) Jeeps (both carrying a 10 cwt trailer) reversing into LST 361 at Gosport Hard in the morning of 1 Jun 44. Unfortunately no clear marking is visible which might help identify their unit(s):




IWM B5012 shot from the after end of the Main (upper) Deck shows at least ten Jeeps, many of them also with a 10 cwt trailer on top (a larger (1772x1864) version of this photo may be downloaded here):

Note: the Jeep on the bottom left apparently belongs to A Troop, 3 Airlanding Light Anti Tank Battery RA which does not appear at all in the 15 Mar Landing Table, thereby confirming changes were made.

Unloading using Rhino Ferries was rather chaotic because of the sea and wind conditions, which had them drift East and often become broached to or stranded on the water's edge. Accordingly, your father probably landed on QUEEN RED Beach (the most easterly part of SWORD Area). This is about as precise as it can get, but QUEEN RED is not so wide anyway (about 800 metres), between the present day Boulevard de la 3ème Division d'Infanterie Britannique to the West and the Avenue de Bruxelles to the East, in Hermanville-sur-Mer.

Michel