I do not know the source of this article, only that it came from a post war Shropshire magazine. You may have to download the photographs in order to read the article.
Dogs of War War dog Rob's medals for gallantry in Second World War sell at auction for world-record price of £140,000 A bit more
Clive, many thanks for the link to the Dicken Medal article, some useful information there. I was hoping to identify the three S.A.S. troopers, particularly the two with a Clun connection as they probably have relatives living locally.
I wonder if there could be a mention of their service on a plaque in St Georges church or the like I checked checked local memorials i have and nothing showed Assume they survived
I think that they definitely survived the war, but are probably in St George's Churchyard. I will have to ask around to see if any one remembers them.
A lot to look into in said article, from memory some pinch of salt stuff there, though it may just be the '50s sensasionalist journalism. The photo (first/third page of article) has a Mushroom Farm look about it, which would tie in with the stores. Thank you for posting it up, very very much appreciated. Kind regards, always, Jim.
It would if I knew who I was looking for but I only have the initial 'J' to go on and I suspect that was just a random letter used to disguise his indentity in the article. The other Clun lad went under the nom de guerre 'X'. The original owner of Rob, the sheep dog, Edward Bayne, is easy to trace as his name is mentioned. He came from Tetchill, near Ellesmere in north Shropshire and his son Basil was born in 1941. Edward Bayne cannot have been one of the three men in the article, he has no Clun connection.
I re-read "J"'s description of his route into the S.A.S., which paraphrased was, "I went to Africa as a Commando and later functioned with the Long Range Desert Group, then some of us got absorbed into the S.A.S. when it first formed." The summer before the Covid pandemic struck, I was spending an afternoon stewarding in the Clun Museum. An old lady who lived in Clun was doing some local history research and she and I got talking. In passing she mentioned that her father had served in the Long Range Desert Group, and I asked if she had his medals and badges, she said that she had his photograph album. I said that I would be very interested to see it and she said that I should come round for tea. I suggested that she should come to our house and try some of Mandy's cake. To cut a long story short, a couple of families came in and she went up stairs to finish her research and I had to take their entrance fees, a modest 50p each, give them tickets and interactive boards for the children. Later on, having finished her research, she came to say goodbye, I told her where I lived and said feel free to knock on the door at any time. I never heard from her again and I don't remember her name, she may not have survived Covid. All I do know is that she was about 80, had never married and was a retired school teacher. Thinking about the article, it is extremely unlikely that we had two members of the S.A.S. and two members of the L.R.D.G. living in a small town like Clun and I guess that Cpl. "J" must have been her father. If only I could remember her name.
Checked both Clun cem and St Georges church yard Clun for mentions of service on the headstones.Also checked inside church but nothing SBS chap in St Georges churchyard There was. chap called Gordon who is 95 and visits the Postcard cafe might be worth a call to them to start the ball rolling he might remember Remembrance cross Clun cemetery
Clive, Richard Edwards would appear to be Richard Ernest Harold Edwards, but I can find no trace of his military career. He was born on the 22nd March 1922. Richard Ernest Harold Edwards married in 1948 and had one daughter, Marcia M. E. Edwards. who married in Bridgenorth in 1971, so it is possible that she is still alive, and hopefully well, at the ripe old age of 75. Many thanks for your help with this. Simon.
If he went to Africa as a commando he was probably in layforce, then in 1 special service regiment which was eventually absorbed into the SAS in 42 ...so, 7, 8, or 11 commando starts are likley places to look.
