Help deciphering a service record which references Special Raiding Squadron in June 1943

I am attaching the Service and Casualty Form of my Great Uncle called Alan Dixon Buchanan (also known as Dick). He enlisted in 1927 aged 14. He was a Gunner, service no. 1071726. He served in Egypt from September 1940 and then it is recorded that he was posted to the Special Raiding Squadron on 6th June 1943 and his Overseas Service shows to Sicily on 7th June 1943 and to BNAF on 29th August 1943.

I understand Dick suffered from PTSD and very sadly he committed suicide in April 1944 just 5 months before my grandfather, Captain Henry Buchanan, was killed at Arnhem.

Dick received the 1939/45 Star, Africa Star, Italy Star, Defence Medal, War Medal 1939/45. He is commemorated on a memorial next to the Thames at Mortlake.

I would appreciate anyone's assistance in deciphering the Service Record so I can create a timeline of his movements. I would also like to find out more about his role as I have been unable to find any reference to him on the Commando Veterans Archive but maybe I am not searching in the right places.

Please see below for the four Service Record pages I have available:

 

Research done over two days in three posts.

He is also commemorated at a:

From: Roll of Honour - Berkshire - Winkfield - St Mary's Church

The CWGC shows his immediate family were from Isleworth, Middlesex. Do you know what the link is? See: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2435121/alan-dixon-buchanan/

Items that provide context for the Special Raiding Force

1. See: https://www.beaumont-union.co.uk/pdfs/summer-2021.pdf and use Control F with raiding to several pgs. about them. It is a 2021 article.

2. There is a new book, albeit published in April 2024, which one review states:

The book has good and bad reviews. See: https://www.amazon.co.uk/SAS-History-Special-Raiding-Squadron/dp/1803996943/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3AUREC65IO2WI&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ZRYJSlYxktkQbkVRtBEyig.55Hxxgkc_J1hasKmnd_zmm2yDED2H2-MwSPFPlhpjG4&dib_tag=se&keywords=SAS:+The+History+of+the+Special+Raiding+Squadron+Paddy's+Men&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1735847883&s=books&sprefix=sas+the+history+of+the+special+raiding+squadron+paddy's+men,stripbooks,103&sr=1-1

 

Thank you very much for your reply, I appreciate you taking the time.

I have seen the two rolls of honour, the one from Winkfield, Berks is where his mother lived. The mention of Isleworth is because he committed suicide at his aunt's house.

I will have a read of the 2021 article.

Best regards, Lucy

 

Lucy,

Items that provide context for the Special Raiding Force (continued)

3. If you search online with: "Special Raiding" site:ww2talk.com it produces at least thirty threads here where the phrase is found. Very few refer to other matters. They will help provide more context for your subject's activities. Particularly to build a time line for their activities up to his death.

Note a search with: "Special Raiding" + "buchanan" site:ww2talk.com did not find your subject, but another man of the name!

Could his PTSD have been caused by Operation Devon @ Termoli, in October 1943. Read the posted service record sheets and he had left the SRS by then and was en route back to the UK. PTSD as I understand it (a little) takes time to develop and become obvious to the individual and others. Anyway it is just a thought!

A very short summary:

From: Termoli - Operation Devon | ͏

You have to dig further to find:

From: x.com Gavin Mortimer, a historian, who has recently written about the WW2 SAS.

 

Back to the four pgs of his service record. First a question though: do you have his complete record? We always recommend applying for it, it is not online and is the definitive account of his service.

Others are better at interpreting army records, but those four pgs tell you a lot.

The record was not maintained by the unit(s) he served with, but a central "back office" in the UK. I expect that office was for the Army Airborne Corps (AAC) which included a number of units, so not just parachutist. The first column A on pg.4 is the relevant source document - an internal Army document. Columns D,E & F dates etc.

He was posted to a higher organization when overseas: MEF is Middle East Forces (e.g. Palestine), and BNAF British North Africa Forces.

Many of the abbreviations are found here, e.g. 'X' List and I've always found this site useful: WW2 Abbreviations and Acronyms | Researching the Lives and Records of WW2 Soldiers

I suggest you start a timeline chart and fill in the information.

 

Hi Lucy,

Sorry about your Great Uncle.

Whilst it needs to be taken with a huge pinch of salt, SAS Rogue Heroes season 2 is based on the Special Raiding Squadron and it's exploits from Africa to Italy. The Termoli episode, (episode 4 if I remember rightly), features Reg Seekings, and others, struggling with PTSD.

Might be worth a watch.

Best wishes.
John.

Edit. Sorry, I meant to add, looking at your Gt Uncle's movements, I don't think he was at Termoli, it looks like he had moved on, a couple of months earlier.

 

Hi Lucy

An explanation of the X1, X2 etc. references on the record can be found here: 'X' Lists 1939 -1945 | ͏Commando Veterans Archive.

On page 125 of my copy of the book mentioned above "SAS. The History of the Special Raiding Squadron. Paddy's Men", Private A. Buchanan RTU 8 Sep." RTU meant Returned to Unit.

Worth getting a copy to read about the units formation and activities.There were newspaper reports of the inquest on the death of your Great Uncle which you may already have but if not let me know and I will post one here if you approve ?

 

Thank you so much for the additional information, it is extremely helpful. I will definitely start a timeline chart to map his movements. I have also applied for his complete record. The one I have doesn't contain any further information, just his earlier military record from when he joined the army in 1927 aged 14. My mother applied for this in 2013. Might a new application for the record contain more detail? Many thanks again, Lucy

 

Thank you very much for your reply. My husband has also suggested watching the second season of SAS Rogue Heroes so I will do that. We visited SE Sicily last summer but at that stage I wasn't aware of Dick being involved in the operations there in 1943.

 

Hi,

B103 were completed in triplicate. One kept at Battalion/Unit level, another at GHQ 2nd Echelon in theatre and one in UK at Regiment/Corps Record office.

I’ve seen all 3 copies on Scots Guards records on findmypast and noted inconsistencies in the contents/timelines in the different copies of the B103 as the information was shared around the world under wartime conditions via snail mail “despatches” in those pre internet days.

It appears to be pot luck which copy MOD/NA provide. Perhaps they have weeded the files and retained just one copy. The one in this topic has a GHQ MEF 2nd Echelon stamp on P1 and RA Home Records stamp on P2. I have the unit copy of an uncle's B103.

I understand AAC only took responsibility for “Special Forces” service records after 1st April 1944 when those units “joined” AAC.

Until then SAS/SRS/LRDG/SBS personnel records were retained/maintained by the parent regiment/Corps Record Office.

I’ve seen a lot of info for Scots Guards “Special Forces” personnel in the service records where ex “Special Forces” AAC personnel returned to the Regiment pending demobilisation post war.

Steve

 

Thank you very much for your message. It is very helpful to receive the link to the X Lists as I hadn't found that. Thank you also for looking up the reference to a Buchanan in your book. Although he was listed as a Gunner could he also have been known as a Private, I understand they are an equivalent rank?

I have read a newspaper article on the coroner's inquest into his death. Best wishes, Lucy

 

Thank you very much for your message. That is fascinating that there are possibly 3 copies of a service record. I will wait and see what I receive from my application but apparently there is a wait of up to a year! Best regards, Lucy