Supporting Units

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Last Name	First Name	Position	Personal Information
Armstrong	C.	S.O.	Royal Navy Charles Armstrong was a Signals Officer on the HMS Princess Josephine Charlotte, and landed part of 47 Commando with LCA 442 on D-Day. His boat was No.6 in line of 14 LCA.	More
Aykroyd	C.A.	ty. Lt.	M.N.B.D.O.2 Charles Arthur Aykroyd was promoted a temporary Lt. on 22 September 1941 in the Portsmouth Division. March 1944 he went to HMS Odyssey and was assigned to Naval Party 1502A, which was given the task to get the harbour of Port-en-Bessin operational after its liberation and to prepare the port for the PLUTO pipelines. In October 1944 he went to the Royal Marines Training Group in Devon and on 26 November back to HMS Odyssey for Naval Party 2400. He moved on to HMS Landswell which was a Mobile Landing Craft Advanced Base 1, Cochin. Then November 1945 he returned to the Portsmouth Division.	More
Barlow	S.G.	Cpl.	HQ 10 GRN - 2nd Army Sidney Barlow served in HQ 10 Garrison (formed 24th April 1944 - disbanded April 1946) which sailed on-board HMS "URSA" on D-Day. HQ 10 Garrison was involved in discussions with 47 and 48 RM Commando during the weeks before D-Day in their assembly area - Suffolk/Norfolk, East Anglia - also with 4 & 6 Army Commando. During this period they were joined by a liaison team of the US Army - Major Milton Puller, Lt. Clive W. Parkman, Sgt. G. Osborne and Cpl. John T. Mattes with their "Peep" . (a liaison jeep with an angle iron attached to the front bumper) Major Puller and Lt. Parkman sailed from Portsmouth with his CO Col. C. Montague and Recce party H and Naval Party 1502 under the command of Commander Cowley-Thomas, and 47 RM Commando to rendezvous with Headquarters Ship HMS Bulolo. His transport section required a beach landing and with his drivers and John T. Mattes of Birmingham, Alabama, USA, left Tilbury, London, on the 5th June on a nine thousand ton Liberty Ship the "Ocean Vision" to join a convoy to "Gold" and at 6.30pm on the 7th of June landed at Arromanches proceeding west to follow 47 RM Commando into the port of Port-en-Bessin overland. After its liberation HQ 10 GRN took control of the port and prepare it for PLUTO. He also was there for the liberation of Brussels on the 3rd of September 1944, Operation Market Garden on the 17th of September 1944, Military Control of Nijmegen September 1944 to December 1944, into Germany March 1945 and the liberation of Bergen Belsen concentration camp on the 17th of April 1945. Sidney was with HQ 10 Garrison at Luneburg Heath on the 4th of May 1945 where the surrender of the Germans was signed in Montgomery Headquarters. And finally Military and Civil Control of Hamburg May 1945 onwards. He left for civilian life on 23rd April 1946.	More
Blyth	R.	Able Seaman	Royal Navy Richard "Dick" Blyth served as Able Seaman on HM LCG(L)1 which was part of the Support Squadron Eastern Flank in the assault on Walcheren island on 1st November 1944 in Operation "Infatuate II".	More
Buckley	P.	RM Engineer	2nd L & M Engineer Coy Philip Buckley was a RM Engineer in the 2nd L & M Engineer Coy. He joined on the 8th of January 1942 at RM Depot Lympstone and became Home Based Ledger at Royal Marines Division on the 24th of February 1942. On the 15th of April 1944 he went to HMS 'Odyssey' until the 4th of August 1944 as part of Naval Party 1502. He was attached to 47 RM Commando landing on D-Day and was in Port-en -Bessin for 6/7 weeks. Philip was involved in the clearing of the harbour of Port-en-Bessin to get it operational for Operation PLUTO. On the 5th of August 1944 he went to Royal Marines Training Group and from the 26th of August 1944 until the 22nd of March 1946 was posted to HMS 'Flycatcher'. On the 23rd of March 1946 he went back to Plymouth Division and was released Class "A" on the 3rd of June 1946.	More
Crawford	E.	1st Lt.	Royal Navy Eric Crawford served on the HMS "Electra" which on the 3rd of September 1939 rescued several passengers and crew from the torpedoed SS "Athenia". He later served as 1st Lt. on the HMS "Princess Josephine Charlotte", a former Belgian ferry which was requisitioned by the Royal Navy and converted to a Landing Ship Infantry Assault. He has been training with 47 RM Commando off the west coast of Scotland and the Islands. He also was at Falmouth with them and at Portsmouth just before D-Day and sailed with them from Portsmouth on the 5th of June 1944 heading for Gold Beach in Normandy.	More
Ganney	F.		Royal Navy Frank Ganney landed part of 47 Commando with LCA 442 on D-Day. His boat was No.6 in line.	More
Greer	R.	Sgt.	Royal Marines Killed in action 2 November 1944. Robert Greer was a Sergeant in the Royal Marines (CH/X3121) and served on HM LCG(L)1 which was part of the Support Squadron Eastern Flank in the assault on Walcheren island on 1st November 1944 in Operation "Infatuate II".	More
Hardy		Stoker	Royal Navy LCA	More
Hurley	H.L.	Lt. Cmdr.	Royal Navy Henry Leo Hurley DSC was Lt. Commander on LCT 858 in the run up to and during D-Day. On D-Day he went “over the side” at least 3 times during the landing to try and save men in the water, and at least one of the times was whilst at the beach, under enemy fire. It was this action that he was awarded his DSC for.	More
Hutchings			Royal Navy LCA	More
Jones	T.	Stoker	Royal Navy Tom Jones was a stoker on LCA 442 and landed part of 47 Commando on D-Day. His boat was No.6 in line.	More
Mellor			Royal Navy LCA	More
Penny			Royal Navy LCA	More
Sharp	E.J.	Able Seaman	Royal Navy Eric John Sharp was an Able Seaman on LCT 858 which carried beach engineers and landed on D-Day at H minus 30 minutes, in front of a deserted pill-box beside which was a farm track going inland. The commandos went up that track and engaged the enemy on a ridge some way back from the beach. One of the commando’s craft hit an underwater charge near LCT858 and instantly disappeared. They threw the kedge chain/rope and winched four survivors onboard. They were taken to the mess deck to recover.	More
Sloane	T.		Royal Navy Ted Sloane landed part of 47 Commando with LCA 442 on D-Day. His boat was No.6 in line.	More
Sweeney	M.	Coxswain	Royal Navy Mick Sweeney was a coxswain on LCA 442 and landed part of 47 Commando on D-Day. His boat was No.6 in line.	More
Wing	C.		Royal Navy Charles Wing was a member of the Royal Navy Beach Commando "L" party who landed at Westkapelle 1.11.44	More
Woolf	B.	P.O.	Royal Navy Operation Infatuate II Basil volunteered for the Royal Navy in late 1940. In January 1941 he was dispatched to Norfolk Virginia in the United States, and there assigned to an LCI, and shortly after left in a convoy of 12 LCIs across the Atlantic ending up after thirty days, in Djidjelli, North Africa. There was a base there and they were employed repairing and servicing many types of Landing Craft, and eventually assisting in the landings in Sicily and Italy. Returning to England in late 1943, Basil was assigned to LCH 269 and they led the Support Squadron Eastern Flank (SSEF) on to the Normandy landings at Sword Area. In September 1944 they returned to the UK and the ship went in for major rework to eventually becoming LCH 269. In October 1944 their Skipper Lt Holdsworth RN was changed to Lt Cdr K Sellar, known as "monkey Sellar" an ex rugby player, and to their surprise a very high rank for such a lowly Landing Craft. Late October 1944 they left Poole in the UK and tied up in Oostende, they had not a faintest notion of where they were going. The morning of Nov 1st they were off the coast of Walcheren Island.	More