NO 1 COMMANDO
In November 1940 soldiers
of the No 1 Special Service Battalion
commanded
by Lt. Col. W Glendinning, moved to this area of Devon. The Battalion H.Q occupied Derwent Lodge, South Town,
and the Quartermasters stores was based in Warfleet
Brewery. All ranks were paid a special
subsistence allowance to enable them to be billeted on local families, and
detachments of the battalion were housed at Dittisham, Kingswear and Stoke
Fleming. Intensive training was conducted during the winter months of 1940
during which time it was obvious that the formation was too cumbersome
for its
amphibious role. Therefore, on 5th
March 1941, the large battalion was divided into two, the Battalion HQ and A
Company forming No 1 Commando with part of the HQ Staff and B Company forming
No 1 Commando with part of the HQ Staff and B Company stationed at nearby
Paignton become No 2 Commando.
The men of No 1 Commando,
volunteers for special service from almost every Regiment and Corps of the
British Army, remained in the Dartmouth area
until late May 1941, when the Commando moved to Irvine and Kilwinning on the West coast of
Ayrshire.
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During 1941 and the early part of
1942 No 1 Commando took part in two small scale raids on the enemy occupied
coast of France, whilst on the 8th November 1942 landed at Algiers,
moving on within days to take part in heavy fighting in Northern Tunisia until
April 1943 when they returned to England. In May 1943 the Commando was
stationed in Winchester
where intensive training took place, and the Commando was brought up to
strength with new volunteers, and a large contingent
of Commando comrades from the disbanded No 12 Commando.
In November 1943 the Commando
again left the United Kingdom,
this time for service in the Far East, but their troopship being bombed in the
Mediterranean, caused a stay in Egypt
during December of that year, finally reaching India in January 1944. The Commando
engaged in an extensive programme of Jungle training, and later that year went
into action in the Arakan region of Burma. January 1945 saw the
Commando landing unopposed at Akyab and within days carried out opposed
landings at Myebon and Kangaw where the Commando greatly distinguished itself
in severe actions against large Japanese forces.
In August 1945 the Commando left India for further action in Penang but, due to
the ending of hostilities, was re-routed to Hong Kong
to carry out important garrison duties until the Commando was finally disbanded
there at the end of 1946.
Many members of No 1 Commando
received Gallantry Awards, and it was in fact the only Commando unit in the 2nd
World War to gain two VCs.
They performed whatsoever their
King commanded.
Given by H Brown Esq., M B E
of the Commando Association
February 1991