Description
Object description
British officer served with No.3 Commando during raid on Jerbourg Peninsula, Guernsey, 14-15/Jul/1940 and raid on Lofoten Islands, Norway, 4/Mar/1941.
Content description
REEL 1: Aspects of training with No. 3 Commando in GB, 1940-1941: story of volunteering to join commandoes following evacuation from Dunkirk, 6/1940; description of commando training including street fighting, cliff climbing, exercises with Polish Navy at Dartmouth, and exercises with landing craft in Scotland; criteria for selecting men from regular army to train as commandoes; given special allowance to find accommodation; attitude to not having parades; problem of men being allowed to keep own weapons; comparison of discipline in regular army and commandoes; reason for parades being reinstated.
REEL 2 Continues: opinion of men chosen to train as commandoes; reason for cross-channel raids; attitude to killing; description of Sykes/Fairbairn unarmed combat training at Loch Eilet; pistol shooting and use of commando knife to kill sentry; reason for CO John Durnford-Slater banning men from carrying commando knife; training courses for officers and NCOs only; discipline and punishments; opinion of RSM Beazley; rarity of men being Returned to Unit; opinion of CO Durnford-Slater.
REEL 3 Continues: further comments on Durnford-Slater; various memories of Jack Churchill; attitude of Durnford-Slater to officers leading from front. Aspects of operations with No. 3 Commando during raid on Jerbourg Peninsula, Guernsey, 14-15/Jul/1940: story about batman in Guernsey; story about troop commander refusing to go into action at Lofoten; purpose of raid on Guernsey, 14-15/Jul/1940; problem of lack of training; preparations for raid; weapons carried; description of compass sewed onto top button of battledress; opinion of Thompson sub-machine gun; story of all weapons being lost in dingy; description of raid; reaction to naval cadets loading Bren gun magazines at Royal Naval College, Dartmouth.
REEL 4 Continues: story of destroyer sailing past Guernsey due to faulty compass and RAF crash boats breaking down; role of Independent Company; description of landing on Jerbourg Peninsula; problem of naval orders being shouted; description of climbing steep cliff; story of finding old man in bungalow on cliff top; description of using rocks to set up road block; story about password 'Desmond'; problem of crash boats being unable to land; problem of three commandoes not being able to swim; further comments on loss of weapons in dinghy; returned on crash boat to destroyer; issued with slops (naval garments) and returned to Plymouth; reasons for failure of raid; story about capture of Desmond Mulholland; responsibility for failure of raid and lessons learned; story about Union Jack being flown on destroyer instead of White Ensign; further comments on failure of raid.
REEL 5 Continues: attitude to not locating German garrison; home leave. Aspects of operations with No. 3 Commando during raid on Lofoten Islands, Norway, 4/Mar/1941: background to raid and main objectives; attitude to lack of opposition; story of lone German gunboat being sunk; amusing story of officer sending telegram to Hitler from post office; opinion of success of raid; story about sergeant spending Norwegian escape money on prostitute; opinion of address by Admiral Keyes; reason for commandoes being used at Dieppe; background to formation of commandoes by Churchill; reflections on period of service with commandoes; further comments on CO Durnford-Slater.