Significant Memorabilia.

[andy maines]

Hi all

My name is Andy Maines and my father (Hugh Maines) was a member of No1 Commando throughout its entire existance. Fortunately I have got a number of his Commando artefacts ie Commando service certificate, Operation Torch cert, Commando fighting Knife (B2 type), campaign medals and the attached photo. This particular photo shows my father and a group of other Commandos in a landing craft having just carried out a raid on the coast of France to capture German prisoners. My father is approx in the middle of the photo at the end of the middle row in the LC, bare headed and looking up. All my father told me about the photo was that it was a raid on the coast of France and that there was the body of German soldier actually still in the bottom of the LC when the photo was taken. Untill recently I believed that this photo was of a raid carried out by No1 Commando against St Vaast Bay in Sep 1941, however having now received a copy of my father's Army records I have found out some info that would suggest that this photo is actually of the first ever Commando raid carried out. The reason that I believe this is that my father's records show that he was in No9, No11 Independent Companies and No1 Special Service Bn prior to joining No1 Commando. No11 Ind Cpy carried out out Operation Collar in June 1940, which I believe was the first ever Commando raid, having read a number of articles on this raid in different books certain details have struck a chord. One of these details is that Lt Col Dudley Clarke went along as an observer and was wounded by a bullet graze in the ear and neck, as you can see in my photo one of the soldiers has clearly got a field dressing which is covering his neck and ear. The second relevant detail that got my attention was what my father told me about the raid ie that they were about to ambush a two man German patrol, when one of the Commando's magazines dropped from his machine gun as he cocked it and thus alerted the patrol. What should have been an easy ambush turned in to a firefight resulting in Dudley Clarke's injury. One of the articles that I recently read recounted that exact same story, so I am fairly sure that this photo is of the Opertion Collar raid, however further research will be required to confirm this.
I have almost completed mounting and framing all of my father's Commando artefacts, once this is done I will photograph each individual frame and upload it in to this portion of the Forum for any one who is interested. I am a member of the Commando Veterans Association (associate member only) and will be uploading these images on to the CVA forum also.

Cheers Andy

[David Layne]

Nice Andy. Look forward to seeing more.

[Antipodean Andy]

Same here, Andy. A fascinating post.

Keith, I would be very interested to hear more from your friend (As would my father-in-law).

[Nostalgair]

Great post Andy, thanks.

Welcome aboard.

Cheers

Owen

[Kitty]

Wow that is certainly a damn good story. Look forward to seeing more

[Hugh]

Originally Posted by Keith

His ship was a NZ merchantman I think it was called the Taranaka.
Keith

Hello Keith and all,

The ship was called TARANAKI official number 149304 built in 1928 for Shaw Saville & Albion. She was broken up in
11.9.1963.

There is a photo here: TARANAKI

DEMS gunners are quite difficult to trace but if anyone needs further information on the subject give a shout back I will help if I can.

Regards
Hugh

[war hawk]

What about ww2 rifles? I have a Russian Mosin Nagant, M44 carbine.