British Commandos and Para Photo D Day.. but where taken?

Discussion in 'NW Europe' started by COMMANDO, Jul 19, 2017.

  1. COMMANDO

    COMMANDO Senior Member

  2. COMMANDO

    COMMANDO Senior Member

  3. COMMANDO

    COMMANDO Senior Member

    This one is at Amfreville.... but not the same buildings....
     
  4. COMMANDO

    COMMANDO Senior Member

    the 2nd photo was taken at Rue Morice... but where was the top photo taken?
     
  5. COMMANDO

    COMMANDO Senior Member

    hope to visit the place next week so any info will be more then wellcome
     
  6. Guy Hudson

    Guy Hudson Looker-upper

    Avenue du Commandant Kieffer, BĂ©nouville.

    Benouville.png
     
    Last edited: Jul 19, 2017
    brithm, Cee, 4jonboy and 3 others like this.
  7. COMMANDO

    COMMANDO Senior Member

    Thank you Guy
     
  8. Cee

    Cee Senior Member Patron

    Commando,

    A couple of charming old postcards of La Chaumiere prior to WW2. I love the posing of the people in the second.

    La Chaumiere, Benouville-1.jpg La Chaumiere, Benouville-2.jpg

    Regards ...
     
    brithm, 4jonboy and Guy Hudson like this.
  9. Alex1975uk

    Alex1975uk Well-Known Member

    I spoke to Michael P-C recently and he did tell me who is in the picture, but it escapes my mind sadly!
     
  10. COMMANDO

    COMMANDO Senior Member

    thans guys!
     
  11. Cee

    Cee Senior Member Patron

    The IWM tells us photo B5058 was taken by Captain J. L. Evans of 5 AFPU on June 6th, 1944:

    "Commandos of No. 4 Commando, 1st Special Service Brigade, and troops of 6th Airborne Division in BĂ©nouville after the link-up between the two forces, 6 June 1944."

    B 5058.jpg


    Guy Hudson asked me sometime ago if I knew any of the names of the men towards the front facing the camera. I didn't have a clue. On the Commando Veterans Site there is a page devoted to the photo where claims by surviving family members are made for two of the men.

    According to a nephew the man at the front turning to camera with handgun is Vic Renshaw. We did find a photo that confirmed his identity on a 6 Commando site. The man to the extreme left with rifle in hand was claimed by a granddaughter to be Robert "Bob" Moran. He is listed here on a nominal roll for 6 Commando as a Private. Guy is on the hunt for a confirming photo.

    Vic Renshaw by Guy.png

    Curiously a search for "Moran" threw up a P. Moran also with 6 Commando who immediately struck us as resembling the centre man wearing a beret with only head showing. Needless to say that threw us for a loop. A couple of compares made by Guy.

    P. Moran by Guy-1.png P. Moran by Guy-2.png

    The identity of the two helmeted men 2nd left and extreme right has been researched by Michael Pine-Coffin. He showed photo B5058 to a number of 7 Para veterans and Sgt. Danny Young identified them as Jock Hardie and Spud Watson, both members of his mortar crew. Michael sent a photo of mortar men which includes left to right - Ernie Stringer, Jock Hardie, unknown and Robert Kingsley (KIA).

    Ernie Stringer, Jock Hardie, Unknown, Robert Kingsley KIA   .jpg

    I think the man that Michael lists as unknown is actually Spud Watson? Guy may have found Watson in the April 44 Battalion photo.

    Spud Watson by Guy.png Jock Hardie Compare.jpg

    As stated Hardie and Watson were with 7 Para all the others were 6 Commando men. So tentatively and subject to change the men left to right are:

    Pte. Robert "Bob" Moran, Pte.Thomas "Jock" Hardie, possibly P. Moran (?), L/Cpl. Victor Ernest Renshaw and Pte. Victor Albert "Spud" Watson

    There is a Watson in the 7 Para nominal roll named as Pte. Victor Albert Watson, 6922011. Guy discovered that "Victor Albert Watson was born 25th December 1917 and died 3 Q 2006. Southend on Sea. If that is Spud Watson, he would have been 26 in June 1944." From his data Michael P-C also believes this is the correct man and that he was on parachute course 77.

    Further info as it comes in:

    From Guy Hudson:


    Victor Ernest Renshaw: Born - 2nd November 1918, Died - 1 Q 1989 Colchester, Essex.

    Possibly Thomas McChesne Hardie: Born - 1918, Plantation, Govan, Glasgow, Died - 1986, age 68 Glasgow, Martha Street.

    Guy found a reunion photo of No. 6 Commando where Robert Moran's son, Paul, identifies his father. "My dad Bob Moran is in the centre of the photo pointing his finger. Sadly passed away in 2004."

    Robert Moran - 6 Commando Reunion.jpg

    From Michael P-C
    :

    Thomas "Jock" Hardie, 14363544, Mortar Platoon. No. 32, on the April 1944 photograph. On an old nominal roll he is "Hardy" with last part of number as "63543". He was on parachute course 85.

    Pri roll for Hardie: 14363543 Pte Hardie Thomas, NOK Grandmother Mrs F Gardiner, 256 Broad Street, Glasgow.

    Michael has a handwritten list received from Ron Perry (recently deceased) where he points out Spud Watson as 21st from left top row in battalion photo which confirms Guy's finding above in the comparison photo. Jock Hardie it turns out is further down the line at 32nd from left same row. According to Ron, Spud Watson was ex Rifle Brigade and Jock Hardie came from the Cameronians. The pair were also together in the same stick, CN 235, on the Jump over the Rhine. Attached is a crop of Pte. Jock Hardie from the April 44 Battalion photo.

    Pte. Thomas Jock Hardy April 1944.jpg

    Regards ...

    Edit: Ranks for Vic Renshaw and Robert Moran amended according to findings by Pete Rogers below.
     
    Last edited: Sep 5, 2017
    brithm, PRADELLES, stolpi and 3 others like this.
  12. COMMANDO

    COMMANDO Senior Member

    Most interesting!!!!!
     
  13. petecva

    petecva New Member

    An enquiry was posted on the Commando Veterans Archive forum about this image to which I have just replied. Here is a link to that message:

    No. 6 Commando Men in D-Day Photo at La Chaumiere

    I have copied my reply below for your information on this site:

    "Just a little bit of information to add that I found in Commando Association Newsletter 28 of March 1959 which I quote here:

    The following members at present stationed in Nairobi send their sincere greetings to all old comrades: Cpl. (now SQMS) C. F. Lofthouse (9 Cdo); Pte. (now S/Sgt.) R. Moran (6 Cdo); Sgt. W. Pearson (7 Cdo); L/Sgt. C. H. Wallis (5 Cdo); and Cpl. G. Stanley (1 Cdo), who is now Sgt. at Arms for the Legislative Council.

    I know there was some discussion on the site as our Nom Roll entry (now amended) for Robert Moran showed his rank as Sgt. However that should have shown him in 6 Commando as a Private and then later S/Sgt.

    Commando Association Newsletter 119 of September 2004 confirms rank in the Commandos as Private in their Obituary notices for 6 Commando:

    No.6 Commando. Sgt. Michael William Bernard Cater of Hale, Cheshire; Dvr. Jack (Nobby) Clarke of Brighton, Sussex; Pte. George Dunbar of Aberdeen, Pte. Henry (Harry) Jacks of Hackney, London; Pte. George Jowett of Oldham, Lancs.; Pte. Robert Moran of Salisbury, Wiltshire; Spr. Ronald Pealing of Worsley, Greater Manchester : Pte. Geoffrey Scotson of Hove, Sussex.

    Finally Vic Renshaw has a Lance Corporal stripe on so not a Private. He was listed in the obituaries of Commando Association newsletter 88 of March 1989 with final rank attained as Corporal. "

    Hope this is of some interest to you.

    Pete
     
  14. Cee

    Cee Senior Member Patron

    Pete,

    I have changed the ranks above and at the CVA according to your findings. Thank you for taking the time to update us, most appreciated.

    Regards ...

    Added - A PDF based on this thread can be downloaded from here:

    D-Day Photo - 7 Para & Commandos.pdf - Icedrive
     
    Last edited: Jun 21, 2022
    stolpi likes this.

Share This Page