I'm reading a book that Drew mentioned awhile back, WAR DIARY 1939-1945 published by Marshall Cavendish back in 1995. Page 161 & 162 has a story by Gordon Davidson who lead an SAS stick of eight men to France in the summer of 1944 to distrupt German traffic retreating from Nantes & other west coast ports. They're fairly close to the Bourges~ Nevers supply route. There is a lovely group photo of him with Hanford, Beckford, Blandford & Youngman MM. I've a few questions, 1. He mentions an earlier SAS group who dropped at Chateauroux, were meet by the FTP (communists) , betrayed to the Milice & were shot out of hand. Anyone know about that group? 2. Davidson mentions, but not by name, two of his stick, were from Swindon, a butcher and a railwayman, out of parochial interest anyone know who they were? 3. Anyone know anymore about Gordon Davidson or any of the men mentioned? The Sergeant , from Glasgow, new to the SAS. Two Corporals , one from Norfolk, had been with the SAS in North Africa. ( I assume this to be Youngman MM.) The other from Dorset who had run donkeyrides on the beach at Weymouth. The two Swindon men & a chap from Swansea who was "...quick to make his mark with the farmer's daughter." The last two were both Londoners , one had been an actor ,who been at Straford & a Cockney medical orderly. Later he gets confused & says "my Corporal (the actor) was shot in the head beside me" and later died.
Ah, thanks to Geoff Search Engine I've looked up SAS deaths for August 1944 & found 18 records for SAS. This chap though looks like it could be the one who was killed as he a Corporal & from Middlesex. Donaldson says he was B Sqn but this chap is A Sqn He lies east of Bourges which is where that stick was operating . CWGC :: Casualty Details Anyone any thoughts??
Fire from the Forest by Roger Ford only mentions Blandford twice, briefly. The others are not mentioned in his book. The book is about the SAS missions in France and Blandford is in deed on the one close to Bourges. Blandford is quoted in the book when they blow up a railway, under command of Haggard. They were based at Foret d'Ivoy.
