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The Army'sDisbanded CommandosThis page is the beginning of the "Disbanded Commandos" section; all Links in this section are on this page. To follow the Links in order click-on the highlighted Links at the bottom of the page; or use the Links shown at the side. The previous page was: "Demobilized Commandos" In less than five years the Commando trained soldiers, were being disbanded, they had done the job they were trained to do now, because the war was declared officially over they were surplus to requirements. These bravest of the brave men came from eighty-eight different regiments of the British Army, and the Royal Marines. They won eight Victoria Crosses; they had thirty-seven admissions to the Distinguished Service Order, with nine bars added to this award; one hundred and sixty-two Military Crosses, with thirteen bars; thirty-two Distinguished Conduct Medals; and two hundred and eighteen Military Medals.
There has never been anything like a CommandoThe Commandos decorated for bravery received this distinction because they were the most outstanding examples of a self-disciplining organisation which aimed at perfection and would not be content with anything less. These men, job completed, would now go their own ways, the war was over, this many Commandos weren't needed any more. Good men, valiant men, the best soldier ever produced were put aside, surplus to to need in peace time, but not all. And because of the Royal Marine Commandos, those memories of their brave deeds, and gallant actions, still lives on. No.1 Army Commando No.2 Army Commando No.3 Army Commando Flame of the Commando SpiritThe Royal Marine Commandos were in every major action at the side of the volunteers composing the Army Commandos. The many battles they fought enhanced and embellished the pride of that great Corps the Royal Marines Which for hundreds of years has sustained in amphibious operations the valour of British arms. It remains for them to keep alive the 'Flame of the Commando Spirit'. The Commandos were trained to strike more swiftly than other fighting men, by virtue of a special discipline, a special devotion, that was once their aim which they accomplished expertly. The original intentions for which these Special Service formations were created have passed by, their one hundred and forty-seven actions, in which Commando forces were engaged are written in the books of their history. But enough has been recorded to show what manner of men they were. First and foremost the Commandos were all volunteers. They had elected deliberately with their eyes open, to perform deeds of a hazardous nature. They were not placed in the forefront of the battle, they were there of their own desire, and in doing so they embarked on a career of high danger of their own free will. No.4 Army Commando No.5 Army Commando No.6 Army Commando Hilton-Jones once complainedHilton-Jones once complained to his men, telling them that they made too much noise whilst out on patrol. One night they crept into his bedroom in the small hours and plastered his walls with notices and drawings; they didn't hear him complain anymore. Lance-Corporal Dowling, thirteen pounds above the maximum for a light-weight boxer, sweating them off in twelve hours by climbing the rock of Gibraltar twice and skipping in a heavy greatcoat in front of a roaring fire-he won. Sergeant Major King, creeping to the enemy's bivouac at Termoli and, undetected, boiled a pot of tea on their fire. Such men, in such moments show the spirit of the men who made up the Commando soldiers. No.7 Army Cdo No.8 Army Commando 9 Army Cdo 10 Inter Allied Cdo The sniper has to work hardCommandos weren't seasonal; indeed there was no close season for them. The enemy must be sought out and killed whatever the month or the week or the day, how best to do this was always a topic they talked about, which never lost its freshness. Keep the sun behind you; then you can control your own shadow by merging it with others. Fruit trees harbour many birds which set up a noise if disturbed. Steady shuffling through grass does not worry them, but the slightest tinkle of metal causes a flurry. Cattle not milked recently will lick your face and moo; the only solution is to lie on your back and milk the damn things. We killed Germans frequently because they always went to the same latrine and we noticed it. The sniper has to work long and hard, it takes a lot of hours to kill one German....Dirty your hands and face with burnt cork, graphite, soot, or lamp black, but do not use earth-it will make you sneeze. Suck a pebble it will keep your mouth moist in dry temperatures. Do not wear gum boots; they go "plop plop". Such advice was banded to and fro; from men so concerned with the minutiae of training and warfare expertise. They were not the brutish thugs the enemy, and to their shame, some newspapers sometimes depicted them. An observation of the Lord Chief Justice in 1948 stated; that during his two-and-half years of office only one Commando soldier had appeared before him on a criminal charge. No.11 Scottish Commando 12 Army Cdo No.14 Artic Commando Commandos are always ready for actionThe Commando formations were the most highly trained fighting forces any army has ever possessed. Combined with one special circumstance that accounted for their superiority; they saw live action long before the great majority of other fighting soldiers. The Commando soldiers were nearly all granted at least one opportunity to find themselves under fire and to fire back. There can be no better training than experiencing real fighting and usually against greater numbers who had greater fire-power at their disposal.
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