Part III
Suez A Postscript
By Angus Jones
Ex 42 Commando R.M

An Introduction

When I was first asked to give permission for the publication of my little story, I agreed with some reluctance. I am now much happier with the situation, as much good has come of it. Some of the questions I was asked by readers, I could answer off the cuff. The question of where the men killed in action were buried, I was not able to answer at that stage, as I had been a resident of NZ for many decades. I could not even confirm, that they had been brought home. I was of the opinion that they had, even though the
Padre's message suggested otherwise .It took 5 weeks for me to find out this information with the assistance of civilians and ex-servicemen, in places as far apart as the UK and Malta.

On behalf of those who made legitimate enquiries regarding aspects of my story, I would like to express my sincere appreciation, to the people who assisted me in this matter. The assistance ranged from supplying information, to things of a more practical nature. Shortly after the events related in Part 1, I had considered contacting the relatives of my friends, but considered that details of death, were not really needed. I was only 19, and did not realise that there were things in my head, that they might want to know. I had left out things in the story, which I considered unsuitable for the public domain. I also left out names, as I considered it might cause
distress to relatives However as a result of the publication of Part 1, I received this from a relative of one of the men killed in action:-  "I think that it would be a good idea to include names wherever possible in your accounts. From a personal point of view it would be something to me, and I guess that if anyone else was ever searching for family history, it would be nice to have a result. I think that in some ways it is the only recognition that these men will get in the coming decades".

The Government had decided to reoccupy the Suez Canal Zone. This was a political decision so I will make no comment. 40 and 42 Commando units were to spearhead the amphibious assault, supported by naval gunfire, and by low level support from carrier born aircraft. The landing was made at dawn, and once the beaches were secured, Centurion  tanks of the 6th Royal Tank Regiment came ashore. The Tankies and Marine Commandos worked in tandem. Once a beachhead was established, 45 Commando were brought ashore by helicopters from the carriers. This was the first ever, helicopter borne assault. All the weapons used by the commando units at that time, had to be man-packed. The only anti-tank weapons we had were  the Energa grenade and the 3.5 inch rocket launcher.
 

Click to enlarge Egyptian Self-propellerd  Guns of Soviet Origin

As a result an anti-tank platoon from the 1st Somerset Light Infantry, were attached to our unit. This had anti-tank guns towed by Stuart tanks, that had had the turrets removed. This gave an increased punch against the Egyptian Russian made tanks and self propelled guns. Also there were members of the Royal Armoured Corps driving LVTs. These soldiers were under the direct command of the commando units to which they were attached .  Attached to the 6th RTR were Royal Army Medical Corps, using converted Saracens as ambulances. The task was to capture the City. Heavy street fighting and house clearing followed the landings, in narrow alleyways and high rise buildings. There was also constant sniping.

Some of the above information comes from the RN Reference site, which also says:-  "With determination, military skill and superb junior leadership, all the commando's objectives were seized before a ceasefire was ordered later that day (about midnight). This was the first major seaborne assault since the Second World War ........"

The night before we landed we did not have much idea of what sort of opposition, we might encounter. Someone thought of the possibility of mines and barbed wire on the beach. The thought of being tangled up in barbed wire while people took pot shots, did not seem very appealing. We also had no idea of how long we would be fighting. Now my friend Brian Short who was in my section of about 10 men, had some sort of secondary job as a stretcher bearer. I had lost my camouflage face veil, which was usually worn round your neck. I said, "Brian, If you see someone on the beach tomorrow who no longer needs theirs, grab it for me". He said that he would. Now Brian has been due to enter hospital, I think for a minor operation, but this had been deferred as a result of our current activities. As for me I had been limping around for about a week. I had been swimming under water, and the spines of
sea eggs had penetrated my heel, which had been unprotected by my fins.

Now I have read the official history of things, but it seemed to me that this was not how I had perceived things. Recently reading a copy of the 'Globe and Laurel' written just after the event, I found something that seemed to explain the differences. It stated that my troop, Y Troop, was on the extreme right flank. This may also have been the reason why I saw no craft directly ahead of our LCA  A5, as we moved towards the shore. An official history described the beach huts as blazing. It did not seem that way to me in my sector. I could not imagine myself lying under a blazing beach hut, while people were taking pot shots at me. Maybe the flames were just little ones, and I did not notice. These are just minor things.
 

I mentioned in Part 1 that when it came time to jump into the sea, we complained that the water was too deep. The marines manning the LCA said that they would not take us closer, so that was the end of our free ride. At first the water was quite deep, and so we did not present much of a target. As we waded closer to the shore, more of our body was exposed. With the water now waist deep, we presented a better target. You think of the vast amount of air space around you, and that you only take up a small part of that. The chances of getting hit then appear to become smaller. In retrospect I think that we had received training of a very high standard. This also included an attitude of mind, necessary to achieve a given objective. The bullets were splashing in the sea around us, but still no one seemed to get hit. The wading seemed a very slow process, but soon it would be possible to take leaping strides, in the shallower water. The sea was not a good place to be. On dry land we could move faster, and eventually there would be some cover.

Click to enlarge The A5 in Valletta, the same  craft that took my section in shore at Port Said

At last it was dry land, I ran crouched under the beach huts, firing a shot into the floor of one above my head, on the way. Under the last of the beach huts I dived into the sand taking up a lying firing position behind one of the legs. This was a vertical piece of wood about 4 inches square. In front of me was the road, and the first buildings of the city. Next thing Brian dived down alongside me, on my right. His legs were shorter, and it must have taken him slightly longer to get ashore. I could not immediately see where the firing was coming from, so I selected a mark on one of the buildings in front and fired a sighting shot. This being to confirm that my sights were set at the correct range. Things were turning out better than I had expected.  I then asked Brian to move over a bit, to give me room to operate the bolt of my rifle. Before he had time to move a machine gun opened fire on us, from the right front. Brian made a slight noise, and I knew that he had been hit. In my pocket was a first field dressing. I twisted sideways and put my arm over him to check. The conditions were not ideal, as the gun was still firing. Sadly I found that he had died instantly, and there was nothing anyone could do. So it was back to work. We lay side by side until it was time for me to cross the road. After that I did not see him again. As for face veils I am sure that Brian would have wanted me to have his. However face veils was the last thing I thought of at
the time, attention had to be paid to other things.

Now on that day we lost two men out of our troop of about 50 men. The other one was Dave Howard. Dave had previously been in the same section of about eleven men, as Brian and myself.  Shortly before sailing for Egypt, he had been transferred out to another job. He had become a M.O.A. and was attached to an officer. He was a good friend of mine, and a really great guy. On the morning of the landings, he would have had a small radio transmitter/receiver in one of his pouches, and a battery in the other. During the course of the action, a bullet struck him in the head. He would have died instantly. He pitched forward onto his face. It was necessary to roll him onto his back, to gain access to his pouches. The radio was specialised equipment, and was required. He had a smile on his face, but that was Dave, He was always smiling about something.

Now previously I stated that 'Reveille' was at 4am, but now I think that it was earlier. So the 6th November was a long day. It must have been over 20 hours. However, we did get a few breaks, to make inroads into our 24 hour ration packs. Also our clothes dried out. My beret and my rifle were the only thing that did not get wet from the sea, and my ammunition though immersed in the sea, worked perfectly.

My understanding of the situation is this. Two options were to given to the families, by the M.o.D. The first being a funeral with full military honours in the RN Cemetery at Haslar, the other being a small donation towards the cost of a private burial, presumably in their home towns. This resulted in six funerals at Haslar, and three in other places. Brian is at Haslar and Dave is in Kings Lynn, Norfolk. Our men were initially buried in Port Said but when we pulled out, they must have been brought back to Malta. My oppo
Lofty told me that that he had photographs of the graves and their wooden crosses in Port Said. Recently he sent them on to a relative of one of the men, but unfortunately did not take copies first. In the event of these photos becoming available again, I will include them in this section, as an update.

The bodies of the nine men were returned to England by air, on the 14th December for re-interment. An armed guard escorted the coffins to the Royal Naval Hospital at Haslar, Gosport. On the 17th December at 3pm six of them were buried at the nearby RN Cemetery at Haslar, with full military honours. Armed escorts, firing party and bearers were marines from Eastney. The Royal
Navy also supplied a detachment. The men at Haslar are not buried together, their locations depend on rank and religion. Their original headstones bore the Naval anchor, but were later replaced with headstones with the Corps badge. The funerals of the other three men were private burials, at which the Corps was represented.
 

	The photos in this section were from a contemporary  copy of the Corps magazine the 'Globe and Laurel'.  Permission to use these photographs is greatly  appreciated. As I looked at the photographs,  I could visualise, the scene in colour. It was winter.
Some of the trees had lost their leaves. The marines  were wearing their long khaki greatcoats, over their  blue uniforms, also the white pith ceremonial helmets,  white belts and white gloves. The red sashes of the  SNCOs and the Union Jacks on the coffins added a  touch of colour to an otherwise drab scene.

The funerals were a week before Christmas Eve. It must have been a very sad Christmas for the relatives of the men. When we had sailed from UK, Brian had waved to his big sister Hazel and called out, "I will be home for Christmas". His words had come to pass, but not in the way expected. In recent times I have come to realise that it is not the size or duration of a conflict that is important, but the fact that a person has lost someone that they loved. This can affect a family for two or even three generations.

Click to enlarge Bickleigh Church

As our unit sailed from Port Said aboard the aircraft carrier HMS Ocean, our unit Padre issued a message. The stated intent being to obtain donations for a Unit Memorial at the Bickleigh Church. Any surplus funds being to help pay the expenses of the families of the men killed in action to visit to Bickleigh In those days, Bickleigh was the Commando Training Centre, and the base of 42 Commando. It was from there that we had left the UK, as a result of the Suez Crisis. It was to there that we were about to return. Also we held a 'Dead Man's Auction'. This entails auctioning off the military kit of a man killed in action. The proceeds going to the relatives In this case the proceeds would be added to our donations.

In recent times as a result of the publication of Part 1, I received an e-mail. This was from a relative of one of the men killed in action, who was not born at that time. It requested certain information. One of the pieces of information I supplied concerned the proposed Memorial, and a copy of the Padre's message. I stated that I did not know if the Memorial actually existed, or if it did, what form it might take, or whether it would be inside or outside the church. There could also be some confusion as there are two Bickleighs in Devon, each having a St Mary's Church. One is near Exeter, the other close to Plymouth. The Bickleigh that was 42 Cdo.s former
base is the one close to Plymouth. The person that I supplied the information advised me of the following:-
 

" I found the church with no problems, as it is right next to the old base. A man who looks after the church was on hand, to ask questions of. It took him a few seconds to register what I was asking him, but his eyes then lit up, and he took me to the Altar end of the church. The Memorial is actually the wooden pulpit, which the Vicar uses for his sermons. The man was really thrilled that he was able to help and that somebody wanted to know about the Memorial. The names are carved into the front but the gold lettering has faded a bit, leaving the carved names a bit hard to see. It was a touching and worthwhile trip .........."

Click to enlarge The Memorial Pulpit

So it came about, that I discovered that the Memorial did exist, and that it was the pulpit. My understanding now is that steps may be taken, to restore the names to their former glory.

Thanks to my friend Mandy Wilkes ex Royal Navy Nurse. Mandy drove a few hundred miles to take the photos to include in this section, and sent them to me in New Zealand.

The members of 42 Cdo. at the time of the Suez Crisis will of course know the answer to the puzzle, but the current members of the unit could not be expected to know the answer. This is part of an e-mail that I received :-

"I recently received a copy of your e-mail to Bickleigh School about the Suez Memorial pulpit in St. Mary's Bickleigh. I've looked at the pulpit. Talked to the Vicar, and spoken to ..... and we have an interesting puzzle: There were nine commandos killed during the Suez Campaign, but only six names appear on the pulpit; they are:
 

Click to enlarge

Cpl .G. Crawford  1.Som.L.I. Sgt. D. H. A. Dennis. R.M. Mne. D. Howard. Sgt. B. Kislo  R.A.C. Mne. B.J. Price. Mne. B.J.Short.

Interestingly they are recorded on the pulpit as being men of 42 Cdo. who died on 6 Nov. I presume that Crawford and Kislo were
"atts and dets". ..........."

The puzzle is then that nine commandos (Royal Marines) were killed. The memorial lists six names, but only four are marines, and the other two are soldiers (Army).

For the benefit of those unfamiliar with the UK forces, there are three branches of the armed forces. These are the Royal Navy, The Army and the Royal Air Force. The Royal Marines are part of the Royal Navy, and marines carry Naval Pay and Identity books. At the time of the Suez Crises there were three main branches of the Royal Marines. Sea service marines manned some of the guns of the Naval gunfire support, or carried out other duties on the ships off shore. Amphibious marines crewed the LCAs used in the
landing, and probably formed parts of the crews of the LSTs and LCTs. Marine commandos were in the 3rd Commando Brigade and were tasked with the fighting on shore. The Brigade at that time consisted of 40 Cdo, 42 Cdo and 45 Cdo, (each unit consisting of about 600 men). Also there was Brigade HQ.

During the Assault nine commandos were killed in action. Three from 40 Cdo, two from 45 Cdo. and four from 42 Cdo. In addition 42 Cdo also lost 2 soldiers who although members of the Army, were under the direct command of this unit. The Memorial proposed in the Padre's message on board HMS Ocean was thus only a memorial to the men of 42 Cdo. It must have been assumed that time, that 40and 45 Cdos would make arrangements for their own memorials. The pulpit in St Mary the Virgin at Bickleigh only records the
names of the men of 42 Cdo and does not include the men killed in action, from 40 and 45. Although the memorial is a Naval memorial, it was considered appropriate to include the names of the two soldiers, as they were under direct command of 42 Cdo.
 

3rd COMMANDO BRIGADE R.M. ROLL of HONOUR Killed in Action 6th November 1956 at Port Said. 40 Command  R.M.      RM 15070  Marine. Lorin DUDHILL  Age 19yrs.  "BELOVED CHILD OF TOMMY AND CHARLOTTE DUDHILL OF WINGATE, CO. DURHAM CALLED TO HIGHER SERVICE".  RN Cemetery, Haslar.      RMV 202128 Marine R.J. FUDGE. Age ?  Buried at ?      Lieut. P.W. McCARTHY. Age 19yrs. "ETERNAL REST GIVE UNTO HIM O LORD. LET THY PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE ON HIM. MAY HE REST IN PEACE.  AMEN"  RN Cemetery, Haslar.      Lieut. E.A.V. UFTON. Age 20 yrs.  "TREASURED MEMORIES SILENTLY KEPT OF ONE WE LOVED AND WILL NEVER FORGET".  RN Cemetery, Haslar. 42 Commando R.M.      22752067 Cpl. G. CRAWFORD. 1st.Somerset Light Infantry. (Army)  Age ? Buried at ?      Ply/x 4537 Sgt. Donald H.A. DENNIS R.M., Age 29 yrs. "IN MEMORY OF DON BELOVED HUSBAND OF MOYRA AND ...................".  RN Cemetery, Haslar.      RM 13145 Marine David HOWARD. Age 19yrs. "HE LEFT US A MEMORY WE ARE PROUD TO OWN". Gayton Rd. Cemetery, Kings Lynn, Norfolk.      X22206056 Sgt. B. KISLO. Royal Armoured Corps. (Army) Age ? Buried at ?      RM 11202 Marine B.J. PRICE. Age 22yrs. "IN MEMORY OF MY DEAR HUSBAND. ALTHOUGH YOU ARE GONE DARLING, YOU WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN". RN Cemetery, Haslar.      RM 11158 Marine Brian J. SHORT. Age 22yrs. "THIS IS NOT GOODBYE DARLING, JUST GOODNIGHT". RN Cemetery, Haslar. 45 Commando R.M.      RM 131833 Marine C.E. GOODFELLOW. Age ? Buried at ?

Note:  At the time 5 digit RM service numbers were Continuous Service marines, or regulars. National Service marines called up for two years compulsory military service, had service numbers with 6 digits. If a man called up for N.S. was at the time of his call up, a member of the Royal Marine Forces Volunteer Reserve, he retained his reserve number which started RMV. I believe that the Ply/x was used in an earlier type of numbering system based on the Naval Divisions of Chatham, Portsmouth and Plymouth. The Ply denotes Plymouth.

In the search for the burial place of our men, I received a lead from Ken Applegate ex commando, and himself a Suez veteran .As a result I contacted the  Gosport Borough Council and their staff were most helpful. They were able to confirm that some of the commandos killed in action at Port Said in November 1956 were buried in the Haslar Royal Navy Cemetery. They supplied me with contact details for Derek Shilling the man in charge of the cemetery.
 

I spoke to Derek several times by phone, prior to leaving New Zealand for my UK trip. When I finally visited the cemetery and met Derek, it seemed as though we knew each other well. He gave my son Mike and me a personal tour, and showed us where the graves of our men were. They are not all buried together, but are sorted by rank and religion. Thus the graves are in four different parts of the cemetery. The grounds of the cemetery are very well kept, and Derek takes an interest in the men in his care.

Click to enlarge Derek Shilling

Sgt. Dennis

Marine Dudhill

Lieutenant. McCarthy

Marine Price

Marine Short

Lieutenant. Ufton

Click to enlarge

Dennis (Ticker) Ayling an ex Royal Marine now resident in New Zealand, told me that his sister Molly was a resident of Gosport, and could visit the cemetery. On Molly’s return home from that visit, she told a neighbour where she had been. It turned out that the neighbour was ex Royal Navy and had been in the Naval detachment marching in the funeral parade of the commandos. He commented that his detachment shuffled along, but the Royal Marines were very smart. Thanks to Molly and thanks to our sailor friend for his compliment. It is a small world.

After Dave’s grave was located, it was visited by my friend Wally Ellis who lives in the local area. Wally is a former Army man and a veteran of Malaya and Korea. Wally laid flowers on my behalf, and on Remembrance Day placed one of the small wooden crosses there. Wally also sent me a set of 35mm photos to give me a virtual tour. Thank you Wally. The young Ford Corsair Club member was John Greenwood. Thank you John for locating Dave’s grave ,for scrubbing his headstone, and placing flowers on my behalf

Click to enlarge John Greenwood with  Dave Howard’s Headstone’