CANNON, John William
Aircraftman 1st Class
1233431
RAF Servicing Commando
Died on war service
3232 Servicing Commando. Killed when an unexploded anti-personnel bomb detonated on Ta Kali airfield
'Servicing Commando Units (RAF)'
Image © IWM (CNA 3983) shows men of No. 3203 Servicing Commando at work on Supermarine Spitfire Mark VB, EP286, which suffered undercarriage failure on landing at Bone, Algeria, after a reinforcement ferry flight from Gibraltar. EP286 was repaired, and served in North Africa and Italy with No. 1435 Flight and No.208 Squadron RAF.
Servicing Commando Units (SCU) were first formed on the 31st January 1942 to provide a means of early operation from forward, or captured enemy, airfields.
It was initially proposed that they be called RAF Commandos however Mountbatten, a strong supporter of the concept of such a force, decreed that they be called Servicing Commandos. Their role would be to support operations at such locations by aircraft servicing, rearming, refuelling, and if called upon to, by defending such forward operating airfields until full support from Army units was in place.
They were volunteers and all highly skilled technicians. Their training included physical training, vehicle driver and amphibious training, rearming and refuelling aircraft, weapons drill and use of revolvers, bren guns, tommy guns, grenades, anti tank rifles, live firing exercises at night, etc. They wore army style khaki uniform instead of their RAF blues.
Their extensive training culminated in a course at the Combined Operations Training Centre, Inverary where, upon successful completion, they were permitted to wear the Combined Operations Badge.
Twelve units were formed in the UK, and three in the Middle East, comprising some 2,400 all ranks. Their area of operations also included North Africa, Italy, France, and the Far East. Servicing Commando Units were disbanded in 1946.
Servicing Commando Units formed in the UK.
3201, 3202, 3203, 3204, 3205, 3206, 3207, 3208, 3209, 3210, 3225, 3226
Servicing Commando Units formed in Middle East.
3230, 3231, 3232
Read more about the Servicing Commandos in these two excellent articles written by Wing Commander S.D. Ellard and Wing Commander Tim Newstead.
- Servicing Commandos RAF, Journal 39, begins on page 21. [read the article here].
- Servicing Commandos RAF, Journal 51, begins on page 96. [read the article here].
They were publisheded in Journals 39 and 51 of the RAF Historical Society, and are available with other articles [here....].
The SCU Training Course dates at CTC Inverary can be found here [view].
RAF Servicing Commando & TSW Association website can be found here [view].
Video is an interview with LAC Sidney Richard Lewis [more....] about his time in the RAF and 3209 SC Unit. Conducted and created by his daughter Jane Sercombe Lewis.
Archive pages:
'Servicing Commando Roll of Honour'
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AC1 John William CANNON
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CPL Harold MOORE
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AC1 George CLARKE
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LAC Ernest NUTTALL
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LAC Jack Henson CROFTS
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SGT Benjamin PICKERING
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LAC Stanley Arthur GALLAGHER
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SGT John Edwin SAVAGE
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LAC Reginald James Alfred GOODMAN
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ACI Edward John SKEGGS
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AC1 Kenneth Bernard GRESHAM
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SGT Leonard Victor SNAPE
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LAC Horace HUGHES
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LAC Owen William SWALLOW
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LAC Leonard Charles LANSDOWNE
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LAC James Renton TAYLOR
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CPL Hugh McCulloch MONTGOMERIE
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CPL Charles Mervyn WALKER
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Archive pages:
Below is an A-Z view of the Roll of Honour with information about each of the Fallen.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18CLARKE, George
Aircraftman 1st Class
1240138
RAF Servicing Commando
Died on war service
3201 Servicing Commando. Killed in a Bedford lorry which was hit by gunfire by a German Messerschmitt Bf109 strafing the airstrip at Souk el Arba. Husband of Lillian S. Clarke, of Peckham, London.
Sources
CWGC.
CWGC.
CROFTS, Jack Henson
Leading Aircraftman
1678283
RAF Servicing Commando
Died on war service
3207 Servicing Commando. Lost in HMS LCT 715 which was torpedoed by an E-boat on the approach to Juno Beach 7 June 1944 during the Normandy invasion. Son of Herman Edwin and Mabel Crofts, of Sheffield.
Source
CWGC.
GALLAGHER, Stanley Arthur
Leading Aircraftman
1035703
RAF Servicing Commando
Died on war service
3201 Servicing Commando. Killed in a Bedford lorry which was hit by gunfire from a German Messerschmitt Bf109 strafing the airstrip at Souk el Arba. Son of William James Gallagher and Annie Gallagher, of Tooting, Surrey.
GOODMAN, Reginald James Alfred
Leading Aircraftman
1172764
RAF Servicing Commando
Died on war service
3232 Servicing Commando. Killed when an unexploded anti-personnel bomb detonated on Ta Kali airfield. Son of Reginald and Selina Emily Goodman, of City of London.
GRESHAM, Kenneth Bernard
Aircraftman 1st Class
1432956
RAF Servicing Commando
Died on war service
Served 3201 Servicing Commando. Killed on a tractor which was hit by a Spitfire of 402 Sqn as it was taking off at RAF Friston. Son of Charles Bernard and Elsie May Gresham. of Finchley.
Sources
HUGHES, Horace
Leading Aircraftman
1024016
RAF Servicing Commando
Died on war service
3232 Servicing Commando. Accidentally drowned while on bathing parade at Givat Olga beach, Palestine.
LANSDOWNE, Leonard Charles
Leading Aircraftman
1384610
RAF Servicing Commando
Died on war service
3206 Servicing Commando. Died of injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident near Beauvais on 11 September 1944. Son of Joseph and Charlotte M. A. Lansdowne; husband of Marie Alice Lansdowne. of Chingford. Essex.
MONTGOMERIE, Hugh McCulloch
Corporal
1107082
RAF Servicing Commando
Died on war service
3226 Servicing Commando. Killed during an enemy air raid on Lentini East airfield, Sicily.
Son of Hugh and Mary Ann Montgomerie, of Saltcoats, Ayrshire.
Sources
CWGC.
CWGC.
MOORE, Harold
Corporal
649555
RAF Servicing Commando
Died on war service
3232 Servicing Commando. Accidentally drowned while on bathing parade at Givat Olga beach, Palestine. Son of James and Lily Moore. of Bolton. Lancashire.
Sources
CWGC.
War Deaths RAF (all ranks) 1939-48, Volume 10, General Register Office.
CWGC.
War Deaths RAF (all ranks) 1939-48, Volume 10, General Register Office.
NUTTALL, Ernest
Leading Aircraftman
1305857
RAF Servicing Commando
Died on active service
Leading Aircraftsman Ernest Nuttall, 3231 Servicing Commando, was based at Gozo, Malta. He and LAC James Renton Taylor were killed when a Spitfire crashed into the wreckage of another plane on one of the runways. Prior to enlisting he was employed as a Glass Beveller.
PICKERING, Benjamin
Sergeant
612453
RAF Servicing Commando
Died on war service
3201 Servicing Commando. Son of Robert and Ethel Pickering, of Ackworth, Yorkshire.
Sources
CWGC.
War Deaths RAF (all ranks) 1939-48, Volume 11, General Register Office.
CWGC.
War Deaths RAF (all ranks) 1939-48, Volume 11, General Register Office.
SAVAGE, John Edwin
Sergeant
612613
RAF Servicing Commando
Died on war service
3225 Servicing Commando. Died of injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident.
Son of Edward Henry and Alice Rose Skeggs, of Manor Park, Essex.
SKEGGS, Edward John
Aircraftman 1st Class
1460523
RAF Servicing Commando
Died on war service
3209 Servicing Commando. Lost at sea during the Normandy landings.
Son of Edward Henry and Alice Rose Skeggs, of Manor Park, Essex.
Sources
CWGC.
War Deaths RAF (all ranks) 1939-48, Volume 13, General Register Office.
CWGC.
War Deaths RAF (all ranks) 1939-48, Volume 13, General Register Office.
SNAPE, Leonard Victor
Sergeant
618375
RAF Servicing Commando
Died on war service
3202 Servicing Commando. Son of Leonard and Tessie Snape, of Widnes, Lancashire.
SWALLOW, Owen William
Leading Aircraftman
1312615
RAF Servicing Commando
Died on war service
3205 Servicing Commando. Fell into a river and drowned.
Son of Leonard Reginald and Daisy Swallow, of Enfield, Middlesex.
Son of Leonard Reginald and Daisy Swallow, of Enfield, Middlesex.
Sources
CWGC.
War Deaths RAF (all ranks) 1939-48, Volume 13, General Register Office.
CWGC.
War Deaths RAF (all ranks) 1939-48, Volume 13, General Register Office.
TAYLOR, James Renton
Leading Aircraftman
1342823
RAF Servicing Commando
Died on active service
Leading Aircraftsman James Renton Taylor, 3231 Servicing Commando, was based at Gozo, Malta. He and LAC Ernest Nuttall were killed when a Spitfire crashed into the wreckage of another plane on one of the runways. Prior to enlisting he was employed at Henry Robb and Co. Shipbuilders in Leith.
WALKER, Charles Mervyn
Corporal
648591
RAF Servicing Commando
Died on war service
3209 Servicing Commando. Accidentally drowned at Visakhapatnam, India. Son of Charles and Florence Walker; husband of Audrey Miriam Walker, of Westbourne, Bournemouth, Hampshire.