commando type training early in WW2 in Benbecula or North Uist?

[Keinnaf]

My grandfather said he practiced boat landings in Benbecula early in WW2 as part of commando type training. No mention of it in his records (or any other training of any sort, even the standard basic training) and only found one anecdotal reference to training in Cheese Bay, North Uist on google searching. It would have been before the commandos were officially established with proper training facilities.  Anyone know anything about this please?

Thanks

[HeatherLynne]

Hi Keinnaf

My mother's youngest brother was killed during training practicing boat landings at the Isle of Arran in 1942.  Please see this link for details  http://gallery.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/v/units/4/in+remembrance/hellyer/

I know that Arran's a fair distance from Benbecula but thought this might be of interest to you.

Regards, Heather

p.s. having looked around the Commando Site a bit further I found this about Benbecula  http://forum.commandoveterans.org/cdoForum/posts/list/5042.page

[Keinnaf]

oh gosh - training was dangerous too.

Thank you for posting that. There seems to be little information about training on the islands.

[ScouseBoy]

I believe that there has been radio or radar installations on Benbecula for many years.  try a google search on Benbecula

[Keinnaf]

thank you ScouseBoy.  Yes there seem to have been RAF and some communications stuff up on Benbecula. No mention though of boat landings. I have contacted the Benbecula History society to see if they can give any more info as if there is any then I am sure they would have it.

[ScouseBoy]

The equipment required for the radio or radar installation was probably shipped in secretly on boats, seeing as it was a remote island.

Construction of the huts and antennae and living accommodation would have taken much material and manpower.

[Keinnaf]

I hadn't thought of it like that. interesting

[Jsavage00]

My mother's youngest brother was killed during training practicing boat landings

My great-uncle was also killed in training, but in a live firing exercise in Worthing in October 1945.

[Martin Briscoe]

I have never heard of any Commando activity on Benbecula or either of the Uists though it is not impossible that exercises or raids could be done there.  There is a South Uist website with a forum, you could ask there.

There were quite a number of radar stations on the Western Isles and other islands around the Minch, but again never heard of any Commando units being involved in building bridges, not the sort of thing they would normally do.  Most of the building work (if not all) was done by private contractors.  The causeway / bridges between Benbecula and South Uist was (I think) built during WWII but that was a major engineering project.  The RAF airfield had fuel tanks on the East of the island and the fuel was piped over the causeway I think.

I notice the heading is "Commando type training", makes me wonder if it was someone else because there were various training establishments on the West coast.  The important was Inverailort which initially trained Independent Companies which were similar to the Commando, it then became Combined Operations.  It is something said SOE were there but I think only had one course before moving to Arisaig House and it is said that even though only a few miles apart they operated independently and most people did not know what happened at the other establishment.  There were several other Combined Operations establishment and also SOE used other houses as well.

There was a base for X-Craft at Keose / Loch Erisort and chariots at Kingairloch.

SBS had somewhere around Glencoe/Ballachulish.