A young man's war - 3
Royal Marine Commando Collins is sent to Signalling School in Wales. Mud, wind, mountains, getting lost and learning to use the radio.
08 July 2020
On Sundays the camp administrators didn't know where to send the Jocks who put down 'Church of Scotland' as their religion. When most of the camp marched off for the C of E Sunday service, Ralph and his fellow God-fearing Scots were trucked off to 'a small and weird Welsh church with a woman playing the Welsh harp very badly and singing in Welsh. Two hours of hell.'
Signalling School, Collins, R., RM, is drafted on February 26, 1944 'for special duties' to 30 Assault Unit.
30 Assault Unit was a British Commando unit created during WW 2, originally formed to gather intelligence. One of the key figures involved in its organisation was Commander Ian Fleming (later author of the James Bond novels).
30 AU was tasked to move ahead of advancing Allied forces, or to undertake covert infiltrations into enemy territory by land, sea or air, to capture much needed intelligence, in the form of codes, documents, equipment or personnel.
The members of this unit were forbidden to discuss or document their activities - a pledge that many of the men kept for many years even after the war was over - some, like Ralph, for their entire lives.
30 AU's Commanding Officer was Lt. Colonel Arthur Woolley, who had been the former commander of No. 47 RM Commando. (Ralph's brother's regiment). 30 Assault Unit consisted of three troops of Commandos; A, B and X. Ralph was in 'A' troop.
All the fighting men were Royal Marines and the Unit was based at Littlehampton on the Sussex coast prior to the Normandy Invasion.
Ralph was billeted to a local farm. When he asked what was for dinner, he was told 'A chicken. Go out the back and kill one will you?'
We think Ralph Collins is in the back row, fourth from the right. Fifth from right is a man named Feeley. They will share a story about a dog which unfolds in Normandy after D-Day - which is just two months away.
