SAS Band of Brothers
Page 36
Of the two survivors of the massacre at Noailles, having first been threatened with prosecution by the French authorities, Serge Vaculik would eventually be awarded the Croix de Guerre by them. However, he too would be dogged by his wartime injuries. He was also discomfited at winning his own decoration for valour, for he pointed out that most of the ‘Commandos and parachutists were lucky if after desperate missions and hair’s-breadth escapes they managed to get a bronze star – they were more likely to get a wooden cross.’ In 1954 Vaculik published his life story, in French, which would subsequently be translated into English, and published under the title Air Commando. That text has proven a primary source of inspiration and information for this book.
After giving evidence at the Noailles Wood trial, Jones and Vaculik would meet just once more, at a Resistance reunion in France, in 1980. They would die within twenty-four hours of each other – Jones on 6 December 1990, and Vaculik the following day. The life thread that had united the two of them and had enabled their remarkable survival was clearly an immensely powerful – and seemingly inseverable – bond, until the very end. Vaculik had attended many such reunions in France, and in 1954 he met up with Captain Patrick Garstin’s widow and his son, to mark the tenth anniversary of the mission.
Lieutenant Colonel Mayne – 1 SAS’s commanding officer and source of inspiration for the SABU-70 patrol members – would be awarded four Distinguished Service Orders (DSOs) during the war, the last of which, in October 1945, was controversially downgraded from a Victoria Cross. The original citation for the VC was signed off by no less a figure than Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, and the subsequent downgrading led the king to enquire why Mayne had been denied the honour of the VC, which ‘so strangely eluded him’. David Stirling also objected, noting the considerable prejudice that had extended from elements of the British establishment to the outspoken, uncompromising and peerless SAS commander.
In May 1945 Mayne had been able to host two very special visitors at the SAS’s Scottish training base. Captain Patrick Garstin’s widow, Susan, had travelled up to Darvel from Canterbury, along with her infant son. Once Patrick Garstin junior had succeeded in executing eight ‘parachute jumps’ off the bar, with a little help from several SAS old hands, Mayne presented the youngster with his SAS wings. They were pinned proudly to the boy’s pram, to his mother’s joy.
Mayne died on 13 December 1955, aged forty, in a late-night car accident in his hometown of Newtownards, Northern Ireland. He had also been awarded the Croix de Guerre with Palm, and the Légion d’Honneur, by the French. The latter decoration is that nation’s highest gallantry medal, instituted by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802, making it the nearest French equivalent to the honour that had been denied him by his own country – the VC. But as Mayne’s nearest surviving relative, Fiona Ferguson (née Mayne), told me about her uncle, he would not have cared greatly for honours and distinctions: he cared only to stand tall amongst the men of his command.
Fiona gave me access to her uncle’s wartime trunks, stuffed full of reports, letters, photos, film and mementos, which proved an invaluable source of inspiration for this book. Her priority in doing so was to ensure that her uncle’s memory be suitably preserved, and that his multifaceted character be more fully appreciated. It was of course a privilege to view and read such original wartime materials.
Not long after the disbandment of the SAS, the SOE would also be disbanded, and in the latter’s case, sadly it would be for good. I say ‘sadly’ because, despite SOE headquarters falling victim to the Funkspiel and letting down many of their agents, the SOE did an enormous amount of highly valuable work during the war, which was so often distinguished by the unorthodox, the unthinkable and the outright daring. Many of SOE’s stories of courage and fortitude in the face of the enemy remain untold to this day.
Acknowledgements
I could not have written this book without the help of the following people, and please forgive me for any individuals I may have inadvertently forgotten. I extend my immense gratitude to you all (notwithstanding the fact that some of the research has had to be carried out in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, so has been conducted remotely):
The Wiehe family, and in particular Jacques Wiehe, Father Alexis Wiehe, Dominique Gibson and Olivier Lalouette. Thank you for giving me access to family records and to Lieutenant Wiehe’s diaries and letters from the war years, such as you were able to.
The Garstin family, and in particular Sean Garstin, Captain Patrick Garstin’s son, and Ian Garstin, his nephew, for your correspondence and for sharing with me family papers, archival documents and photos regarding Captain Garstin’s wartime career, such as you were able to.
James Irvine, for sharing with me your archival research and family records regarding SAS Trooper Leslie Herbert William Packman, and of the efforts of the Operation Gain 2015 memorial team – fabulous work.
Phil Rhodes, for sharing with me the private family papers of Fred ‘Dusty’ Rhodes, and much of the Rhodes family memorabilia, photos and other materials from the war years.
Joanne Turner, of the Dumfries Museum, and the family of C. Riding for kindly granting me access to the wonderful Captain Cecil Riding, MC collection, including his diary from the war years and rich archive of related photographs and documents.
Fiona Ferguson, niece of Colonel Blair Mayne, for allowing me to access your late uncle’s war chests and the letters, reports, documents, photos and memorabilia that they contain, and for the endless insight you have been able to provide into your uncle’s wartime career and his wider achievements. To you and your husband, Norman, enormous thanks, and especially for so warmly inviting me into your family home.
Many thanks to Chris Drakes, whose father, Sergeant Peter Drakes, served in the SAS War Crimes Investigation Team, for the help with research and provision of photographs.
Peter Forbes and all of The Keepers, including Gary Hull, Roy Magowan and David McCallion, for allowing me to access the extraordinary records and memorabilia you have safeguarded from the war years, especially those concerning Colonel Mayne and his fellow SAS raiders, and for generously showing me the key sites in and around Newtownards that reflect upon this story. Sally Forbes, the good wife of Peter Forbes, for the enormous hospitality I was treated to in your family home.
Michael de Burgh, at ninety-six the last Second World War survivor of the 9/12 Lancers, for corresponding with me about your war years and about Ralph ‘Karl’ Marx, one of the Operation Loyton commanders. Robin Collins, Mr de Burgh’s grandson, for corresponding with me about the same and for introducing me to your grandfather.
Eoin McGonigal and Patric McGonigal, for corresponding with me over your late uncle Eoin McGonigal’s war years and his relations to Robert Blair ‘Paddy’ Mayne.
Jack Mann, Second World War LRDG, SAS and SBS veteran, for reading the entire manuscript of this book and for giving me your perceptive and enlightening comments. I am hugely grateful, once again, for the insight and inspiration so provided. Alec Borrie, Second World War SAS veteran, for your insight into the SAS terms ‘SABU’ and its origins and what it signified during operations behind the lines in France. I am immensely grateful.
Gregory Lunt, whose father, John ‘Jack’ Frederick Lunt, was a wireless operator with 196 Squadron, flying Short Stirlings, for sharing some of your father’s fascinating stories of the war with me.
Huge thanks to Simon Kinder, whose grandfather, Harry Kinder, was one of Major Barkworth’s Secret Hunters, and who provided fascinating documents and photos regarding their work.
Terry Lowe, for corresponding with me on the fate of the Operation Gain disappeared and their remembrance today in the French villages where they operated. Mr Alan Lockey, for the correspondence and the details you provided on the wartime career of Major Ian Fenwick. Patrick Baty, for correspondence over Major Ian Fenwick and alerting me to his Bruton parish church burial plot. Alain Lavigne, for correspondence over Serge Vaculik’s war record and the archives held
on Vaculik at Minstère Des Armees, Mémoire des Hommes. James Harris, for your help and advice on explaining how exactly parachutists exited from a Short Stirling.
Dr Phil Judkins, for expert insight into all things Luftwaffe and Second World War, and in particular operations at the Étampes airbases. Mike Holmes, for permission to quote from Mediterranean Odyssey, the life story of his father, Mike Holmes, MM, and for the meetings, chats and insight. Author Asher Pirt, for lengthy communications on all things Phantom, SAS and ‘SABU’-related in particular: a font of knowledge and information as always. Julian Barnes, at Chicksands Military Intelligence Museum, for corresponding with me over this story.
The staff at various archives and museums also deserve special mention, including those at the British National Archives, the Imperial War Museum and the Churchill Archive Centre at Churchill College, Cambridge. Some files from the National Archives were made available to me as a result of Freedom of Information requests, and I am grateful to the individuals at the Archives who made the decision that those files should be opened.
My gratitude is also extended to my literary agent, Gordon Wise, of Curtis Brown, for helping bring this project to fruition, and to all at my fantastic publisher, Quercus, for same, including, but not limited to: Charlotte Fry, Hannah Robinson, Bethan Ferguson, Ben Brock, Fiona Murphy and Jon Butler. My editor, Richard Milner, deserves very special mention, as always. Many thanks also to Wendy McCurdy at my American publisher, Kensington, and to all of her team, and to George Lucas, the agent who represented this book in the USA, and to Luke Speed, my film agent at Curtis Brown.
I am also indebted to those authors who have previously written about some of the topics dealt with in this book and whose work has helped inform my writing; I have included a full bibliography.
I am also indebted to Marilyn de Langladure, retired commercial lawyer and sailor, a dedicated supporter of Diverse Abilities, a wonderful charity for children and adults with physical or learning disabilities and a founder member of the Dorset National Park Project.
Finally, of course, thanks are due also to Eva and the ever-patient David, Damien Jr and Sianna, for not resenting Dad spending too much of his time locked away . . . again . . . writing . . . again.
Bibliography
Note: this book contains public-sector information licensed under the Open Government License v3.0.
Archives, Museums, Research Organisations
The National Archives at Kew are a rich repository of documents underlying the stories depicted in these pages, including files related to the Special Operations Executive, the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, plus official War Office and Cabinet papers, records of the Chiefs of Staff meetings and Churchill’s correspondence concerning same.
The National Army Museum’s Special Forces Collection constitutes a rich resource of images, records and memorabilia from the war years, including from the operations depicted in these pages.
The Imperial War Museum (IWM) is also rich in records, including those held at the IWM’s London site, namely unpublished records and reports from those who are depicted in these pages, and photographs and film footage related to the operations portrayed. At the IWM Duxford, the Airborne Assault Archive also contains key documents and images.
The Churchill Archives Centre at Churchill College, Cambridge, contains useful papers pertaining to Winston Churchill’s role within the stories depicted in these pages.
Unpublished Sources
Bien-aimé Tonton Hyacinthe, Père Alexis Wiehe, English translation (unpublished), part of the Wiehe family collection.
A Personal Memoir Written by Captain Cecil Leyland Riding MC, ‘D’ Squadron, 1st SAS Regiment, part of the Dumfries Museum Captain Cecil Riding MC collection.
Report on the Commando Orders of 18.10.42 and 25.6.44 with Reference to Certain of the War Crimes Caused by Them, Major Barkworth, June 1948, part of the Barkworth family collection.
Fred Rhodes, handwritten notes on the war years, provided by Phil Rhodes, as part of the Fred Rhodes family collection.
National Archives, TS 26/855 SHAEF Court
National Archives, FO 950/4873 Mrs S. N. Twyman
National Archives, WO 218/192 Gain Reports
National Archives, WO 219/2389 July Reports
National Archives, WO 205/208 June–Aug 44 Reports
National Archives, WO 205/651 June Reports
National Archives, WO 311/7 Hitler KO
National Archives, WO 208/6856 Hughes Report
National Archives, WO 26/855 SHAEF Court
National Archives, WO 218/193 Key Reports
National Archives, HS 9/1406/8 Starr
National Archives, WO 235/560 Noailles Trial
National Archives, WO 311/76 Papers
National Archives, AIR 20/8937 Report SAS Operations
National Archives, WO 309/1405 Early Papers
National Archives, WO 208/4669 Pre-Trial Papers
National Archives, WO 208/3322/100–101 Vaculik/Jones Escape Reports
National Archives, WO 309/659 More Statements
National Archives, WO 309/660 Noailles Witnesses
National Archives, WO 218/212 2 SAS Missing Parachutists
National Archives, WO 311/724 SAS
National Archives, WO 311/78 Pre-Trial
National Archives, WO 373/86 Decorations
National Archives, KV-2-1500-1 Kopkow
National Archives, KV-2-1500-2 Kopkow
National Archives, KV-2-1501-1 Kopkow
National Archives, KV-2-1501-2 Kopkow
National Archives, KV-2-1501-3 Kopkow
Published Books
Lorna Almonds-Windmill, Gentleman Jim, Constable & Robinson, 2001
W. V. Brelsford (ed.), The Story Of The Northern Rhodesia Regiment, Government Printer Lusaka, 1954
Anthony Cotterell, Apple for the Sergeant, Hutchinson, 1944
Virginia Cowles, The Phantom Major, William Collins, 1958
Martin Dillon with the late Roy Bradford, Rogue Warrior of the SAS, John Murray, 1987
Ian Fenwick, Enter Trubshaw, Collins, 1944
Roger Ford, Fire from the Forest, Cassell, 2003
Helen Fry, The London Cage, Yale University Press, 2018
Jean Overton Fuller, The Starr Affair, Victor Gollancz, 1954
Charles Glass, They Fought Alone, 2018, Penguin Random House
Alex Kershaw, Avenue of Spies, Crown, 2015
Derrick Harrison, These Men Are Dangerous, Bladford Press, 1988
Sarah Helm, A Life in Secrets, Little, Brown, 2005
Alan Hoe, David Stirling, Sphere, 1994
Richard Holmes, MM, Mediterranean Odyssey, 2016
Anthony Kemp, The Secret Hunters, Michael O’Mara, 1986
Damien Lewis, The Nazi Hunters, Quercus, 2015
Damien Lewis, Hunting the Nazi Bomb, Quercus, 2016
Paul McCue, SAS Operation Bulbasket, Leo Cooper, 1996
Mike Morgan, Daggers Drawn, Sutton, 2000
Gavin Mortimer, Stirling’s Men, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 2004
Jeremy Murland, Dunkirk 1940, Pen & Sword, 2016
Christopher J. Murphy, Security and Special Operations, Palgrave Macmillan, 2006
E. C. W. Myers, Greek Entanglement, Rupert Hart-Davis, 1955
T. B. H. Otway, Airborne Forces, Imperial War Museum, 1990
John Randall and M. J. Trow, The Last Gentleman Of The SAS, Mainstream, 2014
Dean Reuter, Colm Lowery and Keith Chester, The Hidden Nazi, Regnery History, 2019
Hamish Ross, Paddy Mayne, Sutton, 2004
Streak Designs Ltd and Coretra Ltee, Lieutenant John H. Wiehe [1916-1965], Streak Designs (Ed), 2016
Stephen Tyas, SS-Major Horst Kopkow, Fonthill Media, 2017
Nicola Tyrer, Sisters in Arms, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 2008
Serge Vaculik, Air Commando, Jarrolds, 1954
Guy Walters, Hunting Evil, Bantam, 2009
A. P. Wavell, Other Men’s Flowers, Jonathan Cap
e, 1944
Charles Whiting, Death on a Distant Frontier, Leo Cooper, 1996
Père Alexis Wiehe, Bien-aimé Tonton Hyacinthe, Éditions Du Lau, 2016
Dennis Williams, Stirlings in Action with the Airborne Forces, Pen & Sword, 2008
Ex-Lance-Corporal X QGM, The SAS and LRDG Roll of Honour 1941–47, SAS-LRDG-RoH, 2016
Picture Section
Table of Contents
SAS Band of Brothers
Also By
Title
Copyright
Dedication
Epigraph
Contents
Maps
Author’s Note
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
Bibliography
Picture Section