It is not known when the first beach parties were formed but up till the time of the Madagascar expedition sailed in March 1942, the parties appear to have been associated with the particular troop transport to which they were more or less permanently attached.

     It is believed that the five or six parties which proceeded to Madagascar on Operation Ironclad were known as ‘Keren’ party, ‘Karanga’ party etc, depending on which troopship they were attached to, then subsequently they were named A and B by Combined Operations Headquarters (COHQ), though in actual fact there was by that time only sufficient personnel to complete one unit which was known as ‘A’. The men of Naval Beach Part ‘Able’ also took part in a second amphibious assault on Madagascar at the harbour of Majunga in Operation ‘Line’ on the 10^th of September 1942.

     In India in the autumn of 1943 it formed part of Force P. Force 'P' was intended to be used for a divisional strength penetration along the Arakan coast but this was cancelled because of a lack of landing craft as large number had been diverted to ferry reinforcements to Salerno. Afterwards the commando moved in January 1944 to the Mediterranean where they participated in the Anzio Landing.

     Thereafter the unit moved to Corsica where it remained until the 17^th of June 1944 when ‘A’ 1 participated in the attack on Elba, with Oboe Commando, in which two officers and eighteen rating were killed.

     The balance of ‘A’ returned to Corsica where they were relieved by the RN Beach Commando ‘Dog’, before they returned to the UK in September 1944.

     The unit reached HMS Armadillo on the 28^th October 1944 where it was disbanded in December, in view of the long service of the majority of the officers and men in Beach Parties.

     Naval Beach Commando Baker never had any real existence in fact, though on paper it was counted as a formed unit for a long period.

      Royal Navy Beach Commando 'Charlie' was formed at Coulport about March 1942 after the Madagascar Force sailed.

      Personnel from this unit, notably Sub-Lieutenant DT Kent DSO, RNVR, Sub-Lieutenant FAH Leeke RNVR and Petty Officer Murphy had taken part in raids on Lofoten, Vaagso and Boulogne.

      On the 19^th of August 1942 RNBC Charlie took part in the Dieppe Raid, where it lost a considerable number of officers and men, the sub unit 'C2' having to be replaced in total.

      However it was able to take part in Operation Torch, landing on the 8^th of November 1942 in Oran, North Africa.

      After it's return to the UK from North Africa it was attached to 'Force W' (afterwards 'Force 'G') sailing for Suez via the Cape in March 1943 before taking part in the Invasion of Sicily, Operation Husky' in July 1943.

      On it's return to the UK in October 1943, it remained in Gailes Camp for some months and later it was accommadated in HMS Armadillo before proceeding to carry out exercise commitments in Appledore in Devon and Burnham.

      From April 1944 the commanding officer was Lieutenant Commander A Wilson, DSC, RNVR.

      RNBC Charlie was a reserve unit for Operation Neptune / Overlord in Normandy but was not called on to participate.

      In 1945 it proceeded to South East Asia Command (SEAC) with 'Force W' in two sections, the first going on the 21^st of February 1945 and the second in April 1945.

In September 1945 it took part in Operations in Malaya and in November 1945 the unit was disbanded in theatre.

     George Royal Naval Beach Commando was formed at Coulport House and Inverkip House in Scotland in July and August 1942. The completion of training being delayed for at least a fortnight owing to a suspension of Beach Group training due to the Exercise Dryshod, which took place in Ayrshire from the 4th to the 8th of August 1942 and was a tactical exercise with the aim of testing the requirements for staging and executing a large-scale amphibious landing against opposition.

     On the 15th of August 1942 the sub-units G2 and G3 assembled at Inverkip to the strength of two officers, one Petty Officer, one leading seaman and sixteen Able or Ordinary Seaman. Then when these parties joined G1 at Dundonald in September 1942, a further leading seaman and four Able Seamen were added to each sub-unit.

     Leave was given and after returning to Dundonald to collect kit, the sub-units G1 and G2 proceeded to Knightswood School, Glassgow and G3 to anti-aircraft gun site at Cardross to await embarkation to North Africa.

     George RN Beach Commando was allocated to the Eastern Sector of Operation Torch landing on the Apples Beaches near Algiers on the 8th of November 1942, G2 landing on the Apples White beach.

     The two sub-units G2 and G3 of George RN Beach Commandos were then deployed on the subsidiary landing Operation Perpetual at Bougie.

     Despite information that British troops might get an unfriendly reception at Bougie, at 06:15 on the morning of November 11th, troops of the 6th Battalion, Royal West Kent Regiment, came ashore at Bougie unopposed. However the calm was not to last long and a German and Italian airborne storm soon arrived. A description follows of Operation Perpetual by Lt Cdr M. V. Redshaw, VRD*, RNVR the Beach Master of the sub unit G2 of George RN Beach Commando.

     We embarked in the Awatea (LSI) in company with the 5th Buffs for the next landing, which was at Bougie.

     The Bougie landing was no trouble but this time the Luftwaffe and the Italian Air Force were organised and for the best part of a week we had one big air raid broken only by short intervals. During this week we helped discharge the follow-up store ships in the bay. We had no air cover during this period. Our own air force being grounded at Djidelli airfield awaiting the arrival of the petrol and ammunition we were trying to get out of the ships in Bougie Harbour.

     Many ships were lost during this week due to lack of air cover, including the Karanja, Cathay (LSIs) and Tynwald (AA cruiser).

     Bougie was full of survivors from the ships but I am glad to say that, although Awatea was sunk soon after we left her with most of our stores, my Petty Officer reported later that we had suffered no casualties, and no loss of arms and ammunition, and that we were ready for action. While Karanja was on fire before sinking, some of my men commandeered a landing craft, went alongside Karanja and collected stores.

     Bougie was indeed a nightmare and we were more than pleased when we sailed from there in LCMs carrying petrol for the aircraft grounded at Djidelli. (From the book 'Invasion North Africa 1942' by S.W.C. Pack)

     * VRD Volunteer Reserve Decoration

     Around the 19th of November, the two sub sections of George RNBC moved off to Bone in LCA and LCM with the flotillas. Making the trip in three night passages to Djidjelli, Philippeville and finally Bone. They were inland at Souk Ahras in late November and were as far as Tabarka in Tunisia in early December but then returned to Bone in Algeria. The Beach Commandos State Report for December 14th 1942 shows both G2 and G3 sub sections still on Operation Torch but the following week’s report on the 20th of December 1942 shows both sub sections back at Foliot III.

     However the State Reports also show Lt Redshaw and Lt Turton remained in theatre. During which time Lt Redshaw reported they served with numbers 1 and 6 Army Commandos for a short period spending Christmas day in the Hotel Transatlantique in Bone and returning to England, going alongside in Liverpool on the 13th of January 1943.

     The original ‘How’ Naval Beach Party was formed at Coulport House in August / September 1942 and participated in the North African landings (operation Torch). On its return to the UK the unit was accommodated at HMS Foliot, where all its officers, petty officers and leading seaman were absorbed into the first units belonging to Force W (which included Naval Beach Parties C, E, F, K and M) and the balance of the ratings were brought to CTC Armadillo in February 1943, where they were absorbed into George Commando or new units. TBC

     A completely new unit ‘How’ Royal Naval Beach Commando was formed in May 1943 with Lt H.J. Telfer as the senior officer but he then went sick the following month.