Grehan John - Unearthing Churchill’s Secret Army: The Official List of SOE Casualties and Their Stories

First published in Great Britain in 2012 by
Pen & Sword Aviation
an imprint of
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
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Copyright Martin Mace and John Grehan 2012

ISBN 978-1-84884-794-1
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Contents

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to extend their grateful thanks to the following individuals and organisations for their kind assistance during the course of researching and writing this book: Nicholas Andrews (Records and Enquiries Manager) and Peter Francis (Head of External Communications) at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, not least for their help in compiling the casualty lists, but also for permission to quote information on the memorials and cemeteries from the Commissions website; the staff of The National Archives at Kew; Norman Brown of the Royal Pioneer Corps Association; Harry Verlander; Les Tanner of ww2connection; Peter Osborne of Independent Books; and Leanne Mace, Sara Mitchell and Denis Mace for all their work on preparing the manuscript.

Jacket image: Loire Rendezvous. By the renowned aviation artist Philip E. West, this painting depicts Westland Lysanders of 161 (Special Duties) Squadron turning onto their final course to a clandestine landing field somewhere in occupied France during a full moon period in 1943. Based at RAF Tempsford, Bedfordshire, and often operating from Tangmere to shorten the flight, the pilots flew a dead reckoning course to their first turning point, usually on the River Loire, The moonlit town of Blois is easily distinguishable by its chteau, churches and bridge with the Forest of Chambord beyond. The agents in the rear cockpit prepare themselves by torchlight for the forthcoming landing. (Courtesy of SWA Fine Art: www.swafineart.com)

List of the Casualties Commemorated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission as Serving with SOE

ADLER, Gabriel

AGAZARIAN, Jack Charles Stanmore

ALEXANDRE, Roland Eugne Jean

ALLARD, Elise Albert Louis

AMPHLETT, Philip John

AMPS, James Frederick

ANTELME, Joseph Antoine France

AUSTIN, John Patrick Standridge

BARRETT, Denis John

BEAUREGARD, Alcide

BEC, Francisque Eugene

BENOIST, Robert Marcel Charles

BERLINER, Egon Friederich Paul

BERTHEAU, Louis Eugene Desire

BILER, Gustave Daniel Alfred

BLOCH, Andr

BLOCH, Denise Madeleine

BLOOM, Marcus Reginald

BORREL, Andre Raymonde

BOUGUENNEC, Jean

BUTTON, Harold Victor

BYCK, Muriel Tamara

BYERLY, Robert Bennett

CARELESS, Alfred

CAUCHI, Eric Joseph Denis

CLECH, Marcel Remy

CLEMENT, George

COPPIN, Edward Cyril

DAMERMENT, Madeleine Ze

DAREME, Pierre Edouard

DEFENCE, Marcel Enzebe

DEFENDINI, Alphonse

DEMAND, George William Hedworth

DENISET, Franois Adolphe

DETAL, Julien Theodore Joseph

DOWLEN, Roland Robert

DUBOUDIN, Emile George Jean

DUCLOS, Philip Francis

FINLAYSON, David Haughton

FOX, Marcel Georges Florent

FRAGER, Henri Jaques Paul

GAILLOT, Henri Hubert

GARDNER, Denis

GARRY, Emile August Henri

GEELEN, Pierre Albert Hubert

GOUGH, Victor Albert

GRAHAM, Harry Huntingdon

GROVER-WILLIAMS, William Charles Frederick

GYORI, Issack

HAMILTON, John Trevor

HANAU, Julius

HAYES, Victor Charles

HILL, William Arthur

HOFFMAN, Ernst

HUBBLE, Desmond Elis

INAYAT-KHAN, Noor

JOHANSEN, Hans Robert Filip

JONES, Sidney Charles

JUMEAU, Clement Marc

KASAP, Jechel Usher

KEUN, Gerald Philip George

LANGARD, Raymond

LANSDELL, Armand Richard

LARCHER, Maurice Louis Marie Aristide

LAYZELL, Gordon Edward

LECCIA, Marcel Mathieu Ren

LEDOUX, Jacques Paul Henri

LEE, Lionel

LEFORT, Cicely Margot

LEIGH, Vera Eugenie

LEVENE, Eugne Francis

LORD, Christopher James

MACALISTER, John Kenneth

MAITLAND-MAKGILL-CRICHTON, David

MAKOWSKI, Stanislaw

MALRAUX, Claude Raymond

MARTIN-LEAKE, Stephen Philip

MAYER, James Andrew John

McBAIN, George Basil

MELLOWS, Thomas Anthony

MENESSON, James Francis George

MICHEL, Franois Grard

DE MONTALEMBERT, Arthur Franz,

MULSANT, Pierre Louis

MUVRIN, Nick

NEWMAN, Isidore

NICHOLLS, Arthur Frederick Crane

NORMAN, Gilbert Maurice

OGDEN-SMITH, Colin Malcolm

OPOCZYNSKI, Abraham

PALMER, Sir Anthony Frederick Mark

PARDI, Paul Baptiste

ERTSCHUK, Maurice PICHL, Otto

PICKERSGILL, Frank Herbert Dedrick

PLEWMAN, Eliane Sophie

PRASSINOS, Mario Lambros Achilles

RABINOVITCH, Adolphe

RAFFERTY, Brian Dominic

RECHENMANN, Charles Thophile

REIK, Chaviva)

REISZ (REISS), Stephan Rafae

RENAUD, Jean

RENAUD-DANDICOLLE, Jean Marie

ROBERTS, Sidney George

ROCKINGHAM, David William

ROLFE, Lilian Verna

ROWDEN, Diana Hope

RUDDELAT, Yvonne Claire

ABOURIN, Romo Roger

DE SAINT-GENIS, Baron Marie Joseph Gonzagues

SARRETTE, Paul Franois Marie Charles William

SAVON, Gilbert Joseph

SCHWATSCHKO, Alexandre

SEHMER, John

SELBY, Neil Beauchamp

SERINI, Enzo

SEVENET, Henri Paul

SIBREE, David Whytehead

SIMON, Jean Alexandre Robert

SIMON, Octave Anne Guillaume

SINCLAIR, Jack Andrew Eugene Marcel

SKEPPER, Charles Milne

STEELE, Arthur

SUTTILL, Francis Alfred

SZABO, Violette Reine Elizabeth

SZENES, Hannah

TESSIER, Paul Raymond Elie

TROTOBAS, Michael Alfred Raymond

UNTERNAHRER, Yolande Elsa Maria

VASS, Alexander Francis

VIVIAN, Guy Joseph

WALLACE, David John

WHITTY, Valentine Edward

WILKINSON, Edward Mountford

WILKINSON, George Alfred

WORMS, Jean Alexandre

YOUNG, John Cuthbert

Foreword

By Harry Verlander, Jedburgh Team Harold and Special Force 136 Burma

Before the Second World War there were virtually no Special Forces as we have now come to know them. Great belligerent armies flogged it out in the field but, towards the end of the First World War, a degree of mobility had come to warfare in the shape of the aircraft and the motor vehicle. Communications had also come on in leaps and bounds and those out of direct contact with their HQ could now feed information back and receive new orders by radio telegraphy and, later, radio telephony.