Lord Lovat's Path Finders

[aakarlhamo]

Hello

RE: WILLIAM JAMES SILLWOOD 1924-1988
 
Can anyone tell me about Lord Lovat's Pathfinders. 
Apparently my brother's father was in them in WW2.
His blazer had two crossed rifles on.
One story is that he went to Munansk Russia on a boat. 
He said that his hands stuck to the rails as it was that cold.

Are there records anywhere?

Thanks
Carole 

[sheldonesque]

Hi Carole 

unless I am mistaken there are two different units mentioned here. Lord Lovat was the commander of No 4 Commando, and then 1st Special Service Brigade (which took part in the D-Day landings). If you have seen the film The Longest Day the scene(s) with bagpiper (whose name was Bill Millin) was the 1st Special Service Brigade.

The Pathfinders were part of the Airborne forces and dropped just before major attacks to set up markers for the aircraft carrying the main body of paratroops.

There were two companies of airborne pathfinders - the 21st and 22nd ndependent Parachute Companies.

Do you still have the blazer? Can you post a picture of the badge?

It would be worth applying for his records to get a better picture of his service.

And I think you mean Murmansk though I have not heard of British troops being sent there, except the convoys taking aid to the Russians.

[aakarlhamo]

Hello

Thanks for replying. 

Sadly, that is all I know except that she did say he would go in before the main troops.
The story came out of the blue yesterday when we were talking about family history and I was squeezing her for info on my brother's dad.

I will ask her and my brother Karl if they know anything else about William James Sillwood and his military days. 

I think the badge will have been long gone like so many of the photos, which is a crying shame.

Can you tell me where I would find his records?

Thanks again 

[Combover]

It could also be Lovat's Scouts, but they fought in Italy after mountain training etc at Jasper in Canada.

They did go to Iceland earlier on in the war though, so that could possibly be the trip remembered here?

[aakarlhamo]

Hello

Thanks for your reply

I was just talking to mum about it again today and she confirmed that the badge was definitely two crossed rifles and that she doesn't have it or anything relating to the Pathfinders 

She didn't know what division he was in although a possible clue is that she said the grandson has his ship's whistle. Was there a Naval branch of the Pathfinders? 

She also said that she thought that he trained in Scotland at one point and wondered if he went to Murmansk for training?

I would say that he definitely went to Murmansk because when she first told me about it she was quite definite of the place name and that it was in Russia and the story of his hands getting stuck to the railings.

He was born in Dec 1924 and she thinks he lied about his age so that he could join the Pathfinders.  She doesn't know when he joined.

Thanks
Carole 

[Combover]

The crossed rifles indicates that he was a marksman. It's not a unit identification. I believe he belonged to the Lovat's Scouts.

It is HIGHLY unlikely that he went to Murmansk unless he was sent by the RN which is difficult to picture.

The trip to the Faroe Islands would have been pretty cold and we know that the Lovat Scouts went there.

As the Lovat Scouts were trained marsmen and snipers, the crossed rifles fits in nicely.

As the Lovat Scouts were from Lord Lovat's estate in Scotland, their training would indeed have been there before moving to the Faroe Islands and then to Jasper and then finally into action in Italy. (I say 'action' in a loose term because they were not really used all that much for their trained purpose).

Below is the badge.

[jacurtis]

My uncle Alec Proctor was with The Lovat Scouts in Arezzo, Italy and was killed August 12, 1944. Donald John MacKenzie stayed with him after he was wounded until he died. My family would like to find any of his relatives to relay our thanks. Can anyone help?

[Skoosh]

The Lovat Scouts were not necessarily recruited on his own estate but tended to be keepers etc' and knew one end of a rifle from the other.
 You couldn't raise a platoon from what's left of the estate nowadays.

Skoosh.