RCNC Aka Royal Canadian Navy Beach Commandos.

[Recce]

In the Second World War we had our own, Navy Seal's! Canadian
Navy Beach Commandos "W" Received special Infantry training.
The Commandos were set up to create and maintain order on Normandy's
Juno Beach during the landings. Since it was uncertain what kind of
German resistance the Canadians would encounter on Juno Beach
they trained for all conceivable "contingencies" to prepare defenses
or countermeasures to protection against chemical warfare and
clearing obstacles to driving Sherman tanks! However, their main
Purpose was to keep the traffic of men, machines and supplies ect.
flowing through the beachhead area.

http://www.friends-amis.org/pdf/FS27...Commando_W.pdf

http://www.combinedops.com/W%20Commando.htm




Lieutenant G.W. Hendry of H.M.C.S. PRINCE HENRY briefing
his crew about the invasion of France, June 1944.

(L-R): Lieutenant Hendry, Leading Seaman S. Caros, Able Seaman
Blondie Briarley, Stoker Don Edwards, Able Seamen Dick McLaren
and Greg Barbaro.




Lieutenant Dudley Rayburn, Beachmaster, W-2 Party, Royal Canadian
Navy Beach Commando "W", at H.M.S. ARMADILLO, a training
establishment at Ardentinny, Scotland, February 1944.




Personnel of W-2 Party, Royal Canadian Navy Beach Commando "W" outside a
German fortification in the Juno sector of the Normandy beachhead, France, 20 July 1944.

(Front row, L-R): Able Seamen A.F. Watt, Douglas Kennedy, R.V. Barnes, E.G. Woodall,
D.F. Trewin, A.H. Petty, Ordinary Seaman A.E. Morris, Able Seaman J.B. White.
(Rear row, L-R): Leading Seamen W.R. Murphy, J.P. Adams, Able Seaman, J.F. Roy,
Petty Officer D.E. McIntyre, Lieutenant A.D. Rayburn, Able Seamen W.F. Cronkhite,
Dan Kroshewsky, J.D. Ross, R.C. Nelson.



Source LAC.

[rkcampbell]

This is an awesome post! I'm lucky enough to have an officer's BD to one of the landing craft captains. He is not W force (or marked as such) but having his British BD with Canadian titles and shoulder boards is cool enough.

These guys are the forgotten of the fogotten. Nice photos- thanks again for the post.