Comments by "rob shirewood" (@robshirewood5060) on "The History Chap" channel.

  1. There was a Fusilier i think his name was Kinsey or Kinnersley who was a POW an one of those rebels, i believe he won the George medal or George Cross for resisting the Chinese.
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  2. John Mills came from Belton in Norfolk, not far from Great Yarmouth served as a second lieutenant
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  3.  @snazhound5827  I don't think they would like to fight for the regime that is riddled with nazis, are war criminals under international laws, and as corrupt as hell. Don't fall for all the propaganda. Better that those tough battalions fight on the side of right not wrong. Cheers and a salute from the UK, i trained with some Canadians, top class soldiers and great folks. You guys do have a really weird survival knife though, ;-) all the best, watch your six, and stay safe.
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  4.  @markgeary5897  My great uncle was a Royal Marine Don-R who landed on D-Day , that is a Despatch Rider, his best mate, almost a brother, was just in front of him both with their motorcycles, when a 20mm shell from German AA guns depressed to strafe the troops hit his motorcycle throwing shrapnel and pieces of crankcase into his body, he died their in front of my great uncle, who had his blood etc on his uniform, he had to carry on for some time like that doing his job. When he told me with tears running down his face i cried too, his pain was palpable. He suffered from PTSD from that trauma for the rest of his life. My uncle was Marine Arthur Weller. Sadly i have never been able to find the name of the other Marine. There are so many true stories out there that are missed, and today's politicians betray their memories and the nation they fought and suffered on behalf of. Today they are supporting a war criminal, corrupt, nazi riddled regime in Ukraine, aiding people who glorify the nazi war criminals like Stepan Bandera, the same people many of my family fought to defeat in ww2. It saddens and sickens me to know that our nation once more betrays the memory of the men and women who fought such evil, just as in Korea with the Communist Chinese evil in 1950.
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  5. Don "Lofty" Large was a soldier in the battle with the Gloucestershire Regiment and a pow for 2 years, after, wounded too. He wrote a book called One Man's War in Korea, was later a Squadron Sergeant Major in the SAS wrote another book One Man's SAS, they can be found together as a compilation in one book too. They are well worth reading. He was one superb soldier.
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  6. The movie "Retreat Hell" mentions the help of the RM to the USMC
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  7.  @barryupjohn8258  I did him an injustice, i should have remembered his name, for which i apologise, he deserves that much. Thanks for the update and the information i will search for those books. I remembered him from an old boys comic my dad left me, where he was being interrogated/tortured and one of the guards hit him with the rifle butt, the barrel towards himself, which went off and killed the evil B, it stuck in my mind. I never knew he had lost a brother, a brave man to join after the loss and a braver man for what he suffered and endured. I am glad he had a long life after all that. Thanks again, stay safe. If i find the book i will certainly let you know.
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  8.  @mikemarthaller8789  Totally agree, a salute and God speed, from one of the Troops
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  9. Nice to see in a recently screened movie "Retreat Hell" about the USMC that they give fine credit to the Royal Marines who helped them. I always remember a story told to me.....a young US Marine saw a Royal Marine walk past and turned to his Gunny, "Gunnery Sergeant who was that man with the Green beret and what do the letters RM on his shoulders mean?" The Gunnery Sergeant, a veteran of ww2 and Korea replied "Well son, he is a British Royal Marine Commando, and those letters stand for REAL MARINES, and if you ever manage to be one tenth as good, you will be a top class marine." Stay safe, and a salute to your grandfather and family.
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  10. The Regimental Journal was called "The Back Badge", the RIFLES still wear it on all headdress except the Beret
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  11.  @Corky341  Might be a bit uncomfortable but i guess it could be padded, so yes i agree
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  12. @Mike Hurcum I have never heard of them wearing the Presidential Unit Citation, a Royal Blue ribbon in a Gold frame on the beret, they did wear it on the right sleeve of No1 and 2 Dress, but definitely the Sphinx at the back. Can you confirm that it was actually worn on the beret, as that is a dress distinction that seems to be omitted, seriously interested.
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  13. My father had a great friend who survived this terror who suffered terribly and finally died about 20 years ago, RIP Mr Withers,
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  14. Unarmed Royal Artillery aircraft observation pilot near the end of ww2 very dangerous job, brave man.
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  15. "Herrings in, i like the tomato sauce"
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  16. There are a few that look like Lee Metford too
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  17.  @keefymckeefface8330  Yes but they are often known as the GLORIOUS GLOSTERS
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  18. @Mike Hurcum Thanks Mike, that is a major surprise to me, and very interesting as one of my pastimes is studying the Regiments and their uniforms over the years, their histories and lineages etc. Stems from the fact that my great grandfather was in the Ox and Bucks Light Infantry and he had no collar badges, just a small button and a gimp of braid in the regimental traditional colours. To find out the Gloucestershire Regiment had such an addition is something i have never heard of or seen anywhere. Historically important. My admiration for the "Glosters" is very high, I sent some hours in the museum on a side street i can never remember the name of, listening to the stories of some of the men who were with them in ww2, and Korea. Thanks very much for your input it is greatly appreciated. God speed and a salute to you and yours sir. I must look deeper into why the two Regiments faced that situation.
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  19.  @fus149hammer5  Peter Butterworth FAA/RNAS pilot shot down and captured spent years as pow in Stalag Luft 3, turned down when he auditioned for the Great Escape, as not looking like a pow. Charles Bronson ww2 B-29 rear gunner Richard Wattis worked for SOE in the weapons department.
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  20.  @TheHistoryChap  He deserves to be remembered, especially as Remembrance Sunday is so near, you are welcome.
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  21.  @mikewilliamson7246  Jimmy Edwards Arnhem transport pilot shot down and burned, another brave man, served with David Lord VC, there is a great book called Arnhem Airmen or Airmen at Arnhem superb but sad read.
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  22. I believe Kieran died of cancer not long after, maybe brought on by the stress
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  23.  @hodaka1000  I recall someone said that the models used in the movie were also the Carbine type and i must admit when i visited the 24th Foot (as Royal Regiment of Wales) museum in Brecon some years ago the rifles on display there did look longer, add the bayonet and that is one fearsome weapon. As it says in the movie "and a bayonet Sir, with some guts behind it" too right mate, it took guts to just stand there and fight, not to mention work the rest of the time rebuilding and shifting mealie bags. Facing the Assegai and Knobkerry was no joke either, scary weapons. I visited Australia in 2001, and saw a Martini Henry on one of the Ranges i was invited to, to see a local shooting competition, mentioned that as a cadet in the UK i had used a .22 Martini action (privately owned) on a 25 yard target range. I had fired No4 Lee Enfield's and other models (privately owned) in UK so recognised the stripper clips, method of loading and the actual rounds. I saw the one competitor loading single rounds which took my interest and it turned out to be an early model with the magazine cut-off, demonstrating how the troops could retain their 10 rounds, use the cut off and fire singles Then he turned to the group watching "Would you like to see what this rifle replaced?" and took out a Martini Henry, the standard infantry version. That was a treat. Most of the weapons there were .303 so i suspect you are correct. I hear that things have changed now in Australia regarding personally owned weapons, i hope any Martini Henry models have not been scrapped that would be a historical sin. Australia needs to retain its shooting ability its a vital skill that the UK has let slip badly.
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  24.  @liverpoolscottish6430  aka 1st Demolition Squadron
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  25.  @howabout8611  As a unit as far as i know they never did. But one Squadron was formed of 21 SAS volunteers, called Z i think, which was formed to go to Korea but diverted to Malaya and formed part of the Malayan Scouts SAS which later became 22 SAS Regiment, thus 21 SAS a reserve unit as a Corps in its own right formed a Regular Regiment, which as far as i know is the only such Regiment to do so. Secondly, to add to your question, i read a book, by an SAS officer who served in Korea, during that war, in a special unit involved in recon and raiding, some sort of partisan force which was of mixed nationality. If i can find the title i will add it in the future.
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