No. 1 Commando
| No. 1 Commando | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1940–1947 |
| Country |
 United Kingdom
|
| Branch |
 British Army
|
| Type | Commando |
| Role | Coastal raiding force Assault Infantry |
| Size | Battalion |
| Part of | Combined Operations |
| Garrison/HQ | Dartmouth |
| Engagements | |
| Disbanded | February 1947 |
| Insignia | |
| Shoulder Patch |  |
The No. 1 Commando was a unit of the British Commandos and part of the British Army during the Second World War. It was raised in 1940 from the ranks of the existing independent companies. Operationally they carried out a series of small scale cross channel raids and spearheaded the Operation Torch landings in North Africa. They were then sent to the India as part of the 3rd Commando Brigade and took part in operations in the Burma Campaign. During the Second World War only eight commandos were recipients of the Victoria Cross two of the eight were from No. 1 Commando. After the war they were sent to reoccupy Hong Kong before being amalgamated with No. 5 Commando and became known as No. 1/5 Commando. The amalgamated No. 1/5 Commando was disbanded in 1947.
The commandos were formed in 1940, by the order of Winston Churchill the British Prime Minister. He called for specially trained troops that would "develop a reign of terror down the enemy coast". At first they were a small force of volunteers who carried out small raids against enemy occupied territory, but by 1943 their role had changed into lightly equipped assault Infantry which specialised in spearheading amphibious landings.
The man initially selected as the overall commander of the force was Admiral Sir Roger Keyes himself a veteran of the landings at Galipoli and the Zeebrugge raid in the First World War. Keyes resigned in October 1941 and was replaced by Admiral Louis Mountbatten.
...
Wikipedia