47 Royal Marine Commando

47 (‘four seven’) Royal Marine Commando was a wartime Special Services unit made up of volunteers who underwent rigorous selection and tough individual training. It fought from D-Day through to the end of the war in both France and Holland.

Its two most notable actions were, firstly, a daring D-Day mission to liberate Port En Bessin in Normandy and, later in 1944, the landing and capture of Walcheren – a heavily defended Dutch island at the mouth of the River Scheldt.

On 6th June (since the 65th Anniversary) 47 Royal Marine Commando Association and friends retrace the route of 47 Commando’s epic 13 mile attack behind enemy lines to capture the small French port of Port-en-Bessin and to link up with US forces on D-Day, 1944. Their yomp is re-enacted in support of the 47 Charity, which in the past year has supported veterans, carers, buglers and standard bearers in attending commemorative events and funerals,  supported a veteran’s widow and family in need, committed funds to producing information about the 47 story, pledged funds for the maintenance of memorials in France and Netherlands, including the new Dishoek memorial. (see Operation Inflation for full details of Dishoek memorial: https://www.combinedops.com/Walcheren.htm)

Last year the Association started off a walk in Walcheren in November (47 Commando and others took part in Operation Infatuate – landing on 1st November 2017).