Campaign Groups and Pairs


but was covered by two machine gun pillboxes and barbed wire and it was further away from their target. Intelligence had estimated that the strength of the battery was between 120–175 men, supported by two infantry companies stationed nearby. The plan was for four troops (A, B, C and F), headquarters and attached specialists, to be divided into two groups. Group one under the command of Major Mills-Roberts would land at Orange One and consisted of C Troop, a section from A Troop, the mortar detachment and some of the specialists. They would scale the cliffs and form a fire base in the woods in front of the battery to support the assault. Group two commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Lovat would land at Orange Two and take out the beach defences. B and F Troops would then advance move along the river and assault the battery from the rear. The rest of A Troop would be the reserve, positioned between the two beaches. After the attack Group two would withdraw through Group one and be picked up by the waiting LCAs on Orange One beach.


Lillico’s No. 4 Commando made the crossing to Dieppe on board HMS Prins Albert. The crossing was uneventful and at 04:50 just before daybreak Group one landed unopposed. Using two Bangalore torpedoes to blow a hole in the barbed wire, they managed to scale the cliffs. As they approached the battery at 05:45 it opened fire on the main landing force coming ashore at Dieppe. This was 30 minutes before Group one was expected to be in a position but Mills-Roberts responded by speeding up the advance to get their guns into action sooner. Once in position they opened fire on the battery with their mortars, Bren machine guns and sniper rifles. One of the mortar bombs landed inside the battery and exploded the stored charges, putting the guns out of action. Group two had an opposed landing being greeted by machine gun fire from the two pillboxes guarding the beach. Leaving a section from A Troop to deal with them the rest of the Group ran the 1.5 miles (2.4km) to the rear of the battery, bypassing German infantry positions on the way. The A Troop section having finished off the pillboxes, set out for Orange one beach, ambushing a German patrol on route. While this was happening Lovat and the other two troops, were preparing to assault the battery from different directions. The men from B Troop approached from behind the anti-aircraft tower, as they could still see some Germans moving about on it, they detached three men to deal with them. At the same time they stumbled across and captured a machine gun post.


At 06:15 the assault started, F Troop discovered a group of Germans forming up to put in their own assault on the fire base. Charging into them they were dispersed without loss to the commandos. The troop continued their advance, moving between some buildings and an orchard, when they were themselves caught in the open by heavy gun fire. Two men in the lead the troop commander Captain Pettiward and Lieutenant McDonald were killed while Troop Sergeant Major Stockdale was wounded. It was for this action that the already wounded Captain Porteous, acting as the liaison officer between the two groups was awarded the Victoria Cross.


The two Groups were in position, when a pre arranged strafing attack by the Royal Air Force commenced, this signalled an increasing in the rate of fire from Group one. At 06:30 a very flare fired by Lovat signalled the start of the assault. Group one ceased firing and B and F Troops charged the battery with bayonets fixed. The objective for B Troop was the battery buildings, while F Troop targeted the guns. Captain Porteous now commanding F Troop was wounded again, this time in the thigh but urged his men on. He was shot for the third time and passed out just as the guns were captured. Demolition experts from F Troop destroyed the guns with pre-formed charges while B Troop searched the battery buildings for intelligence materials. Carrying their wounded with them and escorting prisoners both troops withdrew through the fire base. Still in contact with the Germans both groups of commandos made it to Orange One beach and at 08:15 were taken off by the LCAs. They crossed the channel without incident arriving at Newhaven docks at 17:45 the same day.


For their part in the raid Lovat was awarded the Distinguished Service Order and Mills-Roberts the Military Cross. The cost to the Commando was at first thought to be 23 dead but six were only severely wounded and were eventually reported to be prisoners of war. No. 4 Commandos assault on the battery was the only successful part of the whole operation. The War Office claimed it as a classic example of the use of well trained infantry...and a thoroughness in planning, training and execution, and in February 1943 issued an infantry training pamphlet in order that all may benefit from the story of a stimulating achievement . Once again, Lillico’s involvement in the Dieppe Raid is confirmed from a telegram sent from King’s Cross and dated Newcastle-on-Tyne 21st August 1942, once again sent to his wife, it reads ‘Back Ok Grand Scrap’. This was sent two days after his return from the Dieppe Raid.


After Dieppe the headquarters staff changed again. Lovat was promoted to Brigadier and given command of the 1st Special Service Brigade. Mills-Roberts was promoted and sent to North Africa to take over command of No. 6 Commando. They were replaced by Robert Dawson as the CO and Ronald Menday as 2IC. Other changes included moving to a new base in Falmouth and the formation of a heavy weapons troop in each commando. The new troop with mortar and Vickers machine gun sections provided the heavy weapons needed for their new role as assault infantry. By now the Commandos had started to move away from smaller raiding operations. They were formed into units intended to spearhead future Allied landing operations. To assist in this they were given the organic fire support weapons, that had been absent when they were a raiding force. In June 1943, 10 months after the Dieppe raid, No. 4 Commando started a new round of training. The program included mountain warfare training at the Commando Snow and Mountain Warfare Training Centre in Scotland. The emphasis here was on fighting and living in the mountains and instruction in how to train a partisan force. Afterwards they moved to another new base in Sussex.


Instead of occupying one town, the troops spread out. A and B Troops were billeted at Seaford, C and D Troops at Newhaven and E and F Troops at Lewes. Training was now almost non stop and a number of large scale landing exercises, using the new Landing Craft Infantry took place. In February 1944, while the rest of No. 4 continued to practice day and night assault landings and live firing exercises C Troop was sent to qualify as parachutists at the parachute training centre RAF Ringway. The ranks of No. 4 Commando swelled in April 1944 with the arrival of two French troops from No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando.


Lillico, who had by October 1944 been promoted to Quartermaster Sergeant serving with the Staff Officer Royal Engineers of 1st Commando Brigade, is shown as an electrician by trade within the Royal Engineers, once again highlighting his probable involvement in demolition work. It is highly probable that Lillico had landed in Normandy on D-Day, 6th June 1944, when 4 Commando were detailed to take out the Cassino Strongpoint overlooking Sword Beach. As such he may well have remained in Normandy through to 6th September 1944, when after the successful operations to capture the Orne Bridgehead, they were withdrawn. 4 Commando now began training for the Walcheren Landings which occurred in November 1944, however in October 1944, Lillico had joined the team of engineer specialists headed up by Captain Peter Speak, Royal Marines, who was the Staff Officer Royal Engineers for 1st Special Service Brigade and later the No. 1 Commando Brigade as it was retitled, Lillico being shown as a Quartermaster Sergeant and Electrician by trade. Lillico would remain under Speak’s direction until 19th June 1945, when he served as an Instructor in Engineering subjects, however he is confirmed as having seen further active service in North West Europe with First Commando Brigade.


In December 1944 the 1st Special Service Brigade had been re-designated the 1st Commando Brigade, which consisted of British Army and Royal Marine Commando’s, with the following unit’s being under it’s wing: No. 3, No. 4, No. 6 and No. 45 RM Commando. During January 1945 the 1st Commando Brigade was involved in the desperate fighting to hold the German Ardennes Offensive, whilst holding a stretch of the River Maas, and Lance Corporal H. Harden, a medical orderly of the RAMC attached to 45 RM Commando, won the Victoria Cross. Brigade's next large-scale operation was the crossing of the river Rhine at Wesel. Intensive training and detailed planning were the keys to the remarkable success of Operation Plunder on 23 March, which incurred less than 100 casualties. Operation Plunder started at 1800 hours on 23 March with a barrage of 5,500 guns along the 35km front and a bomber raid on the city of Wesel. The 51st Highland Division led the river crossing at 2300 hours with the Canadians crossing later 6.5km south of Rees, then the 1st Commando Brigade, 1.5km north of Wesel. The assault craft– Buffalo amphibious vehicles, assault boats and DUKWs carried the infantry; LCMs carried the armour, including Sherman DD tanks– were guided across the river by CDL searchlights and tracer fire from machine guns. General Patton had earlier put the US 5th Infantry Division across the Ludendorff railway bridge at Remagen —a day earlier than planned —thus drawing off German reinforcements and reducing the opposition to the main landings. The next obstacle to be tackled was the river Weser, where the brigade was to reinforce and exploit the bridgehead that had already been established. This operation was followed by the crossing of the river Aller, which resulted in some heavy fighting in the woods beyond. A serious situation was averted by a spirited counter-attack by No. 6 Commando. When the hunting horns sounded and led by Lieut. Colonel A. C. Lewis, the Commando charged forward through the trees at a fast double and with bayonets fixed.


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