British Commando Yellow Tomb WWII Patch Combined Operations Variant A

British Commando Yellow Tombstone Combined Operations Patch Formation Sign Facing Right WWII 1943

This British Commando Yellow Tombstone Black Patch is a right arm facing embroidered on wool sized back 88mm by 77mm three and seven sixteenth inches by three inches.

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Patch Description

This original British Combined Operations Commando formation sign dates from 1943 and was worn on the right sleeve by personnel serving with Britain’s wartime Commando forces. Embroidered in yellow on black wool with a sized backing, this “Tombstone” pattern represents one of the best-known insignia of the Combined Operations organisation during the Second World War.

The badge depicts the famous Combined Operations emblem comprising an eagle, anchor and Thompson sub-machine gun. The eagle represents the air, the anchor represents the Royal Navy, and the Thompson gun symbolises the Army. Together they reflect the joint nature of Combined Operations, bringing together personnel from all three fighting services to undertake amphibious raids, reconnaissance and assault landings.

The distinctive rounded “Tombstone” shape became synonymous with British Commando units and Combined Operations Headquarters. This particular example features the eagle facing to the right, one of several recognised wartime embroidered manufacturing variations produced during the conflict.

Following Winston Churchill’s directive in 1940 to establish specialist raiding forces, the British Commandos quickly evolved from small hit-and-run units into highly trained assault infantry. By 1943 they formed the spearhead of Allied amphibious operations, serving alongside the newly formed Royal Marine Commandos within the Combined Commando Brigades.

Commandos fought across every theatre of the war, from Norway and the Arctic to North Africa, Sicily, Italy, Normandy, the Low Countries, Greece and Burma. They participated in famous operations including St Nazaire, Dieppe, Sicily, Anzio, Normandy and the crossing of the Rhine, earning a formidable reputation for courage and professionalism.

Original wartime Combined Operations formation signs are increasingly difficult to obtain and remain among the most desirable insignia for collectors of British Army, Royal Marines, Combined Operations and Second World War airborne and amphibious forces.

History

Following Winston Churchills order in June 1940 for special units to carry out raids against German occupied Europe the British Army formed independent Special Service companies as small highly mobile surprise raiding and reconnaissance forces carrying all they needed and remaining in field operations for less than 36 hours manned by selected volunteers from the Army. In 1941 Lieutenant-Colonel D. W. Clarke of the British Imperial General Staff suggested the name Commando for these units in evocation of the effectiveness and tactics of the Boer commandos during the Boer War and earlier Zulu Wars. The companies later reformed as battalion sized commandos and the British Army Commandos spawned
several other famous British specialized units such as the Special Air Service the Special Boat Service and the Parachute Regiment.

All volunteers originally came from the British Army but volunteers would eventually come from all branches of the UKs armed forces and foreign volunteers from countries occupied by the Germans. These volunteers formed over 30 individual units and from 1943 following the move away from smaller raiding operations to spearheading future Allied landing operations as highly specialized assault infantry and with the Royal Marine
Commandos the Army Commandos were formed into four combined Commando Brigades for assault operations.

The Special Operations Executive SOE also formed commando units from British and displaced European personnel to conduct raiding operations in occupied Europe. They also worked in small teams of ten or fewer commandos because that was better for special operations such as the Norwegian Independent Company 1 which destroyed heavy water facilities in Norway in 1941.

The Royal Navy also controlled Royal Navy Beach Parties based on teams formed to control the evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940. These became
known as RN Commandos tasked with securing and controlling the landing beaches taking part in many operations including the disastrous Dieppe Raid of 19 August 1942 and the successful landings in Normandy 6 June 1944.

In 1942 the Royal Navys nine Royal Marines infantry battalions were reorganized as Royal Marine Commandos numbered from 40 to 48. In 1943 the Commandos began to move away from smaller raiding operations to spearheading future allied landing operations as highly specialized assault infantry and with the Army Commandos were formed into four combined Commando Brigades.

The Royal Air Force formed 15 Commando units in 1942 each of which was 150 strong consisting of trained technicians armorers and maintainers who had volunteered to undertake the commando course. These RAF Commandos accompanied the Allied invasion forces in all theatres tasked with enabling forward operation of friendly fighters by securing and make safe captured airfields assist their defense from enemy counterattack and repair servicing maintaining and arming the aircraft.

The Commandos served in all the theatres of war from the Arctic Circle Europe the Middle East Balkans South East Asia and the Pacific on operations ranged from small groups of men landing from the sea or by parachute to a brigade of assault troops spearheading the Allied invasions of Europe and Asia. At the end of the War many of the Commandos were disbanded leaving just the Royal Marine 3 Commando Brigade.

This patch dates from 1943.

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