NAM.2021-01-11- 1-20

Photograph entitled: ‘Tom Peyton & David Birney’, showing two soldiers sitting on the wooden deck of a ship reading reports. The hand-written caption says” ‘On ‘Princess Beatrix’ at Plymouth just before St Nazaire raid March 28th 1941’. However the St Nazaire raid was in 1942 and its unclear whether the ‘Princess Beatrix’ was involved in this particular operation so this caption may be wrong. The two soldiers are probably Lt Thomas Grenville Pitt Peyton and Capt David Leslie Birney, both of 2 Commando, who both died of wounds sustained in the raid on St Nazaire, 28th March 1942. From an album of 121 photographs and postcards (plus one loose image) relating to Norman Leonard Palmer, 1937 (c) -1945, who served with No. 2 Commando, 2nd Special Service Brigade and 56th Reconnaissance Regiment. Images relate to training and service in Scotland, Italy, Austria and Gibraltar. The collection also includes Palmer’s membership booklet to the Old Comrades Association of the Special Service Brigade. Associated with World War Two (1939-1945).

St Nazaire Raid, 1942 (World War Two, North West Europe 1941-1943)