Guardsman & Commando: The War Memoirs of RSM Cyril Feebery DCM

by Cyril Feebery, David Feebery (Editor)

Guardsman and Commando is Cyril Feebery's memoir of his service with the British Army between 1937 and 1945.Feebery served with the Grenadier Guards in the British Expeditionary Force, was evacuated wounded from Dunkirk, completed Commando training in Scotland an joined the Middle East Commando (Layforce). returncharacterreturncharacterOn the disbandment of Layforce, he joined the Folboat Section, later the Special Boat Section, and trained as a canoeist under Captain Roger Keyes VC to conduct commando operations from submarines. When the SBS was later absorbed into the Special Air Service (SAS), Feebery took part in raids on Benghazi and Tripoli.With the creation of the Special Boat Squadron (SBS), Feebery served as Squadron Sergeant Major under Major the Earl Jellicoe. returncharacterreturncharacterHe has captured by Italian forces after a raid on airfields in Sardinia, and later escaped from Prisoner of War camp in Italy to regain the Allied side. After recovering from malaria, Feebery became Squadron Sergeant Major, Headquarters Squadron, 1st SAS Regiment in 1944. He participated in SAS operations in the Dijon area of France, then in Northern France and Belgium. The manuscript concludes with SAS operations to obtain the surrender of German occupation forces in Norway.

142 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 7, 2009

Reviews

[Brian Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feebery's laconic humour and clear detail shine through. As a biography it is a decent and enjoyable read.

However, as a WWII biography some people may find its appeal limited - except from a short stint in German-occupied France after D-Day, he never really saw action.

So while he's involved in a lot of preparations and minor incursions, this is more a soldier's account of being in training and travelling around battlefields.

In that regard, this book may better appeal to WWII enthusiasts looking for more information on the early days of the SAS and SBS. For the more open-minded reader, this is a decent read of daily soldiering life through WWII, and from a somewhat more unusual and broader perspective than usual.