Comacchio 80 Memorial

by Mne Tyson-Wilson, Comacchio Tp, O Sqn

Paying respects at the Argenta Gap War Cemetery

With all the excitement at Faslane over the 80th anniversary of Cpl Thomas Peck Hunter’s gallant acts at Lake Comacchio on 3 April 1945, the Unit would be remiss not to send a wreath laying party out to Italy in commemoration.

The group, comprising the Tp Comd of Comacchio Tp, O Sqn SSM and two Mnes deployed to northern Italy to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the actions that earned Cpl Peck Hunter his posthumous Victoria Cross during Operation Roast.

We visited the Argenta Gap War Cemetery where the fallen Allied soldiers who fought in the Operation are buried. It was here that we laid a wreath at the grave of Cpl Thomas Peck Hunter VC and conducted a small service in his honour.

Walking along the rows of Commonwealth War Graves, we noticed the many number of graves of ranks from 40 and 43 RM Cdos mixed in with a variety of cap badges from Royal Armoured Corps to the pilots from the RAF; a testament to the size of the operation that was spearheaded by the Commandos.

We then visited a memorial for Maj Anders Lassen VC, a SBS Commander who lost his life during a raid on the shores of Lake Comacchio just days after Thomas Peck Hunter. We walked the streets where his SBS Tp were contacted and saw the gun positions that he himself stormed before losing his life.

All in all, an educational trip for all involved allowing us to remember where we have come from and a poignant reminder of what the Commando values are all about.

Victoria Cross Recipient Honoured 80 Years After Gallant Actions

Royal Marines marked the 80th anniversary of the gallant actions that saw a Commando last earn the nation’s highest honour. Cpl Thomas Peck Hunter was awarded the Victoria Cross for repeatedly storming German machine gun positions outside the town of Comacchio in northern Italy in April 1945 during the Second World War.

Unit members salute our forebears

The Unit remembered the battle with a series of events, including a commemorative dinner, attended by Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney MSP Thomas Hunter’s nephew.

To mark Comacchio 80, the Unit staged a speed march to the historic Commando Training Centre at Achnacarry in the Highlands and held a memorial service and wreath laying at the impressive Commando Memorial in nearby Spean Bridge, before returning to Faslane for the anniversary dinner.

Ahead of the dinner, Mr Swinney was shown some of the records and photographs relating to the battle, his uncle and his Troop. He has always been struck by the ‘astonishing courage and bravery’ Thomas Hunter displayed, one of millions of Britons who answered the call to liberate Europe.