DURNFORD-SLATER John — Commando. SIGNED BY THE 'FIRST COMMANDO'

Kimber, [1953]. 8vo., First Edition, with frontispiece, plates, full-page maps in the text and endpaper maps; pale blue cloth, gilt back, backstrip heavily sunned else a firm, clean copy in price-clipped dustwrapper, the latter chipped and rubbed at extremities. SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR ON TITLE. Deceptively detailed account of the personalities and operations of 3 Commando throughout WWII. John Durnford-Slater (1909-1996) began his service with the RA in India, returning to the UK in 1935. In 1940 he was one of the first to respond to Churchill's call for Britain's first 'commando' units. As the 'first commando' he formed and trained 3 Commando from scratch at Plymouth, Largs, Inverary and elsewhere, and using the Guernsey raid as a prototype for assessment and development. 3 Commando went on to take part in many of the most notable commando actions of the war, including Lofoten, Vaagso, Dieppe and Sicily. For the Normandy landings the unit was attached (not surprisingly) to 1 Special Service Brigade under Lovat, landing at SWORD and moving inland to relieve 6 Airborne at Pegasus Bridge. The unit's last major action was the final push across the Rhine prior to disbandment in 1946. MATERIAL SIGNED BY DURNFORD-SLATER IS SCARCE.