The Commandos were formed in July 1940 under Combined Operations Command, following the fall of France. Unlike regular troops the Commandos were not to be quartered in military barracks with military rations, but to live and train in seaside towns, arranging their own accommodation and mess facilities. Initially twelve Commando units were formed, with No’s 9 and 11 Commandos being formed from Scottish units.
No. 11 (Scottish) Commando, with Lieutenant Colonel Richard R. Pedder in charge was the first Commando unit to reach operational strength, some of the men coming straight from basic training. In late August 1940 the volunteers arrived in Galashiels and straight away were presented with their first test – a 90 mile march from Galashiels to Ayr, via Peebles, Muirkirk and Cumnock, carrying their full kit bag over a route which ascends several times to heights over 1,000 feet above sea level . The men arrived in Ayr on 4th September. Those who did not walk all the way were returned to their units. Two days later the men were sent to Fairlie by special train where they boarded the Glen Sannox for Lamlash. The officers rented the ‘White House’ in Lamlash from the Duchess of Montrose, while the men were accommodated within family homes and hotels in the Village.
Also training on Arran were No. 9 (Scottish) Commandos at Whiting Bay and No. 7 Commandos at Lochranza. Commando training was intensive and consisted of cross-country marches over a variety of terrains, unarmed combat, swimming with full kit, rock and mountain climbing , along with training in weapons, explosives, boat handling, map reading and survival training, all designed to stretch their endurance levels to the limit.
Nearby No. 8 (Guards) Commandos were trained in Largs for about a month, before relocating to Lamlash, Arran. While in Largs the Officers and their wives were billeted at the Marine Hotel, including Randolph Churchill, son of Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Their Special Boat Section or Folboat Troop were trained on the shores of Glen Sannox, Arran.
On 31 January 1941 Commando units 7, 8 and 11 along with the Folboat Troop sailed from Arran as part of ‘Layforce’ arriving in Suez on 07 March where they took part in the Middle Eastern theatre of operations. No photographs were permitted of the Navy Base, military personnel or the civil population in Lamlash during World War Two.