CRICCIETH

The little seaside town of Criccieth in North Wales has a special place in the history of the Free French commandos. Whilst it would never be mentioned in the commando’s État des Services, in the period between July 1942 and the end of May 1943 all of the Free French commandos were stationed there; at its peak nearly 100 commandos lived in billets provided by the local residents, whose population during the Second World War was about 2000, inflated by evacuees.

The town is dominated by its 13th century castle, built on a rocky headland, but largely in a ruinous state since the 15th century.

This article is a comprehensive account of the commandos’ stay in Criccieth.

Introduction – the No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando

During the spring of 1942, plans were made to bring together commando volunteers from a number of Nazi-occupied countries, into what became the No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando, inaugurated on 1st July 1942 under the leadership of Lt. Col. Dudley-Lister.  Each foreign unit was designated as a distinct troop, and they were relocated to North Wales coastal towns in July 1942.

Headquarters                                    Harlech

No. 1 troop (French)                          Criccieth

No. 2 troop (Dutch)                           Porthmadog

No. 3 (X) troop (Germans, Jews)      Aberdovey

No. 4 troop (Belgian)                         Abersoch

No. 5 troop (Norwegian)                   Nefyn

No. 6 troop (Polish)                            Fairbourne

(later Caernarfon)

A Yugoslavian troop (No. 7) and second French troop (No. 8) were added in 1943, after the commando had left Criccieth for Eastbourne

Arrival in Criccieth

After parading in London before General de Gaulle on 14th July 1942, No. 1 troop, 54 in number, arrived in Criccieth on 16th July, where Kieffer made his temporary headquarters in the George Hotel. The men were accommodated in “billets”, either one or two men per household. The billets were found by the local authorities.  These arrangements relieved the military authorities of the need to make such provision for the men and encouraged a good rapport between the local population and the foreign troops. It seems that initially the residents of Criccieth regarded the Frenchmen with some suspicion, but strict discipline to encourage good behaviour was exercised by Kieffer, and good relations were quickly established. In particular, many commandos of Breton origin found it relatively easy to understand Welsh, both being Celtic languages.

In addition to billets in private homes the commandos were granted use of two large houses, Llety and Bryn-Hir Hall. By the end of July, Llety became the headquarters. It was (and still is) situated on the seafront, adjacent to the grassy esplanade where training exercises took place.

A zip-wire was installed, running from the top floor of Llety down to the beach. The bottom stair-post in Llety still bears deeply incised scars resulting from its use for bayonet practice!

In a letter dated 21st July 1942 addressed to Rear Admiral Auboyneau, Kieffer describes how he has received a favourable welcome from the town’s population, even though the people in this part of the country are reserved. The commandos, as the only fighting troops in the area, had taken on responsibility for local security, and for assisting local services such as the police. Kieffer had arranged films and dances for the commandos and sought French-language books and magazines for a small library. The letter refers to the Free French commandos as the “Fighting French troop”, their usual British title. The equivalent French name “La France Combattante” was adopted on 14th July 1942 in place of “France Libre”, so as to include elements of the French resistance operating on French soil. Kieffer stresses the need for absolute secrecy regarding the location of his unit “le nom du village où nous sommes ne doit jamais être mentionné” He goes on to describe the local area as ideal for training; isolated, mountains, rivers and the sea.

One month after arriving in Criccieth, the Free French commandos saw their first action at Dieppe, although this involved just 15 men.

Training

The period of ten months during which the Free French commandos were in Criccieth were characterised by continuous and intense training. Kieffer describes a typical day starting about 08:00 and continuing to 18:00 or 19:00; there were at least three-night exercises a week, and the commandos were often away from their billets for up to ten days at a time.

During July and August 1942 the main activity was familiarisation with the local area, and provision of all the required kit. An assault course was set up, and a rifle range near the golf club to the north of the town. By 10th August Troop 1 numbered two officers (Kieffer and Trépel) and 78 other ranks.  The green beret became the official headgear for all commando units on 27th October 1942.

A joint exercise with the Dutch troop 2 was carried out on 31st October, when the French made an opposed landing at Rhiw-for-Fawr near Criccieth, defended by the Dutch.

This is a famous and frequently published photograph of the commandos on a route march through the village of Llanystumdwy, about 3 km from Criccieth.

In the front rank are, left to right, Francis Vourch, Kieffer and Trépel.

The photograph bears the signatures of, from left to right, Kieffer, (unknown), Guy Vourch and Trépel.   The reverse side of the photograph is signed by a total of 57 commandos.

It was probably taken in late summer 1942 or spring 1943.

In December 1942 twelve commandos were sent to RAF Ringway for parachute training. This was in anticipation of Operation Coughdrop, an audacious attack on the German submarine pens at Lorient. This operation was cancelled in May 1943 as being too hazardous in relation to the likelihood of success.

By the end of 1942 the only action the commandos had seen was the Dieppe raid in August 1942, and then by only 15 men.  Morale was low, exacerbated by the scuttling of the French fleet at Toulon in November, and the complex rivalry between de Gaulle and General Giraud following the Allied invasion of North Africa (Operation Torch).  Some twenty commandos left the unit at this time.

Additional exercises and specialised training were arranged to try to maintain morale. One such was Operation Longford in February 1943. The objective, together with Troops 2, 4 and 6, was to simulate the destruction of Magdalen Bridge in Oxford. The town was defended by two armoured brigades and three Guards regiments. After a 50 km march, a group of Free French commandos placed their dummy charges on the bridge, whilst a second group created a diversion. The Home Guard and chief of police were taken prisoner.

Further exercises took place in April 1943. One (Operation Djebel) in the Llanberis – Capel Curig – Bethesda area, included crossing a water obstacle by night, full-scale attacks with live ammunition, and capture of a mountain feature.

A morale-boosting initiative was a visit by the French actress and singer Germaine Sablon in April 1943.

On 8th May 1943 it was announced that the entire No.10 commando would relocate to Eastbourne on the south coast so as to be better placed for action in Europe. The commandos left Criccieth on 31st May 1943.

Leisure time

But it was not all hard work. The commandos had time to make relationships with local families and enjoy free time. At least three commandos married local girls, and my father met my mother for the first time whilst she was on holiday in Criccieth in 1942.

Commemorative plaque

In 2014 my sisters and I became aware that despite the wartime presence of the Free French commandos in Criccieth, there was no public recognition of this important time in the town’s history. With the support of the leader of the town council, Robert Cadwalader, it was agreed that a commemorative plaque should be erected on the sea wall, immediately below Llety, the house that was the commando headquarters.

The plaque is of polished black Welsh slate and is inscribed in Welsh, French and English.

The plaque was unveiled on 18th June 2016, at a ceremony attended by over 50 members of Free French commando families, including Dominique Kieffer, daughter of Philippe Kieffer.

The commandant of the present-day Commando Kieffer unit, CF Pierre Roty, and two commandos were also present, as was Patrick Churchill, a veteran of No. 4 Commando, the British unit with which the Free French commandos were most closely associated.

Photograph credits:

© Kieffer family archive

© Noël Rabouhans - 24th April 2026

Read the full article – Members only