Books re Combined Operations

Combined Operations by Clayton Marks

Clayton 'Red' Marks from London, Ontario compiled stories, factual details and photographs from many Canadian members of Combined Operations and self-published this seminal work in the early 1990s. Copies today are extremely rare but the book may resurface with the aid of his children.

Contents include lengthy eye-witness accounts of famous raids and invasions, e.g., re Canadians at Dieppe by Al Kirby (from Woodstock, Ontario), poems and prose by Canadian sailors, e.g., 'The Sinking of the S.S. Clan McTaggart' after the North African landings by W. Smith, C.P.O., stories re life, death and chaos during landings in Sicily and Italy (July 10 and September 3, 1943), and some rare, some iconic photographs of Allied troops in training and battle action.

Clayton Marks' valuable text, though the first, limited edition* is out of print and hard to find, inspired two further volumes of memoirs, stories, prose, photos, etc., that were compiled in the mid-1990s and distributed at Navy reunions to interested members of Combined Operations. (The two volumes and online link will be mentioned here at a later date.) Combined, the three texts are an invaluable source of historic and 'eye-witness' information concerning Canadians in the Combined Operations organization in WW2.

The photographs below give some indication of what can be gleaned from Clayton's book that, according to one of his sons, was "typed up by my mother at the kitchen table."

 ["Sorry. I mark up my books on a regular basis"]

 ["Location may be south of Irvine, Scotland or near Southampton, England"]

*The first edition cannot be re-published in its original state. However, the book is now being re-organized for future publication and distribution. When the book becomes available once again I will immediately update readers and this entry.

Link to Books re Combined Operations

Photos by GH