Four: Sergeant J. McM. Boyd, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, attached No. 4 Commando, who was wounded and taken Prisoner of War in the Dieppe Raid on 19 August 1942; he subsequently escaped from Stalag VIII-B at Lamsdorf in February 1944, but was recaptured 12 days later

1939-45 Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; Africa General Service 1902-56, 1 clasp, Kenya (6980161 Sgt. J. McM. Boyd. R. Innisks.) edge bruising and contact marks, otherwise nearly very fine (4) £600-£800

Dix Noonan Webb, September 2017.

John McMaster Boyd was born at Ballymena, County Antrim, on 10 May 1922, and enlisted into the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers on 29 December 1938. During the Second World War he was attached to No. 4 Commando and underwent training at Troon, Ayrshire, under Major the Lord Lovat. No. 4 Commando under Lord Lovat, with Lord Louis Mountbatten in overall command, was embarked aboard the Prince Albert for Operation ‘Jubilee’, the raid on Dieppe, 19 August 1942, with the specific task of attacking and destroying the Hess Battery, the success of which was one of the few positive results of the raid. Captain Pat Porteous was awarded the V.C. for leading a bayonet charge through withering machine-gun fire and despite wounds led the commando unit to the destruction of the final gun.

Boyd was wounded and taken prisoner during the raid. His M.I.9 debrief report states that he was held at Lamsdorf Oberschlessa (Camp VIII B) from 28 August 1942 to 18 March 1945, and at Terletz (Camp IV C) from 18 March to 7 May 1945. Upon capture his interrogation comprised ‘encirclement of armed German[s] using brutal threats which were not carried out’. During his time at Lamsdorf Boyd was put to work mining coal in a working camp, from where he made a ‘partly successful escape from Sasonowitz, Poland on 8 February 1944. Civil clothing. Map. Compass. Walked to near Lemberg. Recaptured with German Gestapo on the 20 February 1944. Good assistance from Poles’.

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