Operation Harold.Jedburgh mission .July 15/16 July 1944

[David Elgy]

I live in the Deux-Sevres department ( dep 79 ) in France .On Saturday July 19th,i attended the unveiling of a memorial to Operation Harold,which took place on the night of 15/16 July 1944.This was held in Labsie,near Parthenay in dep 79.
I only have a little information on the mission.
The Jedburgh team consisted of Mayor Whitty ( British ) Lieutenant Rimbaud ( French ) and Sgt Verlander ( British ) the radio operator. They landed with members of the 3rd Company SAS.
Does anyone have any other information concerning Operation Harold ?
I will be visiting the Commonwealth cemetary in Rom in September,with members of the Royal British Legion from the Poitou-Charentes region.The murdered from Operation Bullbasket are burried there.Are any other members visiting Rom in September ? I believe the date of the ceremony to be the 24 th September.

 

[geronimo]

plenty of books about on the subject. my grandfather was with the sas in france but I have only found the one op he was on for definite so far ( op trueform). anyway colin bevans book will help you with detail

 

[David Elgy]

Many thanks.

 

[eleanoreann]

[David Elgy: I am another "newbie", and very much interested in the activities of the Special Operations Executive in WWII. You can find entries by Sgt. Harry Verlander, the radio operator of Jedburgh Team "Harold", in the book Forgotten Voices of the Secret War, by Roderick Bailey, Ebury Press, 2008. He survived the activity in France and was then posted to Burma. Some of his remembrances were recorded, with others who survived the war, by the Imperial War Museum. The book is full of information, and well written. I wish you a good trip in September. Unfortunately, I live too far away, in the USA, to travel at this time of my life to the memorial places, but I have been deeply moved by the stories of the brave souls whose bodies lie there. Good luck in your research! Eleanoreann