243876 Sgt. Wilfred John Bond Royal Marines No.40 Commando from:Tibenham, Norfolk Wilfred Bond was born in 1911 and joined the Royal Marines, as a rating aged 18, in 1930 with the Chatham Division.
In 1931 Wilfred joined the Queen Elizabeth Class Battleship HMS Valiant as part of a Royal Marine detachment and in September that year took part in the Invergorden Mutiny.
In 1932 Wilfred joined D59 HMS Ceres (C Class Cruiser) and sailed in the Mediterranean until the end of 1933.
Then in 1935 Wilfred trained as a gunner aboard HMS Iron Duke then that same year joined D46 HMS Dragon (D Class Light Cruiser) Wilfred first crossed the line (Equator) in HMS Dragon on December 29th 1935 at position 37o 53’ West and sailed with the American and Caribbean Squadron until 1937. In 1938 back in the UK Wilfred joined 22 HMS Ajax (Leander Class Light Cruiser) on the start of its second commission. Wilfred headed for Bermuda the West Indies and South America. During 1939 on another cruise he undertook rescue work in Chile after an earthquake and returned to Bermuda via the Panama Canal. Later in the 1939 HMS Ajax headed for South America again.
War was declared and HMS Ajax hunted for commerce raiders. On the 13th December the cruiser squadron fought the German heavy cruiser Admiral Graf Spee the first naval battle of WW2. Family oral history records that Wilfred was on AA guns at the start of the battle and then was called on to replace a shell-shocked marine in X-turret. X-turret, a little later, is knocked out by a shell and Wilfred is wounded in the leg by the hit. Later another shell hits the main mast and kills the shell-shocked marine who had replaced Wilfred at his AA gun position. Damaged, the Graf Spee retreated to Uruguay and is later scuttled ending the Battle of the River Plate.
When HMS Ajax returns to the UK in early 1940, Wilfred leaves the ship and joins Royal Marine Brigade. Later in 1940 Wilfred is part of the unsuccessful attempt to capture Dakar from the Vichy French.
In 1942 Wilfred, as part of Royal Marine A Commando, takes part in the raid on the port of Dieppe, France. Many of his comrades are killed or wounded when trying to land at White beach.
In July 1943 as part of 40 Commando, he takes part in three successive beach assaults and heavy fighting over a period of four months at Sicily, Porto San Venere and Termoli. At Termoli his unit is counter-attacked with tanks and mobile artillery of the 16th Panzer Division. In November 1943 Wilfred suffers from shell-shock and is in hospital for 6 months.
From 1944 To the end of the war Wilfred joins Holding Operational Commando and rises to Company Sergeant Major.
In 1946 Wilfred joins the British occupation forces at Trieste. Wilfred finally retires from the Royal Marines after 22 years in 1952 as a Sergeant.
Wilfred is commemorated in the town of Ajax, Ontario, Canada. He and another comrade from HMS Ajax have Bondsmith Street named after them.
|