James Dorrian

Back in the mists of time - or so it seems now - whilst living in western Canada, I read a book about an almost forgotten Commando raid from World War Two. The book dated from 1958 and was written very much in the style of that era, with a concentration on the experiences of Officers at the expense of Other Ranks. Given that society in Canada was entirely egalitarian, this seemed to me to leave a large - and important - gap in the versions of the event that would be passed down to future generations. That raid was Operation Chariot, the great 1942 Combined Operations assault on the heavily-fortified French Atlantic port of Saint-Nazaire, and the researches I began then have taken me on an entirely unexpected journey of discovery, at the same time both amazing in scope, and inspirational to a degree I could never have imagined. When I first contacted the St. Nazaire Society which, at that time, still had some 120 raid veterans as members, step one was to move to the UK to begin the process of interviewing as many of the 'Charioteers' as possible, not realising then that I would be the last author to do so, given that none remains alive today. Those interviews resulted in my first book on the raid, 'Storming St Nazaire', whose narrative is based largely on their words and experiences. This was the point at which authors generally move on to other topics, however, this was not to be, as the relationships I had established with the veterans proved inspirational to the point where a second book followed, along with membership of the Commando Association, and the St. Nazaire Society - for which I am now historian and webmaster. I continue to research the raid today and have amassed a comprehensive personal archive. (See www.operation-chariot.org.) Over the years I have assisted other authors, as well as acting as historical consultant for Jeremy Clarkson's deservedly lauded documentary 'The Greatest Raid of All Time' - (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErQbBH2pZKI). Jeremy's film highlights the story of Commando Captain Michael Burn a raid veteran who ended up as part of the secret radio team in Colditz Castle. As with others amongst the veterans Micky and I became close friends and I was honored to co-produce 'Turned Towards the Sun', a feature documentary exploring his 'interesting' and at times scandalous, life story - (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8hKjL9SPfQ). The 'Charioteers' were a product of that fraught and unpredictable period in the early war years when Britain's continued participation in the war could not be guaranteed, and when survival relied upon the courage, supreme skill and 'derring-do' of Special Forces such as this young Commando élite.