I was 23 years of age at the time of the raid. I took over 3 Troop from Godfrey Franks in late Bung, for the Raid, went with one of the other parties while John remained in mine. Speaking for myself, I thought we were a very happily constituted troop with a great deal of enthusiasm and sparkle.
TSM Smith, with his Guards training, helped to provide the necessary leavening of Guardlike behaviour. Lieutenant John Roderick M. I find it difficult at this stage to differentiate between the jobs done by the members of the party.
We had all trained together for so long and I had chosen them because of my confidence in how they would react in the situations in which we found ourselves. Woodiwiss did not get a Military Medal for any particular action but for his overall behaviour and grasp of the situation.
He was a particularly bright, intelligent and enthusiastic NCO with considerable courage. The other members of the party would not have done any better and I was very proud to be associated with them.
For the approach up the estuary we got into our positions on the starboard side [of the Campbeltown ] lying on the deck between the protective steel plating specially fitted for us. Cpl Donaldson with one of the bamboo ladders was badly wounded, and died later when the fight started.
