30 Assault Unit in WW2

[LarryH57]

A friend of mine is looking to discover the formation sign for the 30 Assault Unit. This unit was the brainchild of Ian Fleming and was a small, highly mobile fighting unit charged with securing information, material and prisoners of high military intelligence value.  As a Royal Navy unit, underwater warfare targets were a priority for 30AU but, after D-Day, V1 and V2 sites became targets.

In NW Europe, 30AU had wheeled armoured vehicles and various soft skins. The softskins generally had RN census numbers such as 54201 RN for a Dodge Weapons Carrier but its Jeeps had census numbers with the standard M prefix.  Staghound armoured cars had the standard F prefix but C15TA armoured carriers had RN census numbers. The Arm of Service was a white 30 (disregarded WO regulations) on a blue background.

But what did it use as its formation sign? A blue fouled anchor on a white circle has been suggested.  

Can anyone help on this?

[Johnny]

Loads of info available on Google.

This looks to be a good site: http://30au.co.uk/Home.html  with pictures of some of their vehicles in the Mobility section: http://30au.co.uk/Mobility.html

You can just about make out an insignia on this pic: http://30au.co.uk/Mobility_files/Media/Jeep_on_ship_home45/Jeep_on_ship_home45.jpg

[LarryH57]

Any clues to the colour of the Anchor on the white square anyone?

I have an idea the late Chris Davies Ex RM and MVT member was researching units like this in WW2

[MatchFuzee]

3 hours ago, LarryH57 said:

Any clues to the colour of the Anchor on the white square anyone?

You could contact the Royal Marines Museum. The public galleries are closed because the museum is moving to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard but the library is already at Portsmouth in the National Museum of the Royal Navy:-

http://www.royalmarinesmuseum.co.uk/visit/research-enquiry

[BIGREDONE]

If its bog standard beach group colours....

[simon king]

I have assumed it was a dark blue fouled anchor on a light blue background, and a light blue 30 on a dark blue background but that’s just an assumption based on the colours of the badge applied to BD blouses 

I notice that there is an MWR behind the Merc in the picture in the Mobility section.

Edited May 16, 2018 by simon king

[LarryH57]

I have found the answer; the unit used a blue fouled anchor on a white square background. The 30 in white was on a blue background the colour of which is hard to tell.

At W&P circa 2008 there was a 30AU living history group and they used a middle 'Chelsea blue' on their vehicles. Wartime Jeeps in B&W show a darker colour but that is hard to determine!

http://30au.co.uk/Ships,_Boats_%26_Subs.html#14