George “Ginger” Blaney
Guardsman · #2695636 · G Patrol
| Rank | Guardsman |
|---|---|
| Service number | #2695636 |
| Patrol | G Patrol |
| Regiment | Scots Guards |
| Known as | “Ginger” |
| POW / KIA | PoW — Dodecanese, 22 Nov 1943 |
What this roll records
Deeper background (2026): an Imperial War Museums photograph taken at Bir Hacheim in May 1942, after the raid on Benghazi harbour, records that “the man at the top back is probably Guardsman G T Blaney (‘Ginger’) LRDG”. The group includes David Stirling, Reg Seekings and Johnny Cooper of the SAS, together with G Patrol men Archie Gibson, Jack Crossley, Craftsman R. N. Scott, Rose and Archie Murray. The caption hedges with “probably” and gives no service number, so the identification is not certain. Source: Imperial War Museums, https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205046856
Patrol G: "Guardsman G. Blamey LRDG" (G Patrol comrade of Stirling/SAS, Sep 1942). Brendan O'Carroll, "The Long Range Desert Group in North Africa".
March 1942 roll (courtesy Tarek el Mahdy): Navigator
Barce Raid, Sept 1942 (courtesy Tarek el Mahdy): 2nd navi — S1
Dodecanese operations, 1943: prisoner of war 22 Nov 1943. Source: Roll of British & Rhodesian PoW and KIA (Appendix V), compiled by Jim Patch, LRDG (UK) Association.
Data note (2026): this record consolidates two roll entries for the same man (service no. 2695636) — ‘Blamey, George’ (with photograph) and ‘Blaney, G.T.’ — merged August 2026. Surname kept as ‘Blaney’ per Tony; also recorded as ‘Blamey’. Initials ‘G.T.’ (George T.).
Barce Raid, Sept 1942 — G1 patrol: Findlay's truck (Brendan O'Carroll).
Aegean/Dodecanese operations, 1943: listed as Guardsman Blaney, service no. 2695636; taken prisoner of war, 22 Nov 1943. Source: Brendan O’Carroll, ‘The Long Range Desert Group in the Aegean’ (Appendix V, Roll of British & Rhodesian PoW and KIA).
HE HAD THE DATE IN HIS NOTES AND NO STATUS ON HIS CARD, so no prisoner-of-war badge was shown. Appendix V, photographed on 2 September 2026, reads “Blaney — Gds. G.T. — 2695636 — 22 Nov”, which is the day Leros fell. Source: Roll of British & Rhodesian PoW and KIA (Appendix V), compiled by Jim Patch, the late secretary of the LRDG (UK) Association, printed in Brendan O’Carroll, “The Long Range Desert Group in the Aegean”.
See him in the full roll →Where this comes from
- Missing info added from the LRDG Preservation Society’s Troopers roll.
- AKA added from the LRDG Preservation Society’s Troopers roll (missing information).
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Not By Strength But By Guile