No. 7 Army Commando (Crete and Layforce ) Shoulder Titles

No. 7 Commando Shoulder Titles

No7 commando was raised in July 1940 from volunteers for commando service. It formed "A" battalion of Layforce in Feburary 1941, after this it was part of the British Army that defended Crete in April/May 1941.

Layforce was a military formation  consisting of a number of Commando units during WW2,  Formed in February 1941 under the command of Colonel robert Laycock after whom the force was named, it consisted of approximately 2,000 men and served in the Middle Eastern theatre of operations. Initially tasked with conducting raiding operations to disrupt Axis lines of communication in the Mediterranean it was planned that they would take part in operations to capture the Greek island of Rhodes

As the strategic situation in the theatre turned against the Allies, however, the commandos were largely diverted from their original role and were used primarily to reinforce regular troops throughout the Mediterranean theatre. Elements of the force saw action in Bardia, Crete, Syria and Tobruk before they were disbanded in August 1941. Afterwards its personnel either returned to their former units or went on to serve with other special forces units raised in the Middle East.