Contact Us
Latest Forum Posts
- Re: D-Day
07 Jun 2013 - 1:57 pm - Re: Ostend Disaster
28 May 2013 - 9:56 pm - Re: Bernard (Barney) Trueman DSM
28 May 2013 - 1:09 pm - Re: MTB 309
27 May 2013 - 8:00 pm - Service Records
22 May 2013 - 12:23 pm - Re: MTB 219
20 May 2013 - 3:01 pm - Looking for John Elsy, modeller.
17 May 2013 - 12:01 pm - Re: Rear-Admiral Sir Morgan Morgan-Giles
12 May 2013 - 1:18 am
- Re: D-Day
Coastal Forces
on Flickr
London Branch
April Newsletter
The April edition of the London Branch newsletter brings important news of the discussion held at the recent AGM, in which the Secretary highlighted the dwindling attendance at branch meetings. It has been proposed that the branch should remain functioning for at least another year, with the situation to be reviewed again in March 2014. There is also information on the Heroes Return 2 scheme, as well as an offer of boat trips to be had at Gosport, and on the River Thames
London Branch April 2013
South London Branch
April Newsletter
The April edition of the South London Branch newsletter provides a summary of their recent AGM, and posts notice of the deaths of valued shipmates Doug Hylands, and George Lane, who 'crossed the bar' in April and May respectively.
South London Branch April 2013
Visit to Vis 2013
London Branch member Peter Bickmore is currently organising a return visit to the Croatian island of Vis. Veterans interested in joining this trip may be eligible for a grant from the Big Lottery Fund's Heroes Return 2 scheme. Full details may be found in the link below.
Imperial War Museum Collection
An officer and four of his crew sit with their dog mascot 'Ighty' on the deck of their motor launch. The dog, sitting on a German flag taken by the crew from a German tanker, broke his leg during the Dieppe Raid © IWM (A 11576)
Lenonard Charles Reynolds OBE DSC
London Branch has received news of the death of Len 'Rover' Reynolds, who 'crossed the bar' on the 18th April 2013, at Maidenhead, Berkshire.
Len served for some two and a half years on MGB 658, and after the war, led a long and successful career as a teacher and headmaster, and then as an author of a set of definitive histories of Light Coastal Forces.
Obituary for Len 'Rover' Reynolds
The Loss of MTB 710
April sees the anniversary of the sinking of MTB 710, a Fairmile 'D' Dogboat lost in the Adriatic on the 10th April 1945, after striking an acoustic mine. A large section of her crew were below decks at the time of the incident, and sixteen members of crew drowned as her forward section sank.
George Chandler MID, one of the survivors from the boat, provides a poignant account of the day's events, in an article linked to below.
Read more on the loss of MTB 710
Heroes Return 2 To Fund Second Trips
The National Lottery backed Heroes Return 2 scheme, which helps fund veterans' trips to attend commemoration events at home or abroad, has been extended to permit those who have applied successfully once before, to fund a second trip.
The Loss of MTB 732 — 28th May, 1944
La Combattante, a Hunt Class destroyer manned by the Free French Navy, which was involved in the friendly-fire incident with MTB 732. La Combattante was herself sunk in February 1945 when she hit a mine, and 117 of her crew were lost
The English Channel
The night of the 28th–29th May 1944 saw the largest single loss of life suffered by Coastal Forces through friendly fire, when MTB 732 was sunk by gunfire from the Free French destroyer La Combattante in the English Channel, after being mistaken for an E-boat.
MTB 732 acccompanied by MTB 739 had been ordered to search for two E-boats, sighted in an area of the Channel where La Combattante was also conducting a sweep. Despite both MTBs sending up recognition flares, the destroyer opened fire on MTB 732, sinking the boat, and killing 15 crew.
In Memoriam
On This Day: 20th June
Able Seaman Edward Bates (H.M.M.L. 1039)
Stoker 1st Class Dennis Bowen (H.M.M.L. 1039)
Able Seaman Harry Hobson (H.M.M.L. 1039)
Able Seaman Harold Launder (H.M.M.L. 1039)
Lieutenant Robert Morton (H.M.M.L. 1039)
Lieutenant Bryan William Rylands Thomas (H.M.M.L. 1039)
Able Seaman Stanley Ritchie Thompson (H.M.M.L. 1039)
Motor Mechanic Robert Laurence Wall (H.M.M.L. 1039)
Petty Officer Ronnie Westgate (H.M.M.L. 1039)
Able Seaman Anthony James Thomas Gilmore (H.M.M.L. 1069)
Leading Seaman Charles Frederick Hewlett (H.M.M.L. 1069)
Able Seaman James Vincent Lang (H.M.M.L. 1069)
Midshipman Desmond Cyril Gurney Simpson (H.M.M.L. 1069)
Ordinary Seaman Alexander Dickie (H.M.S. Mosquito)
Lieutenant Lionel Peirce Douglas (H.M.S. Nile)
Mess Deck
Articles
The articles section contains accounts written by veterans detailing aspects of their service in Coastal Forces during the Second World War.
Read our articles
Coastal Forces Craft
Find information on a specific Motor Torpedo Boat (MTB), Motor Gunboat (MGB), Motor Launch (ML) or Harbour Defence Motor Launch (HDML).
Search the database
Veterans Area
Visit the veterans area to get up-to-date news and information from the world of Coastal Forces Veterans by reading the latest branch newsletters.
Visit the veterans section
Gallery
The photo gallery forms a visual record of the history of Coastal Forces and contains many records of the working environment of boats and their crews.
View the photo gallery
Map Room
The Maps Room employs Google map technologies to chart the location of all former Coastal Forces bases world-wide with a note on the history of each.
Visit the Map Room
War Reports
In the War Reports section you can read official war reports written during the Second World War that offer revealing insights into the role of Coastal Forces.
Read the War Reports
Images identified as Imperial War Museum may not be copied without permission of the Imperial War Museum.