Coastal Forces was offically formed in late 1940 during the dark days of the Second World War when Britain looked out upon an occupied Europe, and had to stand alone facing the threat of imminent invasion.
From very modest beginnings within the regular full-time Navy, it expanded rapidly over a period of a few short years to eventually include some 25,000 members, of whom the majority were reservists or volunteers.
On cessation of hostitlities in Europe in 1945, most of the crews returned to civilian life, dispersed to those towns and cities throughout the land, from where they had earlier joined a force of some 1,700 of the Royal Navy's 'little ships'.
There they resided for a period of some thirty years, picking up the pieces of their lives ashore, forging careers and families, before in 1974, four ex-members of Coastal Forces led by the late Gordon Stevens DSM formed the Coastal Forces Veterans’ Association (CFVA).
About twenty Branches quickly sprung up throughout England and Wales with members meeting regularly to enjoy the company of other shipmates. Each year, the CFVA held a re-union for all members able to attend.
The CFVA enjoyed some 33 years of life, achieving many milestones along the way, including the creation of a highly successful quarterly newsletter, before its eventual decommissioning, and official laying up of the standard on 18th April 2007, at the principal Coastal Forces base of HMS Hornet at Gosport.
A number of branches decided to carry on independently at this point, in response to expressions of interest amongst their membership to carry on their fellowship, and organise social events and reunions for the wider Coastal Forces Veterans community, including the British Veterans of Vis.
The Coastal Forces Veterans website is entirely produced by London Branch of the former Coastal Forces Veterans Association (CFVA). London Branch still meet regularly on HMS Belfast, moored in the Thames at Tower Bridge.
Under the CFVA, the majority of members had been unable, geographically, to join a branch, but had been kept in touch through the publication of a quarterly magazine, the CFVA Newsletter, in which they were encouraged to write of their wartime experiences.
This magazine became the envy of many other ex-service publications and was even popular among some of our old E-boat adversaries.
When the CFVA disbanded in 2007, the national newsletter ceased, which meant those unable to reach a surviving branch—the majority—being cast adrift.
Largely with this in mind, the still functional London Branch tackled the twin problems of creating a simple website that would provide an electronic newsletter for their veterans and also, hopefully, reach out to those, who for whatever reason, were unable to join the illustrious CFVA.
The birth of the website was largely due to the persistence of the CFVA’s Honorary Librarian, Wallis Randall—a member of the London Branch—who for years had expounded the potential of a CFVA website.
From its humble beginnings on the web in 2007, using space lent it on the British Military Powerboat site, the Coastal Forces Veterans website has gone from strength to strength, acquiring its own web domain name, web space, and employing the knowledge and skills of members and associate members of the London Branch.
The website is intended to serve as a permanent memorial to all of those who fought in Coastal Forces—especially those killed or injured in the service of their country—and to record the many sacrifices made by them on our behalf.
Photo: Branch Standards of the former Coastal Forces Veterans Association (CFVA)