Coastal Forces Veterans

ML_182 Leonard Robinson, Tewkesbury 2/8/41 Known Crew TLt Ernest Selby Jones RNVR (Commanding Officer 4/44 – 7/45) Lt Fox RNVR (Commanding Officer 1944-45) TSLt Devon Ormond Close RNZNVR ML 182 17/4/45 HMNZS Cook (depot & training establishment, Wellington, NZ) SLt D P Snell Barlow Cook G Etheri...

MGB_632 Kris Cruisers (1934) Ltd, Isleworth 12/42 For an action off Terschelling 26/5/43 DSM Sto1 William Wilson P/KX155257 New Year Honours 1944 MID Tel James Dickinson P/JX234469 For an action off Smiths Knoll 24/10/43 MID ACMtrMch Sydney James William Byrne P/MX116251 For Operation Neptune - for ...

Medusa will be attending the Southampton Boat Show on September 23rd - 25th and will be openn to the public as well as doing a number of passes for people to view and photograph.

So if anyone is going there please come along and meet us.

MGB 334 A M Dickie & Sons, Bangor, North Wales 9/10/41 For an action with E Boats off the Dutch coast and for saving the crew of MGB 335 10/9/42 DSO Lt Ernest Michael Thorpe RN New Year Honours 1945 DSM AB George Houghton D/JX257772 Known Crew Lt Ernest Michael Thorpe RN (Commanding Officer) (Be...

Sad to see the current state of HDML 1301. There is an entry for her with pictures on the Medusa website. The text of which is below Brian Holmes (Coxswain HDML 1387) HDML_1301 Blackmore, Bideford, Devon 6/4/43 London Gazette 5/9/44 - For Operation Brassard of the landings on Elba 17/6/44 DSC Lt Pet...

ML_155 Woodnut & Co Ltd, Bembridge, Isle of Wight 11/12/40 Known Crew TLt J F C Wheeler RNVR Commanding Officer TLt A I F Kindell RNVR Commanding Officer 1944 - 45 TLt John Malcolm Hirst RNVR HMS Lauderdale TSLt ML 557, Commanding Officer HDML 1246 Winter 1944 – 45 Commanding Officer ML 480 1945...

MGB_330 Tough Bros Ltd, Teddington Wharf, Manor Road, Teddington 25/7/41 For an attack on an enemy convoy in the Dover Straits 6/8/42 MID TLt Derek Chappe Sidebottom RNVR MID AB Trevor Goodricke Strachey-Hawdon C/JX283257 For an action with E Boats in the Channel16/8/42 DSC TLt Derek Chappe Sidebott...

ML 155 Woodnut & Co Ltd, Bembridge, Isle of Wight 11/12/40 Known Crew TLt J F C Wheeler RNVR Commanding Officer TLt A I F Kindell RNVR Commanding Officer 1944–45 TLt John Malcolm Hirst RNVR HMS Lauderdale TSLt ML 557, Commanding Officer HDML 1246 Winter 1944–45 Commanding Officer ML 480 1945 Co...

Sorry, I missed MTB 407 MTB_407 Robert Jacob Inc, City Island, New York 30/8/44 For attacks on enemy shipping off Istria 7/2/45 MID TSLt Dennis Wyndham Hudson RNVR For a torpedo attack on an enemy convoy in the Gulf of Venice 12/4/45 DSC TLt Hubert Charles Houssemayne Du Boulay RNVR DSM AB John Fran...

MGB 505 Camper & Nicholson Gosport 5/43 For Operation Bridford - blockade running voyages from Sweden to the UK 10/43 - 3/44 OBE(Civ) Capt Herbert William Jackson MN MBE(Civ ChOff Philip Roland Legg MN DSC ChOff Edward Bourne Ruffman MN MBE(Civ) SndEng James Alexander Winton MN BEM(Civ) Bsn Pete...

MTB_476 British Power Boat Co, Hythe Hampshire For actions in the Plymouth area 7 - 8/44 MID AB Arthur Webb C/JX376400 For an action in the Nore area 10/10/44 MID TLt Paul Dudley Watkins RNVR MID AB Ronald Charles Sydney Burgess P/JX292203 MID AB William French Greatbatch P/JX176929 For an attack on...

ML_170 Aldous Successors Ltd, Brightlingsea 1/41 For minesweeping in the Northern Adriatic 4 -5/45 DSC TLt Ronald Harry Boulter RNVSR MID POMtrMch Walter Frederick Butler P/MX99044 Known Crew TLt Ronald Harry Boulter RNVSR SLt Wallington (1943) Mid W R Tyldesley (November 1943) POMtrMch Walter Frede...

MTB_490 British Power Boat Co, Hythe Hampshire 25/9/44 Known Crew TLt Herbert Gaskell BROWN RNVR First Lieutenant 1/42 – 2/43 then appointed to MTB 490 in command 25/1/44 Born 5/1/16 and died in Mid Warwickshire 8/98 TSLt Graham Alexander Wilson RNVR First Lieutenant MGB 604 1/2/44, Third Officer MT...

MTB_84 Vosper, Portsmouth and Porchester 13/7/42 For Operation Husky - Invasion of Sicily DSM LSea Dennis William Charles Evetts P/SSX26584 MID TLt Granville Roland Smith RNVR MID Sto1 Peter William Lifford D/KX127226 For services during an air attack in the Mediterranean 30/5/44 DSC TSLt Fred Alan ...

ML_283 H J Percival, Horning, Norfolk 25/9/41 Wind up of the war in Europe (Gazette Date - 11/12/45) MID Tlt Arthur Bowen-Gotham RNVR MID LMtrMch Francis Richard Brierley P/MX636184 Known Crew MID Tlt Arthur Bowen-Gotham RNVR MID LMtrMch Francis Richard Brierley P/MX636184 Wartime Activities 25th ML...

MTB 756 Herbert Woods, Broads Haven, Potter Heigham, Great Yarmouth 31/7/44 New Year Honours 1945 DSC TSLt John Alfred Kings RNVR MID AB Anthony James Higbed P/JX389395 MID Sto1 Freddie Hooper D/KX139405 Known Crew TSLt John Alfred Kings RNVR AB Anthony James Higbed P/JX389395 Sto1 Freddie Hooper D/...

MGB_609 William King (Burnham on Crouch) Ltd 9/6/42 For an action with E Boats in the Channel 16/8/42 MID TLt Alan Doxford McIlwraith RNVR MID TSLt Liston Burns McIlhagga RCNVR MID ACMtrMch George Henry Seymour C/MX69871 DSM APO Richard Edward Varnall C/JX126930 For an action with E Boats off Smith’...

This one was a blockade runner manned by the Merchant Navy from 1943 MGB 505 Nonsuch Camper & Nicholson, Gosport 5/43 For Operation Bridford - blockade running voyages from Sweden to the UK 10/43 - 3/44 OBE(Civ) Capt Herbert William Jackson MN MBE(Civ ChOff Philip Roland Legg MN DSC ChOff Edward...

This may take a little time so here is MGB 326 first MGB_326 James A Silver Ltd, Rosneath, Dumbartonshire 18/8/41 For Operation Jubilee - Raid on Dieppe 19/8/42 MID TLt Francis Douglas Russell-Roberts RNVR DSM CMtrMch Robert Ringham Dawson C/MX72043 MID AB James Craig Carlyle C/JX260146 New Year Hon...

I Think we may have met on World Naval Ships Forum but for the record ML 357 Anglo-American Nile Tourist Company, Cairo 1/8/42 Known Crew TLt R L Jones RNVR (Commanding Officer 1943) TLt A H Doughay RNVR (Commanding Officer 1943) TSLt Moore RANVR Wartime Activities 11/9/43 ML 349 and ML 357 make the...

An Open Invitation

If anyone is in the Portsmouth Area this weekend (1st - 2nd May), Medusa will bve on display at Gunwharf Keys along with MGB 81 and HSL 102 as part of the Sea Cadets Anniversary Event.

I am told that the pontoons will be open for visitors so we will be open for view.

Brian Holmes

MTB_682 Wallasea Bay Yacht Station Ltd, Wallasea Bay, Nr Rochford 5/43 For an action in the Nore area 19/10/43 MID TLt William Benyon RNVR For Operation Neptune - for gallantry and devotion to duty during the initial landings in Normandy DSC TLt William Benyon RNVR Further awards for Operation Neptu...

I am looking at producing data on the various ML Flotillas. As part of this I am correlating individual boat entries in my database. To try this out I have produced the following for the 3rd ML Flotilla. There are obviously bits missing that some would remember 3rd ML Flotilla Boats 1/41 3rd ML Flot...

MTB_454 British Power Boat Co, Hythe Hampshire For a night action with enemy light forces in the Channel 11/5/44 DSC TSLt Guy Kingdon Natusch RNZNVR MID LSea Horace Arthur Ball C/SSX29515 MID AB Andrew Rae Ronney Banger P/JX326476 For an action against E Boats in the North Sea 7/4/45 DSC** TLtCdr Jo...

The latest news about Medusa. Our berth on Saxon Wharf is a temporary one and we are going to move her again. The news is that we are going to leave Southampton and take up a berth in Portsmouth alongside MGB 81 and the HSL which currently sit in Gunwharf at the base of the Spinnaker Tower. The aim ...

Yesterday we launched HDML 1387 (Medusa) and she isnow lying at Saxon Wharf in Southampton. She is riding light and there is a lot of finishing off work to do but we will have work parties aboard each Saturday. I will keep you informed as we go on and hope that the accompanying pictures will bring b...

MGB 629 A M Dickie & Sons, Tarbert, Scotland 1/12/42 For an action off Terschelling 26/5/43 MID PO James Marshall D/JX135110 (Post) New Year Honours 1944 DSM APO John Henry Richardson D/SSX22234 For an action off Smiths Knoll 24/10/43 MID TALtCdr Charles Anthony Law RCNVR For an action off Amela...

A little bit of news from the South Coast. HDML 1387 (Medusa) is nearing the end of her three year refit and will be launched from the boatyard in Hythe (Near Southampton) on the 1st of March

I have attached the entries from my database covering the two boats. I would like to update my data from what is writtten in your website. ML 483 James N Miller & Sons, East Shore, St Monance 2/42 For operations Torch and Reservist - landings in North Africa and action in Oran Harbour 8/11/42 DS...

The abbreviation "ETF" It's taken from official documents of the time and stands for "Eastern Task Force". This was the flotillas of coastal forces used to defend the beacheads against attack from the east (E-BVoats, midget submarines etc.) I use it to cover general activity wher...