Coastal Forces Veterans

There is a reference to the Ursula suit on the internet which was apparently manufactured by Barbour. I have this photo given to me by the Mercer family of a crewman on one of the early MGBs which appears to be a one piece waterproof, but I cannot say if this was standard issue or is the Goon suit m...

Hello Popeye Thank you for your post. Coastal Forces bases included Hornet, Wasp, Beehive, Mantis, Midge and many more in UK waters, with others abroad in the Mediterranean, Africa, and India. If you care to post any of the base names for your father here we could tell you what they were. Regards Ad...

27 is a 60' (as was 37); I suppose it possible the 70' version had slightly more room for a bridge (although even in much later short craft this is described as being only 2'.6” x 5') Our data shows there were 60, 63 and 70 foot versions. This photo taken at Dover handily shows MASB/MGB 8 & 10 ...

Yes I see what you mean. So the MASB only has a wheelhouse with two ‘hatches’ of sorts behind it, and no bridge as such. I can also see someone inside the wheelhouse in the IWM photo of MASB 37.

All Coastal Forces craft were controlled from the bridge and from the wheelhouse, but it seems that in operation the bridge was preferred at all times, even in heavy seas, and that is certainly where attacks would have been coordinated from, with radio messages, and later in the war, radar plots, be...

Just as an adjunct to this, I'm coming across several references to HMS Lynx , another shore base in Dover. Less seems to be available on this, the best description I have found so far being it was a shore base set in the cliffs at Dover. Lynx was the general Royal Navy base at Dover. According to ...

That's very helpful, thank you (and the pictures are brilliant - didn't realise the DD hull planking was so visible). Borrel, I mentioned Portsmouth City Archives above, but what I meant to say was Southampton City Archives, who keep photos relating to British Power Boat, as that is where the compa...

IWM (A 6958): A view of MASB 37 as seen from the bow. The Commanding Officer is seen directing operation from his tiny bridge while the machine gunner is at the ready.

That’s a point, the MASB 27 Restoration Project would be a place to try for information about bridge layout.

Hello Borrel The naval historian John Lambert conducted the greatest amount of research on Coastal Forces craft for his books and model plans, but sadly died before publishing anything comprehensive on the British Power Boat designs - at least as far as I am aware. I don’t know if naval historian an...

Thanks for the photo of the bell which is showing for me. If you do have any others that you were trying to post but aren’t showing, could you try emailing them to our contact address please.

How did you come by the bell incidentally?

Many Thanks
Admin

I have found the materials I originally saved that detailed the recent history of RML 497. She was released from her service as a ferry in 2007, and then acquired by the Greenway Ferry Company who undertook a £160,000 refit of her, mostly above deck, but also including "two brand new watertight...

I can’t claim any more knowledge about this than can be gleaned from references made to these boats over the years on the internet, but as I recall it, Western Lady Ferries operated four Fairmile Bs for many years, which as public service boats, would have received regular maintenance, with more mon...

Thanks Sir, your database is really well made!! I found boats of the names without it that I had and I found others names. But how can be sure that they didn't change of boat after the Raid? I know the French sailor had a form with all assignment by dates, do you know if the same document exists fo...

Hello and thank you for your enquiry. I’ll have a look through such books as I have later for any mention of names you don’t already have, but you could look at our awards database too, using the unit selection for the MGBs mentioned. The London Gazette for 2 October, 1942 contains some of the award...

It would need a better scan, but the first word could be postumus (last or final) or possum (able) which with the Latin conjunction could give you something like "Able and Willing" or some such. Willing could be any of a number of latin terms ending in 's' – which the sign appears to read ...

Dear Arjan Thank you for all your efforts in posting all the wonderful photos and documents. There's a lot of material and personnel names there to work on over time. I wonder if the wooden schooner moored next the shore at right in the photo of MTB 226 at Hvar is one of those used by the Special Bo...

Finally may I query the picture shown of the crew of MTB 295, when usually for a Vosper type boat it was 2 Officers, Cox'n, 3 Engine Room,Torpedoman,Gunner, WT, 2 Seaman, and Radar I think you may be right about that Peter. That particular photo strikes me as more like one taken of an ‘entry class’...

You’re welcome. I’d appreciate a good photo of the bell, and any other documentation you may have for our records.

Regards
Admin

Hello Paul Thank you for your enquiry. MGB 675 would have been MTB 675, since all MGBs in Home Waters were redesignated as MTBs mid war. MTB 675 has the following known awards: Temporary Lieutenant Frederick William BRAMWELL (349) RNVR MTB 675 DSC Petty Officer Motor Mechanic Dennis Wallace KNOWELDE...

Message for Admin. I'm the Foynes whom you kindly mention. (The book is in print again, though in need of an update.) Greetings! Yes, I recognised the name immediately and thought what a stroke of luck as I was planning to write to you at the address given in your book. I’ll email you later about a...

John, thanks for those. Yes the top one is a Dog Boat, and it is in fact 611, as the number is just visible on the high definition version you sent me, on the bridge just behind the port side twin lewis machine gun bin.

Jeroen, I've not been able to come up with much I'm afraid. The Kriegsmarine certainly seem to have listed off the Royal Navy's defensive 'Z' line positions fairly accurately, and the area to their right that has the RB markings appears to accord with the area of the mine barrier. I would imagine th...

Archive footage from the East Anglia Film Archive managed by the University of east Anglia Air-sea rescue trials at Great Yarmouth in 1944 This second piece of footage which is in colour shows the RAF air-sea rescue units stationed at Great Yarmouth or Lowestoft, taken by USAFF air crew who go to se...

Jeremy, the short answer is I don't have that many details of the makeup of ML flotillas, as despite being the most numerous of the type operated by Coastal Forces there isn't hasn't been the same level of attention paid to them in publications to date as the MTBs & MGBs have received. I don't e...

Jeremy I have managed to scan some entries from the CFVA newsletters on the subject of the Rescue Motor Launches (RMLs) which provide an insight into the valuable work your father and others performed in the oftentimes very trying conditions of the North Sea. The Exploits and Service of Rescue Motor...

Jeroen, my interpretation of the log book is that MGB 67 was engaged by E-boats off the Dutch Coast, just north of The Hague, according to the coordinates given. MLs 100 & 106 are shown as on an operation and were Fairmile ‘A’ minelayers, presumably on a minelaying operation somewhere, with MTBs...

Hello Jeremy, and welcome to the forum. The former Coastal Forces Veterans Association (CFVA) newsletters contain articles on RMLs, RML 512 for one, and I seem to recall an article about a rescued American aircrew, which I will endeavour to find, although there were, unsurprisingly, a number of such...

Hello Jeroen Two possibilities come to mind with regards to R.B.14. First, the Royal Navy operated a grid system for the North Sea which was encoded, so it might be an area of sea, but it could be a misprint also, and may refer to F.B.14, F.B. being one of the designators used for patrol units, usua...