Coastal Forces Veterans

And now 607 MGB_607 James A Silver Ltd, Rosneath, Scotland 6/42 For an action with E Boats off Smith’s Knoll 24/10/43 DSC TLt Robert Michael Marshall RNVR DSC TSLt John Norman Arkell RNVR DSM PO Hugh Baggott Merriman D/JX133563 DSM AB Leslie Cousins P/JX350038 DSM AB Arthur Hinchcliffe P/JX262382 DS...

First lets have a look at 606 MGB_606 Wallasea Bay Yacht Station Ltd, Wallasea Bay, Nr Rochford 7/7/42 For an action in the Nore area 27/3/43 MID CMtrMch Joseph Howard Thompson P/MX98650 For an action in which an enemy merchant ship was sunk 19/9/43 MID TLt Donald George Dowling RNVR For an action i...

I look forward to seeing you.

We live in Haslar Marina next to the lightship

Brian Holmes
Coxswain HDML 1387 (Medusa)

Now that Medusa is operational, we are undertaking a few events and I would like to share them with you.

This week we ferried some of the Navy Board to Cowes for an event. The attached pictures shown us leaving the Royal Yacht Squadron Marina afterwards.

SGB_8 HMS Grey Wolf Denny (Dunbarton) 17/4/42 For an action off Cap Barfleur on 18th June 1942 MID Lt Ian Raymond Griffiths For an attack on R Boats off Boulogne on 9th July 1942 DSC Lt Ian Raymond Griffiths MID Ord Eric William Sawyer P/JX315602 For an action in the Channel on 25th July 1942 DSC Lt...

ML_246 Sheerness Dockyard 21/7/41 Known Crew Lt N Hunt (Commanding Officer) TSLt William John Baker RNVR TSLt John Campbell Barry RNVR (3/6/44 - ) Served in HMS Howe as an ordinary seaman before being commissioned in 1944 and joining Coastal Forces Served in ML 222. First Lieutenant ML 246 1/5/44. 1...

ML_220 Tough Brothers, Teddington 2/41 New Year Honours 1942 MID SLt George Raymond Worledge RANVR For minesweeping off the north coast of France 9 - 12/44 MID TSLt Ernest Charles Nunn RNVR MID AB Paul Collier P/JX426954 Known Crew TLt J A G Williamson RNVR (Commanding Officer) TSLt Ernest Charles N...

ML_246 Sheerness Dockyard 21/7/41 Known Crew Lt N Hunt (Commanding Officer) TSLt William John Baker RNVR TSLt John Campbell Barry RNVR (3/6/44 - ) Served in HMS Howe as an ordinary seaman before being commissioned in 1944 and joining Coastal Forces Served in ML 222. First Lieutenant ML 246 1/5/44. 1...

I presume he was in this one before MTB 91 ML_245 Sheerness Dockyard 14/7/41 Operation Neptune - for bravery and enterprise in safeguarding the passage of convoys during the invasion in Normandy MID POMtrMch Arthur Ralph Fuller P/MX99525 Known Crew TLt J Winthorpe-Young RNVR (Commanding Officer) POM...

The reason for the Croix de Guerre is because individual RN telegraphists were assigned to join the French crews and the French awarded the medal to them. MTB_91 Harland and Wolff, Belfast 12/10/42 For service in French MTBs CdeG Tel Frederick Norman Tyldesley P/JX228668 CdeG Tel Padraig Seosarn Wal...

MTB_715 Woodnut & Co Ltd, St Helens, Isle of Wight 9/12/43 For an action in northern waters 11/44 MID Lt Finn Nord Stenersen RNorNR For an attack on a U Boat in home waters 25/4/45 DSC Lt Finn Nord Stenersen RNorNR DSM PO Karl Johan Wahlgren 2702 MID AB Olav Bentsen 10271 Known Crew Lt P Daniels...

MTB_670 Wallasea Bay Yacht Station Ltd, Wallasea Bay, Nr Rochford 7/3/43 For operations in the Adriatic and Aegean (Gazette Date - 5/12/44) DSC TLt Eric Hewitt RNVR MID TSLt John King Finlay RNVR MID POMtrMch Andrew Newall Goplen P/MX117307 MID AB Leslie Byhurst Boswell C/JX301773 MID AB James Thoma...

High time I posted this MGB_638 A M Dickie & Sons, Bangor, Wales 14/12/42 For an attack on an enemy convoy in the Adriatic 11/10/44 DSC TLt Dennis Herert Lummis RNVR DSM AB Joseph Vaughan D/JX251050 MID CMtrMch Stanley James Gifford P/MX117919 MID PO Lawrence Raymond Clutterbuck P/SSX28126 MID A...

ML_150 Sheerness Dockyard 6/3/41 Birthday Honours 1942 MID MtrMch Herbert Caffrey C/MX76653 For rescuing survivors in the Nore area 23/11/41 MID AB Maurice Steele C/JX155031 BEM MtrMch Herbert Caffrey C/MX76653 For an action with E Boats in the Nore area in which E Boat S96 was rammed and sunk 24/9/...

MTB_761 Aldous Successors, Brightlingsea 9/8/44

Wartime Activities


Post War Fate
1/46 Sea Cadet Corps (Chelmsford)
25/3/63 Sold

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 Honours 1943 DSM TLSea Leslie Richard Jones D/JX137296 F...

HMS Racer was the RN base at Larne in Northern Ireland. On service certificates, Coastal Forces boats are often listed with the name of their associated base ship which would handle records, pay etc So you have two periods where you can see where she was based. Number flags were different during Wor...

It is in the right number sequence for an RML which looked like this

probably no more than in John Lamberts book

ML_544 Frank Curtis Ltd, Looe, Cornwall 10/42
Wartime Activities


Post War Fate
12/45 For disposal
Sold Yacht = Xrona

MGB 646 Risdon Beazley Ltd, Northam Bridge, Southampton 19/11/42 For assistance rendered to the Greek destroyer Adrias, mined in the Aegean 22/10/43 Greek War Cross 3rd Class Lt Bernard Louis Knight-Lachlan RNVR For destruction of an enemy tanker in Piraeus 8/10/44 MID TSLt Michael Gordon Roberts R...

MGB_333 Woodnut & Co Ltd, St Helens, Isle of Wight 16/10/41 For an action with E Boats off Smith’s Knoll 28/3/43 DSC TLt Donald Gould Bradford RNVR MID TSLt Frank Lambert Hewitt RNVR DSM LMtrMch Roland Desmond Gilbert P/MX98724 DSM LSea Joseph John Phillips P/BD/X1349 MID AB Victor Goldsmith C/J...

ML_149 Vosper, Portsmouth 20/2/41 Known Crew TLt W H Mitchell RNVR Commanding Officer 23/3/43 TMid Donald Clement Lefever RNVR HMS Raleigh (training establishment, Trevol, Torpoint, Conrwall) 24/6/42 HMS King Alfred (RNVR officers' training establishments, Hove & Lancing, Sussex) First Lieutenan...

ML_120 Aldous Successors Ltd, Brightlingsea 8/10/40 For services when attacked by dive bombers (Gazette Date - 27/12/40) MID Tel Jack Swan C/J101252 Birthday Honours 1943 MID TLt Edward Kerfoot Jones RNVR DSM Tel Laurence Lightwood C/WRX125 Known Crew TLt Edward Kerfoot Jones RNVR TSLt Frank Victor ...

MTB_46 J S White, Cowes Isle of Wight 23/06/41 Known Crew TSLt Paul Alured Berthon RNVR First Lieutenant MTB 30 09/40 Commanding Officer MTB 31 11/40 – 11/41 Commanding Officer MTB 46 23/03/42 Commanding Officer MTB 219 DSC 1941 MID 1940 HMS Hornet 1945 TLt J C Fearnley RNVR Commanding Officer 08/02...

MTB 681 Brooke Marine Ltd, Oulton Broad, Nr Lowestoft 20/7/43 For an action off the Dutch coast 9/6/44 DSC TLt Edward Stuart Forman RNVR MID TLt George Thomas Taylor RNVR DSM POMtrMch John Arthur Anthony Shenton P/MX79271 MID LMtrMch Stephen Hal Robert Jennings P/MX124989 DSM AB Harold Whittle P/JX2...

I may have more but we can start with this ML_579 James N Miller & Sons, East Shore, St Monance 3/6/43 Known Crew Lt James Bain RNVR Killed in action 26/10/43. Buried in Rhodes War Cemetery Joint Grave 6. B. 1 SLt John Michael Cooke RNVR Killed in action 26/10/43 Age 21 Son of Arthur George and ...

ML_563 Solent Shipyard, Salisbury Green, Nr Southampton 3/3/43 For Operation Dragoon - Landings in Southern France 8/44 DSM Sto1 Cyril Egerton P/KX144221 Known Crew TLt Thomas David Andrews RNVR Briefly in Command during commissioning AB Kenneth Hughes P/JX 386598 Died 29/9/44 cause unknown Age 20 S...

ML_122 A M Dickie & Sons, Bangor, North Wales & Tarbert Scotland 16/10/40 Known Crew TLt H M Coghlan RNVR Commanding Officer 5/4/43 TLt L E Maughan RNVR Commanding Officer 1/5/44 TSLt R G Wallis RNVR First Lieutenant 15/5/43 TSLt V T Hurley RNVR First Lieutenant 2/5/44 LSea John Wardropper T...

HDML_1398 Ekins, Christchurch, Dorset 6/43 Known Crew TLt S T Charlton RNVR (Commanding Officer 24/6/43 TLt D F Barton RNVR (Commanding Officer 3/45) TSLt W D T Newman RNVR 28/6/43 Wartime Activities 9/9/45 Operation Zipper – Invasion of Malaya. Post War Fate 7/47 Malay Government Particularly inter...