This photo of the crew of ML 357 was forwarded me by David (Carter) who had in turn been contacted by Peter Turner, the son of crew member William Turner (see messages above).
Hello Bee Thank you for your response. I’m sorry to hear you lost what you were writing. Just for future reference there is the ‘Save draft’ facility at the bottom of the text input frame, and then below that again you will see a button marked ‘Attachments’ and that is what you can use to upload ima...
Hello 'Lee' Welcome to the forum and thank you for the photos. The Navy List for June 1944 lists Sedulous with Chief Skipper D Main RNR, and also lists Doonie Bra e with Skipper H A Hodds RNR. Reflect and Tweenways are also listed but have no officers shown. One reference on the web states Doonie Br...
This web site mentions a Kiloran II, formerly Cambrian Prince. Kiloran II suggests there may have been a Kiloran, with both belonging to a local Ferry company? Might your Killian be Kiloran, or are you familiar with Kiloran as a boat name?
I have not found any reference to Killian in the only source I have, which is John Lambert and Al Ross’s volume Allied Coastal Forces: Volume 1. It may have had an earlier name if you were able to look up its history within the Lloyd’s Shipping Register.
Hello Katrina There is a good book on the subject called Gunboat Command which is still in print that essentially contains the auto-biography of Robert Hichens, with additional commentary provided by his son Antony. To upload a photograph you can post a reply within this thread and then beneath the ...
Hello Jay Thank you for your enquiry. The figures for maximum beam I have for Fairmile 'A' and 'B' class are 17' 5" and 18' 3" respectively, and that of the larger 'D' class is 21' 3", but I don't have reliable figures for the stern width of each type. Our boat database shows all the ...
His signals board book was printed in 1937. He could only have joined up in 1941 when he was 18 Thanks for the clarification. It was a question about medals from family that started this research. Depending on whether he saw any overseas service, they would likely be the standard war medals awarded...
Hello again Ian If your father joined in 1937 then he would have been Regular Navy as opposed to Hostilities Only personnel, and may have joined up for twelve years?? A lot will depend on precise timeframes for his various postings, so if you do not have his copy of service record which would have b...
Hello Ian Thank you for your enquiry concerning your father Harold Sylvester. The December 1981 edition of the former Coastal Forces Veterans Association newsletter shows him as a new member, with the membership number of 799. The brief details of his service supplied show him as having served with ...
Thank you for the kind offer of the photos. You can post the using your login and creating a new reply and using the Attachments tab below the text input window. If you need further assistance just give me a shout
Thanks much for the detailed information. For MTB 291-294 with service in the Royal Indian Navy, they are listed as having gone back to the USN in March 46 and then to the "State Department Foreign Liquidation Commission" in 1948 I am not aware of the eventual fate of these specific boats...
Hello David Thank you for your enquiry concerning your grandfather Clarence Cuthbert Keem. I believe I have managed to track down some information which may be of interest, including a strong candidate for the action for which he may have been awarded his earlier DSM. The October 1943 Navy List list...
Hello and welcome to the forum. Thank you for the photos of your grandfather. To answer your question about his service record, all the ships shown are shore bases, as was the case for all Coastal Forces personnel. Collingwood is the basic training camp at Fareham Drake was the main barracks Plymout...
Crew Identification MTB 5009 George Heard sixth row, third from the right Sam Stewart third row, fifth from left Wilfred Watkins third row, third from left Ken LeVoi third row, sixth from left Allan Robinson front row, second left MTB 5007 Donald Milner third row, seventh from left (later BBC India...
Hello Kieron Welcome to the forum. I corresponded with you earlier and forgot to get back to you about the photos I held which I am posting here. These were passed to me by the family of Wilfred 'Wolf' Watkins RNVR, who was Navigating Officer on 5009 based in Lowestoft (HMS Mantis). The shot of the ...
Hello Warrior and thank you for your enquiry. I will look through my sources later for any information I may have on the 12th MTB Flotilla. What I would say, is that the thing which came to my mind on reading about the depth charge attacks on anti-torpedo booms, was the plan devised by Sub-Lieutenan...
Do you have your father's service record details at all? 663 was actually an MGB forming part of the 56th MGB/MTB Flotilla in the Mediterranean, under the command of a Canadian, Lt T E Ladner, who was part of a famous trio of Canadians along with Lt Cdr J D Maitland as Senior Officer of the flotilla...
Hello Nick Welcome to the forum and thank you for the portrait of your father. I am fairly certain the cap ribbon reads HMTB, it’s just that the bottom part of the letter ‘B’ is slightly occluded by the angle of the shot and what looks like a shallow ridge at the bottom of the cap, which the ribbon ...
Hello Debwilki Welcome to the forum and thank you for your two images. I believe the certificate reads MTB 442 and these two photographs from the Imperial War Museum collection showing the surrender by Rear Admiral Karl Bruning which took place at HMS Beehive, Felixstowe on 13 May 1945, feature MTB ...
Just a thought; since Poole Belle had a previous name, Anzio & Dunkirk may have had too, and those names might be contained in the pamphlet I have, should you be able to source any additional information via the Lloyds register or some such.
Hello Roger Warships Supplement 59 gives Matapan , sold in 1948 as ML 180. There are quite a few names for launches disposed of in the booklet, both 'B' type and Harbour Defence, but I have not been able to pick up on Anzio or Dunkirk . ML 180 is recorded as being part of the 10th ML Flotilla based ...
I have a some some photos of this and a number of pictures showing the crew, fitting engines amongst other things as well names of the crew of 226. If thatvis any use to anyone please element me know and I can post them. Hello Michael Thank you for your post and for your kind offer of photos you ha...
If it was Dover it would have been HMS Wasp, but the best known elements of that were the pens in the harbour used by Coastal Forces, and the Lord Warden Hotel, whose building still exists, which formed the Officers’ Mess and the general administration centre. I don’t recognise anything shown in the...
The 14th MGB Flotilla was known to have consisted of two divisions based in 1942 at Dover and Portsmouth. It is known to have comprised MGB 322, MGB 324 (SO), MGB 328, MGB 330 at Dover, and MGB 312, MGB 314, MGB 316 (SO), MGB 317 at Portsmouth.
Hello Cestrianblue Thank you for your interesting enquiry. Your Uncle appears in our awards database, and that entry plus the mention in the London Gazette confirm the service number as correct, so I wonder if that might not be sufficient for the Royal Naval Disclosure Cell. Failing that it might be...