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5 Admirals aboard the 'Medusa'

Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2014 10:00 am
by Pioneer
Admiral and Chief Commandant for Women in the Royal Navy, HRH Anne Princess Royal, aboard ML 1387 'Medusa' during the recent 70th anniversary D-Day celebrations.
d-day6.jpg
Photo: D. Carter

Re: 5 Admirals aboard the 'Medusa'

Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2014 2:14 pm
by cdsc123
No bad luck I hope. My dad always told us never to take an Admiral, a wheelbarrow or an umbrella on a boat.

Re: 5 Admirals aboard the 'Medusa'

Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2014 9:09 am
by Pioneer
The person talking to HRH, the Princess Royal, in the above photo is ex-Ldg Seaman Douglas Withey.
He was the Oerlikon gunner aboard ML 1387 on D-Day - and had a grandstand view of the first landings on the Omaha beachhead.
ML 1387 had been detailed to act as a guiding ‘radio beacon’ for the following armada which meant that this craft had to be secreted into position sometime before the day unfolded – truly a dangerous mission for the boat and crew.

He was a member of the former CFVA (1613) and at one time Treasurer of the now defunct Liverpool Branch.

Below the Medusa seen before the commemorative voyage commenced

Re: 5 Admirals aboard the 'Medusa'

Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2014 12:30 pm
by johnk
Hi there,

Cracking shot of Medusa, how very fortunate to have a member of the ship's company aboard from that day, and indeed able to tell such a story, fantastic.

Johnk