MTB 665 Fate of the Crew

[Colditz]

My father Jeffrey Cartwright was a Gunner on MTB 665 when it was shelled from land and sunk in the Messina Straits on 15 August 1943. There were 3 casualties I believe and the survivors picked up by a Flak Lighter and taken to Reggio. I know he spent time in Italian POW camps and was taken north through Italy in a cattle train. He was repatriated in May 1945 by the Russian Army. His last POW camp was IVC (Colditz)
I’m trying to find out anything at all about MTB 665 and my fathers movements in the war.
Any information would be received with endless thanks.
Tim Cartwright.

[jonco]

Hello - cannot help with movements but if you look at casualty database on the home page you can look up MTB 665 and there are a number of casualties for August 1943. Refer to https://cfv.org.uk/research/personnel/casualty/database and under unit select MTB then scroll down to number. HTH

[Colditz]

Hi
Thank you for that, is there any way we can obtain lists of crew members, there must be some information regarding the other survivors when they were captured.

[Admin]

Hello Colditz

Thank you for your enquiry and welcome to the forum. Have you seen Dog Boats at War by Len Reynolds at all, as there is a fair bit of information about the sinking and capture by two of the crew, Peter Thompson and 665’s Telegraphist, Ronald Harrison. If not, I will contact you with the details. The fact these two accounts are contained in the book by Len is strongly suggestive of these two named gentlemen having been members of the former Coastal Forces Veterans Association (CFVA) and so I will look through the CFVA newsletters for any other contributions they or other members of the crew may have made, and see also if I can determine the boat’s history, if any, in Home Waters prior to being sent to the Mediterranean. 665 was initially part of the 33rd MTB Flotilla along with 649, 651, 654, 655, 656, 667 & 670, so I will cross-index those boats later for any information I hold.

Regards
Admin

[Peter]

Dear Jeffrey
It is a pleasure to reply to your post. The book "Dog Boats at War " by Len Reynolds whom I new well, contains the details of the sinking of your Dad's boat, I am happy to attach a page from his book detailing the sinking of MTB 665

[Colditz]

Hi
Thank you very much, hopefully these bits of information will produce more leads, I have ordered the Dogboats at War book off eBay, looking forward to reading it.
Thank you
Tim.

[rob1522]

My dad Able Seaman Cyril "Jack" Cornell was also a gunner on Motor Torpedo Boat No. 665 which was sunk off Messina, Sicily on 15th August, 1943 by shore battery fire. After capture, he and the rest of the crew were taken through Italy to Austria on the way to a Naval POW camp in Germany. However he contracted Diphtheria and was kept in hospital for 6 weeks. When he recovered, the rest of the crew had moved on and so he was taken to Stalag 18A where he stayed for a few months before transfer to a farm camp in Karlsdorf.

[TrevorMoore195766]

hello rob 1522,my Uncle served on Mtb,s in world war 2,it may well have been on the 665 boat, but im having trouble finding out which boats / boats he served on. His name was Bernard Douglas Moore, what i do know is, he and his boat were sunk by Shore Battery in the Messina Straits ,he was captured taken to Spittol in Austria a Farm Camp,for a year then transferred to another Camp in Germany ( Wolsfberg ) StalagXVIII A,where they had to make Air Raid Shelters.So i dont now if he was on 665 or not ,but the stories are similar.I am trying to find any records of Crew Lists for Mtb,s but not having much luck ,wondered if you had or could offer any advice to help me thanks Trevor Moore