MGB 334

Motor Gunboats (MGB) & Steam Gunboats (SGB)
RogerP
Chief Petty Officer
Posts: 51
Joined: Thu Oct 23, 2008 9:32 pm
Location: Bendigo, Victoria, Australia

MGB 334

Postby RogerP » Tue Jun 28, 2011 11:52 pm

Hello All, especially Brian Holmes,

At a model show in Melbourne, Australia recently a young chap asked me did I have any info on the above 'little ship' as his great uncle Michael Thorpe served on her. I know she was a Fairmile C class as I have John Lambert's book -- Allied Coastal Forces vol I.

Brian, can you please post here what you have on MGB 334?

Brian Holmes
Commander
Posts: 245
Joined: Wed May 06, 2009 3:26 pm
Location: Portsmouth

Re: MGB 334

Postby Brian Holmes » Mon Jul 04, 2011 5:45 pm

MGB 334 A M Dickie & Sons, Bangor, North Wales 9/10/41

For an action with E Boats off the Dutch coast and for saving the crew of MGB 335 10/9/42
DSO Lt Ernest Michael Thorpe RN

New Year Honours 1945
DSM AB George Houghton D/JX257772

Known Crew
Lt Ernest Michael Thorpe RN (Commanding Officer) (Became Senior Officer 19th MGB Flotilla)
TLt L C Rodaway RNVR Commanding Officer 19/7/43
TLt D Turnell RNVR Commanding Officer 10/7/44
TSLt S D Welch RNVR First Lieutenant 8/12/42
TSLt D A Heyhoe RNVR First Lieutenant 19/6/44
AB George Houghton D/JX257772

War Activities
16th MGB Flotilla – Based at Great Yarmouth
MGB 319, MGB 325, MGB 329, MGB 331, MGB 332, MGB 333, MGB 334 and MGB 335
1/42 Repairing at Poole
10-1/9/42 MGB 327, MGB 334 and MGB 335 are in action with E Boats off the Dutch coast. MGB 335 is seriously damaged and set on fire. MGB 334 saves the crew of MGB 335

Post War Fate
10/45 For disposal

RogerP
Chief Petty Officer
Posts: 51
Joined: Thu Oct 23, 2008 9:32 pm
Location: Bendigo, Victoria, Australia

Re: MGB 334

Postby RogerP » Sat Jul 16, 2011 3:24 am

Thanks Brian,

Sorry for tardy reply, forgot to check in here, plus found same info over on WNSF.

Rog in OZ.

Dave Mills
Chief Petty Officer
Posts: 54
Joined: Mon Mar 14, 2011 2:35 pm

Re: MGB 334

Postby Dave Mills » Sat Nov 12, 2011 6:12 pm

While at my friends miniature railway at the Joys of Life Country Park near Bangor, North Wales, he asked if I had seen the plaque on his Dutch Barn. I had known of a plaque on the gable end for many years but never looked at it carefully as it was before my interest in the RN Coastal Forces. He also showed me a small brass plate below it that revealed the connection between FPB 333 and the people of Bethesda near Bangor. I photographed them at the end of the day so the light was almost gone and I had to 'tweak' them somewhat until I get better photos.
How these plaques came to be on the barn is a mystery as the previous owner who may have known about them died recently.
Ironically, FPB 333 was NOT one of a batch built by Dickies boatyard of Bangor. See Pioneers reply -
(Click image to enlarge)
Attachments
IMG_5622 web.JPG
Plaque on the Dutch Barn near Bethesda. The Latin "SIG OFF MAG ADM MAG BRIT" translates loosely to "Official Seal of His Brittanic Majesty's Admiralty"
IMG_5622 web.JPG (36.15 KiB) Viewed 27965 times
IMG_5620 web.JPG
Brass plate refering to FPB 333
IMG_5620 web.JPG (101.01 KiB) Viewed 27965 times

Pioneer
Moderator
Posts: 347
Joined: Sun Oct 19, 2008 12:48 pm

Re: MGB 334

Postby Pioneer » Sat Nov 12, 2011 7:28 pm

MGB 333 was a 'C' class Fairmile design built by Messrs Woodnutt and Co at their St Helens Yard, Bembridge, Isle of White.

Completed on the 11th July 1941, she was, as shown in David Mills' excellent photograph, adopted by the Bethseda Urban District Council in March 1942.

She survided the War, at first selected for ship target trials but was finally placed on the Disposal List in 1945.

Brian Holmes
Commander
Posts: 245
Joined: Wed May 06, 2009 3:26 pm
Location: Portsmouth

Re: MGB 334

Postby Brian Holmes » Mon Nov 14, 2011 8:01 pm

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/JX316843
DSM AB George William Jennings P/JX275627
DSM Ord Sidney Paxton C/JX317497
MID OTel Norman Henry Towe D/JX271930

For the rescue of survivors from HMS Daffodil, mined off Dieppe, 17/3/45
MID TLt Alan Yates RNVR
MID ACMtrMch Joseph Wood C/MX67442

Known Crew

TLt Donald Gould Bradford RNVR TSLt 27/5/40 HMS Malvernian (armed boarding vessel) (ship attacked by aircraft and abandoned; picked up by a Spanish fishing vessel and interned, but later escaped) 17/12/40 – 19/7/41 TLt 27/5/41 HMS Midge (Coastal Forces base, Great Yarmouth) (for motor launches) 8/10/42 Commanding Officer MGB 333 9/42 - 9/43 TALtCdR 1/9/43 Commanding Officer MTB 617 and Senior Officer 31st MTB Flotilla 9/43 Senior Officer 55th MTB Flotilla in MTB 632. Staff Officer, Coastal Forces, British Assault Area (Courseulles) 8/44 TACdR 1944 HMS Midge (Coastal Forces base, Great Yarmouth) (for motor launches, etc.) 10/9/44 Coastal Forces Mobile Unit 2 [HMS Fox (Lerwick)] 4/6/45 DSO 1944, Two DSCs 1943, DSC 1944 Two MIDs 1944 Born in Bolton 1912 and died in 1995
TLt P L Stobo RNVR Commanding Officer 5/5/43
TLt Alan Yates RNVR Commanding Officer 21/12/43 MID 1945. Previously First Lieutenant in an MTB
TSLt Frank Lambert Hewitt RNVR First Lieutenant MGB 333 1943. Later First Lieutenant in an MTB
TSLt W G Dalziel RNVR First Lieutenant 12/7/43
TSLt P D Cross RNVR First Lieutenant 1/10/43
ACMtrMch Joseph Wood C/MX67442
LMtrMch Roland Desmond Gilbert P/MX98724
LSea Joseph John Phillips P/BD/X1349
AB Victor Goldsmith C/JX316843
AB George William Jennings P/JX275627
Ord Ernest Bowes P/JX 275195 Died on Tuesday 6 January 1942 cause unknown Buried in Baldersby (St. James) Churchyard Yorkshire
Ord Sidney Paxton C/JX317497
OTel Norman Henry Towe D/JX271930

War Activities
16th MGB Flotilla – Based at Great Yarmouth
MGB 319, MGB 325, MGB 329, MGB 331, MGB 332, MGB 333, MGB 334 and MGB 335
1/42 At Great Yarmouth
28-9/3/43 An action with E Boats off Smith’s Knoll
HMS Blencathra, HMS Windsor MGB 321 and MGB 333, ambush 7 Boats of the Second. S-Flotilla attacking Convoy FS.1074. MGB 333 rams S 29. “We hit her about 20ft from the stern and I felt my boat rise up and partly ride over her - and then the E Boat broke. The stern came off and slid down my starboard side - we had gone straight through (Memoirs of Donald Gould Bradford quoted in his Daily Telegraph obituary 8/7/95)
17/3/45 Rescue of survivors from HMS Daffodil, mined off Dieppe.

Post War Fate
10/45 For disposal

Dave Mills
Chief Petty Officer
Posts: 54
Joined: Mon Mar 14, 2011 2:35 pm

Re: MGB 334

Postby Dave Mills » Tue Nov 15, 2011 5:53 pm

I found this similar plaque, but for HMS Hollyhock. Looks like I will have to do some restoration work!
Attachments
plaque.jpg
plaque.jpg (9.94 KiB) Viewed 27933 times


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