Postby Pioneer » Fri Dec 30, 2011 9:33 am
Welcome aboard Guy, I hope you enjoy the trip.
Not much I realise but Lt Cdr C.M. 'Monty' Donner RN is recorded as as taking over from Lt Cdr Sayer RN as Senior Officer of the 1st MTB Flotilla, just pre-war, during mid 1939 and is listed as CO of MTB 01.
At the Declaration of WW2 the Flotilla of 12 boats (01-06,14-19) were berthed at Msida Creek (later HMS Gregale) Malta and at the precise time of the Declaration, the CO's of the Flotilla were in the Wardroom of HMS Vulcan, the CF depot ship.
With banter suggesting that the War would be over in 18 months it was in November of that year (1939) that a decision was made to bring the whole Flotilla home through the Canals of France back to England.
During the voyage from Malta to southern France MTB 06 (Lt HJ 'Harpy' Lloyd RN) was lost. Severly damaged by bad weather the whole crew were taken aboard HMS Dainty the escorting Destroyer, she was then rammed and sunk (off Sardinia).
Then followed the epic tale of the journey through France with the remaining Flotilla arriving at Portsmouth on the 19th December 1939.
Source:- "Mediterranean MTB's at War" by L.G.Reynolds & H.F.Cooper - ISBN 0 7509 2274 5