Italy 1944–1946

Enquiries relating to individual men and women who served with HM Light Coastal Forces; help with interpreting service records, or with tracing former comrades
jdcboss
Seaman
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2009 4:57 pm

Italy 1944–1946

Postby jdcboss » Tue Mar 17, 2009 6:23 pm

I am researching my farther Bert Lapthorne and his posting on Motor Launches. His record shows the ships as St. Angelo (C F 16) which is Malta and (Brynsa) which is Naples. There is not further detail on what boats he was on. Can anyone explain the C F 16 please?

Pioneer
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Re: Italy 1944–1946

Postby Pioneer » Tue Mar 17, 2009 8:32 pm

Hello 'jdcboss' - Welcome Aboard

The CF 16 that you quote may just be an early base number given for easy identification and for ease of transmission — I stand to be corrected on that — but I shall try and get some further information.

The story of HMS St Angelo is a little more easier to state with some conviction however. HMS Egmont, the receiving and depot ship at Malta did not move ashore until 1912. Previously this establishment had been in the form of a hulk, a decommissioned ship moored to the famous Maltese fortifications. In 1933 the Admiralty changed her name to HMS St Angelo, which was the name of the fort in which the establishment was housed. The shore establishment was the main administration centre for Royal Naval 'big ship' activities in the Mediterranean, but Coastal Forces were based at HMS Gregale, not at St Angelo. Early during WW2, two flotillas of CF boats were detached from HMS Mosquito at Alexandra, and these formed up in a seperate and temporary base known as HMS Mosquito II.

HMS Gregale was commisioned in 1941 The establishment played a major part in CF events but as the war progressed into the Italian theatres of the Adriatic and Dalmation Sea etc the base became mainly a Repair-Rest and Recuperation base.

Glad that you found us 'jcdboss' - enjoy the trip.

jdcboss
Seaman
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2009 4:57 pm

Re: Italy 1944–1946

Postby jdcboss » Wed Mar 18, 2009 8:28 am

Thank you for this - Dad was on Fairmile B ML's. He was posted to Victory III (Fairmile) April 1942 then HMS Attack, Britannia III on ML 159 May 1942 , Dartmouth II, Attack, transfered to ML 183 at HMS Forte April 1943, then Defiance and back to Attack. He left for the Med in Feb 1944 and was demobbed from his first ship HMS Victory in June 1946. He came home from Italy by train across Europe, a trip he enjoyed very much!


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