Coastal Forces Veterans

My father John Trussell served as Radar operator on the above MTB's and I was hoping to find out where he would have been operating from and info on any activity during periods noted.

MTB 756 04 Nov 44 to 26 Jan 45
MTB 751 21 Jan 45 to 31 Mar 45

Rvictor

Hello Rvictor, and welcome to the forum.

MTBs 751 & 756 were Fairmile D-Class boats, commonly known as 'Dog Boats', which when first introduced, were configured in Motor Gunboat and Motor Torpedo Boat variants. The very first ones, including MGBs 603, 604, 605, 606, 609, 610 and 612, formed the 17th MGB Flotilla based at Great Yarmouth (HMS Midge) on the East Coast. However, around October 1943 the decision was taken to drop the concept of the MGB, at least in Home Waters, and so those boats all became MTBs. At that point they were supplemented by MTBs 673, 676, 677 & 678, from the 52nd MTB Flotilla, to form the 50th MTB Flotilla still based at Great Yarmouth. Later, during the lead up to D-Day in June 1944 and then afterwards, the 50th was variously at Dover, Newhaven and then Ostend. Senior Officers are known to have included Lt Cmdr G L Cotton RNVR, Lt Cmdr W H Paton RNVR, and Lt Cmdr J H Hodder RNVR.

The flotilla was added to with the new built MTBs 734, 751 & 756, but since MTBs 751 & 756 were not completed until late May and late July respectively of 1944, they were probably never at Great Yarmouth. I'm sure there will be other details available, and will carry out some research for you later.

Regards
Admin

I haven't found much in the primary source, Dog Boats at War by Len Reynolds, except he notes the fate of sister boat MTB 734 in June 1944:

The 50th Flotilla, who spent many nights on convoy defence, had a bitter experience on 25/26 June when patrolling off the Dutch coast. 734 was attacked by British (Swordfish) aircraft, and so badly damaged that she had to be sunk — a sad task which fell to Peter Wilkinson in 612.

734 had actually been completed five days after 751, so 756 & 751 would presumably have been pressed into service performing these same duties, but of course that's still a good bit before November of that year. Sadly this means 734 barely lasted four weeks in service.

MTBs 751 and 756, are both shown as having being tied up at their trots (berths) in Ostend Harbour when the disastrous explosion and fire occurred there on the 14th February 1945. That event is currently being commemorated on our home page, and so both crews may have had to escape from that inferno out to sea that day.

Our awards database records awards for crew of 751 & 756, but again these are for a period prior to your father joining either boat.

Thanks for that,

The photograph from my father's album here shows MTB's ablaze at "Malta 1942" which is what my father wrote on the reverse.

regards
Rvictor

A photograph here of the full crew of MTB taken Great Yarmouth 1945. My father is 4th from right 2nd row from the back.

Rvictor

should have said, this is MTB 751

Rvictor

Re the photograph of the fire in Malta harbour (above)

from what you have said (and on checking) the MTB's on fire was in fact in 1945 ... and because my father had written "Malta 1942" .. this cannot be the incident you refer to ... need to research what enemy action occurred in Malta in 1942 that might explain the photograph above.

anybody got any ideas?

Thanks for the interesting photos. With Malta it would simply be the fact of air raids which were very heavy and effectively placed the island under siege. The population of Malta was awarded the George Cross for its resilience.

thanks for that.

from what you have said (and on checking) the MTB's on fire was in fact in 1945 ... and because my father had written "Malta 1942" .. this cannot be the incident you refer to

Just to clarfy, the photo labeled Malta 1942 would have nothing to do with 751 & 756 as quite apart from the fact they had not been built by then, they only saw service in Home Waters (UK & Europe). I don't know if you have your father's service record but presumably he was with MTBs in the Med during the early part of the war, possibly with the 10th Flotilla and may have been at Malta during the time it was bombed.

Both 751 and 756 were present at Ostend in February 1945 when the accident occurred, so he may have witnessed that unless he was ashore at the time as some of the boat crews were on a sight seeing trip to Bruges.

After D-Day the German Forces gradually lost their grip on France, and the German Navy, the Kriegsmarine, along with their E-boats, were denied the use of Cherbourg, then Calais before being pushed out of Ostend and back to Holland, where Coastal Forces fought to pin them into their bases at Ijmuiden and Den Helder, so the drawing of 756 more or less gives its area of operations.

I have checked his service record ... he was actually with HMS Legion Dec 40 to March 42

That was a destroyer that was apparently sunk at Malta during an air raid, which would have left him without a ship at that point. Presumably he returned to Home Waters at some stage to receive training in radar before being posted to 751. What does his service record show between March '42 and November '44?

looks like various shore bases to me ?

Ganges was a training base at Shotley, and Victory I the accounting base at Portsmouth. Pembroke II for Legion was the accounting base at Chatham. Hecla was the depot ship for destroyers based on the Clyde but was at Hvalfjord, Iceland in June 1941, so this may have been rest & recreation during North Atlantic escort work. HMS Legion had been involved in a raid on the Lofoten Islands in March 1941 for which there are images on the IWM site.

Orlando was an accounting base at Greenock on the Clyde, then Nile, Stag, Saunders, Mosquito, Sphinx are all Egypt. Hornet is the main Coastal Forces base at Gosport, Watchful the communal base at Great Yarmouth (Coastal Forces is usually Midge at Yarmouth), and Collingwood for demob.

All in all, your father had a long war, being in more or less from the beginning, and spent a long time in the Mediterranean, presumably without getting home in between. He also trained from the outset as a Radio Direction Finder, the precursor to Radar, which would have made him a natural to train up on the advanced American Radar fitted to MTBs.

MTB_751 Wallasea Bay Yacht Station Ltd, Wallasea Bay, Nr Rochford 25/5/44
Birthday Honours 1945
MID AB Joseph Pellington P/JX516036

Known Crew

TLt Peter Charles Wilkinson RNVR HMS St Christopher (for motor launches) 14/7/41 TLt 22/5/42 HMS Midge (Great Yarmouth) for minelayers 22/5/42 MGB 327 For an action off Smith’s Knoll 24/10/43 MID Commanding Officer MTB 509 4/4/43 – 6/44, 50th MTB Flotilla Commanding Officer MTB 612 6/44 - 9/44 Birthday Honours List 1944 MID New Year Honours List 1945 MID Commanding Officer MTB 751 9/44 From Late 1944 he was Senior Officer 63rd MTB Flotilla Died 4/2003 in Surrey
TSLt Graham Alexander Wilson RNVR MGB 13 8/3/43 TSLt 23/5/43 50th MTB Flotilla First Lieutenant MGB 604 1/2/44, 50th MTB Flotilla Third Officer MTB 751 5/44 TLt 1/11/44 Commanding Officer MTB 490 2/7/45 Commanding Officer MTB 520 7/3/46
TSLt P N Stansfield RNVR TASLt 3/9/43 TSLt 3/3/44 HMS Midge (Great Yarmouth) 50th MTB Flotilla Based at Great Yarmouth, Dover, Newhaven, Ostend MTB 751 18/5/44
POMtrMch Arthur D Mellor 4th MGB Flotilla MGB 53 4th MGB Flotilla MGB 55 MTB 604 50th MTB Flotilla MTB 751 Sto2 15/7/42 became Acting Chief Motor Mechanic 4th class Born in Nottingham 3/4/24 and died in Safety Bay, Western Australia
AB Joseph Pellington P/JX516036 50th MTB Flotilla Based at Great Yarmouth, Dover, Newhaven, Ostend MTB 751 Birthday Honours 1945 MID

Wartime Activities
50th MTB Flotilla
MTB 603, MTB 604, MTB 605, MTB 606, MTB 607, MTB 609, MTB 610, MTB 612 later MTB 673, MTB 676, MTB 677, MTB 678, MTB 734, MTB 751, MTB 756
Based at Great Yarmouth, Dover, Newhaven, Ostend

Post War Fate
10/45 To Sea Cadet Corps (Poplar)
23/1/57 Sold

MTB_756 Herbert Woods, Broads Haven, Potter Heigham, Great Yarmouth 31/7/44
New Year Honours 1945
DSC TSLt John Alfred Kings RNVR
MID AB Anthony James Higbed P/JX389395
MID Sto1 Freddie Hooper D/KX139405

Known Crew
TLt F L Hewitt RNVR TLt 12/6/43 ML 514 First Lieutenant MGB 52 22/11/43 Commanding Officer MGB 329 20/6/44 Commanding Officer MTB 756 & Senior Officer 50th MTB Flotilla 31/10/44
TSLt John Alfred Kings RNVR First Lieutenant MGB 506 12/8/43 TSLt 30/11/43 50th MTB Flotilla Based at Great Yarmouth, Dover, Newhaven, Ostend MTB 756 3/7/44 New Year Honours 1945 DSC
TSLt W A Watkinson RNVR TSLt 17/3/44 50th MTB Flotilla Based at Great Yarmouth, Dover, Newhaven, Ostend MTB 756 3/7/44
AB Anthony James Higbed P/JX389395 50th MTB Flotilla Based at Great Yarmouth, Dover, Newhaven, Ostend MTB 756 New Year Honours 1945 MID
Sto1 Freddie Hooper D/KX139405 50th MTB Flotilla Based at Great Yarmouth, Dover, Newhaven, Ostend MTB 756 New Year Honours 1945 MID

Wartime Activities
50th MTB Flotilla
MTB 603, MTB 604, MTB 605, MTB 606, MTB 607, MTB 609, MTB 610, MTB 612 later MTB 673, MTB 676, MTB 677, MTB 678, MTB 734, MTB 751, MTB 756
Based at Great Yarmouth, Dover, Newhaven, Ostend

Post War Fate
1/46 Sea Cadet Corps (Hull)
8/11/54 Sold

My father was Joseph Pellington who served on 751, I know very little about what he got up as he died when I was a child. I have a citation about his MID and a white ensign that my uncles told me came off his ship?! I am pretty sure he served on two MTB's - if anyone can fill in some blanks I would be very grateful.
Thanks

My father was Joseph Pellington who served on 751, I know very little about what he got up as he died when I was a child. I have a citation about his MID and a white ensign that my uncles told me came off his ship?! I am pretty sure he served on two MTB's - if anyone can fill in some blanks I would be very grateful.
Thanks

Nick,
There is an entry in the awards database relating to your father. If you don't already have it, you could apply for his service record which may fill in some blanks for you.

Able Seaman Joseph PELLINGTON Service No: P/JX 516036 MTB 751 Mention in Despatches