Hello Veterans,
I wonder if any of you might remember serving with my late father Anthony Clarke-Ceely 15/5/1923 to 07/07/2007. Last night I saw a piece on the BBC 10 O clock news about the centenary of the MTB/Light coastal forces. When I saw that there are thankfully veterans surviving to this day I wondered if I could find anyone who remembered my dad.
He was quite reticent about most of his War service . From a few letters that he sent me and things that he did tell me I know that he was called up in 1941 or 1942 started his training around Dartmouth and then later went up to Fort William for training on MTB's or light coastal forces. I think he was given cooking duties on one boat and may have been a gunner on another.
He was born in Stratford London but moved with his family at a young age to the west midlands where his father kept a pub " The White Lion" at mere green. He had begun a printing apprenticeship in Birmingham which delayed his call up until the factory was bombed after which he was relocated to another Printworks, when this was also bombed he was called up and sent down to Devon.
He mentioned being stationed in Cornwall and Devon and having to billet in Dartmoor prison on one occasion (not due to an offence) He told me that mostly he didn't see much action but on leave in London he witnessed a very upsetting aftermath to a large bomb explosion that had demolished a street that he and his cousin had just walked down a few moments earlier.
In the week before D-Day he did night missions laying fused mines that were timed to become active creating a safe corridor for the landings if I understood him correctly.
At the end of the War he had already been transferred to HMS Belfast's missions in Asia including a stop in Shanghai and then later an attempt to encourage him to Demob in Australia and become a citizen there. After the War he worked as a salesman for his Father's Advertising products Business (Keyfobs, Pens, Headed Stationery etc) Later he worked as a Printer(He had completed the apprenticeship) for GKN until Technology overtook Lithographic and Typeset printing).
After retirement he and my mother emigrated to the North of Tenerife (Where she had family connections). He had many enjoyable years of gentle exercise and socialising until in 2005 a Series of Stokes followed by partial disablement culminated in his passing in the summer of 2007 He is buried in the anglo/german cemetery in Puerto De La Cruz.
If anyone has any knowledge of him or a general comment please post a reply to this message. I am his son Michael and I live in Westmeath in Ireland.