Coastal Forces Veterans

Hi Keith Hoping that you and your Family are well. Sadly I could offer numerous answers for my delay in answering your request for in formation about you Dad Albert. I am hoping to answer some of your questions . Yes we were together on Board MTB 243, at the time of the Bari Air raid on December 2nd...

Hi Stephen As promised copy of diary of aug 1943

Good Evening Stephen
I would be very interested in sending you some of the pictures I have about MTBs and MGBS operating in the now Croatian waters having spent some 2 years 1943-1945 aboard MTB 243 & MGB 647 in that area as a Radar Operator
Good Luck in your search
A/B Peter BEM

Hi Alex I have recently come across your post of 23rd May this year re your help for any details of the loss of MGB 641 I attach 2 pages of the Book "Dog Boats at War" by Len Reynolds which reports the loss of the boat in words of not really the story of the bravery shown by all the Boat C...

Good Morning Mary and All It was a lovely surprise to read your message regarding MTB 670. The subject of that Boat seems to echo through the pages of the CFVA. I had the pleasure of meeting your Farther during the early days of the CFVA, hence the wonderful painting of his Boat MTB 670 by my artist...

Greetings All :This is the day 2nd December we give thanks to those and Remember the Bari (Italy) air raid when so much was achieved by the enemy in so little time , and the suffering and after effects of our Forces. Thankfully I survived, and the "pain" of that night is still sore. Coasta...

Hi Interesting pictures of the Malta Football team ; noting the name of your Grandfather Lt HF Cooper did he serve with the 24th Flott.
in the Italian campaign
Peter MTB 243

Good Morning arjan
Could they be Boats of the 28th Flott. being loaded with torpedoes
on their arrival in the Mediterranean from America

Hi Nick On reading your request for information of MTB 663 sadly she hit a mine returning from an operation around Venice on October 9th 1944 with a loss of 3 Crew members and 8 wounded .I attaché details as recorded in the book Dog Boats at War written by Len Reynolds whom I knew within the Coastal...

Good Morning Martin and a warm welcome to you Dad What a great pleasure this morning to see your request. It would be correct to say we have a MTB102 that became the Flag Ship of the then Coastal Forces Veterans Association now sadly out of commission since 2005 but still maintained by Coastal Force...

Good Evening An interesting blog re the 28th flotilla on looking at the names listed many of them come to mind . I was aboard MTB 243 of the old 24th Flotilla and some of the names mentioned immediately come to mind : H Du Bouley and Tim Collins were our Officers Claude Holloway MTB 242 , I have rea...

Good Morning David & All viewers It is great to hear to read from those who now and report MGB 647. David I can remember your Dad from those days aboard ,I am happy to attach a photo showing what a great bunch of shipmates we were and our togetherness in danger and at ease. Greetings to you all ...

Good Afternoon All
More pictures

Good Morning All I am happy to share some of the photo's from my war activities ;
Keep Safe All
Peter

Hi Douglas Looking forward to the Dads Service dates and the pictures
Cheers
Peter

Welcome aboard Edwin and Son for late Ian Austen, I served aboard MGB 647 through out the ( Yugoslavia campaign) as A/B Radar Operator so I would imagine our boats would at some time tied up against each other.
Ps I cannot work out the numbers that you both quoted
Cheers Peter
Keep Safe

Good Evening;

Some more pics and information re Malta;

Good Afternoon Looking at that pic of the Old Dun Cow was there not a Bar in Sliema just along the way from the Base of HMS Gregale. It is good the amazing blogs that MTB 670 has given us. More Pictures

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I have been deeply interested in the picture of MTB 670 displayed on 3rd March 2012 showing deprived of her armament but interestingly I was looking at the radar aerial on the top of her mast that may be of the 1950 vintage

There has been thankfully many words on this subject lately maybe it is time for some pictures, that include Painting of MGB 647 by a local artist Some of the crew (make and mend) at work On leave on the Isle of Capri so it was not all Death and glory Where I am holding up the tree In the picture I ...

Hi Rita and Bernie & Travellers Thank you for your replies to MTB 670. Sorry that I did not include page I in my last post . so here goes we will try again. I will attaché my memoires and I feel that you Bernie will be very interested as I also sailed to Malta in a Troop Ship in May 1943 Keep Sa...

Sorry Travellers I forgot to include page 2 in my last post
Cheers
Peter

Good Afternoon MTB 670 Traveller's. I attach an article revealing some of the conditions we endured and enjoyed in our Coastal Forces mission during the Italy and Yugoslavia campaign , that are included in my self written memoires My Shipmates Page1.jpg I hope to submit further bits of the campaign ...

What a topic MTB 670 has turned out to be, I shall be happy to take part . Having been part of the crew of MGB 647 much of the posts have become familiar from which I can connect. So I will turning over the pages of my memoires that will be helpful in the MTB 670 posts Now 96 I must be away to my Bu...

Dear All

This cutting is from a newsletter the villagers of Chigwell sent out during WWII to all who lived there and were serving in the Armed Forces.

This edition mentions R Clarke who at had served onboard ML 137.

Peter

Good Morning All
Following your enquiry Steve (ML575) the photograph reveals the Motor Mechanic could only be in the one in 2nd row extreme right wearing the Peaked Cap of a Leading Motor Mechanic.
Hope that I have made this clear
Cheers
Peter

Good Morning All
I attach from my album of pictures one which I have called Ml's tucked up for the night in Malta ML 575 could be in there
Cheers
Peter

Good Evening Steve Great to see the response to your enquiry about your Dad and Ml 575. As most of us who served in Coastal Forces HMS Gregale was our main base in Malta , your stay in the base was while they found you a boat to serve on inc.ML's or MTB's . My time was on MTB 243 & MGB 647 and I...

Hi Mattr I hope that you are successful in your appeal for "Bill" having served aboard MTB 243 during her service in the Mediterranean and to see her sadly used as a target it is with great interest to see what happened to MTB 245 Cheers Peter