Peter Bickmore BEM*

1924 — 2023

CFVA No. 29

Peter Thomas Frank Bickmore was born to Alfred and Ellen Bickmore in Leyton, East London on 14 September, 1924. He entered the Royal Navy and HMS Collingwood as an eighteen year old conscript in December 1942, his selection facilitated by his father having served in the First World War at the Battle of Jutland, and his eldest brother Ernie serving at the time with the Royal Navy at Hong Kong. Sadly Ernie, initially declared missing in the aftermath of the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong, would later be confirmed as among the many dead of the notorious Japanese PoW transport Lisbon Maru, which was torpedoed by a US submarine.

On completion of his ten weeks basic training course, Peter was selected to train as a Radio Detection Finder (RDF) operator at HMS Valkyre on the Isle of Man. RDF was a technological precursor to the later Point Position Indicator (PPI) and RADAR, and was to prove Peter's introduction to a then secret technology which would later lead to a career in a burgeoning, manufacturing sector, once demobbed from the Navy.

His training completed, Peter was given a foreign posting with Coastal Forces, arriving on a troop transport in Algiers in May 1943, before being forwarded by train to the port of Bône (now Annaba). It was at Bône that Peter had first sight of his future boat MTB 243, which along with MTBs 81, 86, 89 of the newly formed 24th MTB Flotilla, had completed engine trials, and working-up exercises in Algiers, after an earlier arrival there from the UK of the boats and their crews onboard SS Manchester.

Peter’s first experience of ‛little ships’ was in early July 1943 on passage to Malta aboard MTB 85. Shortly after Peter gained his first operational experience when drafted as spare RDF operator aboard MTB 665. MTB 665—one of the larger Fairmile ‛D' types—was lost in August 1943 in the Straits of Messina, in the wake of the invasion of Sicily which took place in late July.

Peter's next draft was aboard MTB 633 departing Malta on July 12 for Syracuse. Syracuse was captured shortly after the landings on Sicily, and then utilised as a Coastal Forces base in support of frontline operations. On arrival he was given a relief draft to join MTB 243, a 70ft Vosper with a crew of twelve, including two officers, with the same RDF equipment as the previous ‘D’ boats he had briefly served with, albeit in a smaller W/T cabin.

With the port of Augusta secured, and the arrival there of Coastal Forces base ship Vienna, MTB 243 along with other boats of the 24th MTB Flotilla was tasked with carrying out night patrols in the Straits of Messina, Coastal Forces operations now benefitting from the centralised planning and co-ordination their new base afforded them.

Until Sicily as a whole was subdued, the Straits of Messina contained the threat of fire from shore batteries on both sides of the channel, as well as enemy sea patrols, which made for a hazardous zone of operations for the ‛little ships’. On one patrol on 15 August, 1943, MTB 243 with two other boats of the flotilla exchanged fire with two German ‘R’ boats in what was to be Peter’s first encounter with the enemy.

After some two weeks aboard MTB 243, Peter found himself booked on passage on MTB 634 back to Malta, though his relatively brief spell onboard MTB 243 had provided him with a sense of belonging which helped offset feelings of loneliness and insecurity he had experienced at being so far removed from his large and supportive family. The feeling of comradeship, born of the small, tight-knit groups that operational life onboard the ‛little ships’ promoted, was something that left its mark on many Coastal Forces Veterans, and Peter along with many others, was to renew those close bonds of friendship forged at that time in later life, through membership of the Coastal Forces Veterans Association (CFVA).

After some three weeks ashore in Malta, Peter’s prayers were answered by the drafting officer at HMS Gregale finally posting him to MTB 243 as replacement RDF operator. Peter was to stay with the boat and its crew for the next nine months of the war, which was in Peter's words to become his 'home and family'.

In October 1943 Peter departed the then frontline port of Bari, Italy, to cross the Adriatic to Yugoslavia and enter the harbour of Vis under darkness to establish contact with a delegation of Partisans, and negotiate for the establishment of a new frontline base for Coastal Forces, along with an Allied H.Q. On the successful outcome of negotiations, a base was established on the opposite side of the island at Komiža. So began a relationship between Peter and the island and people of Vis, which through the auspices of the later CFVA, and Veterans of Vis organisations, was to last nearly the whole of his lifetime.

Several tours of duty around Vis were to follow throughout the months of November and into December, after which MTB 243 would return to Bari for rest & repair. Bari by this time had become the main frontline supply port for the Allied advance through Italy. Peter was in Bari on 2 December, 1943, when a heavy German air raid took place, during which several supply ships in the process of being unloaded were bombed and set on fire. Peter along with the crew of MTB 243 was involved in the rescue of some 40-50 survivors over a period several hours, the water in the port being set alight in places by fuel oil spilled from the ships.

Unknown to Peter and everyone else at the time, including the medics treating the injured, was that one of the U.S. supply ships struck by the bombs had been carrying liquid mustard gas which when mixed with fuel oil, contaminated the water, and all who came into contact with it. In the early hours of the morning, Peter along with the First Lieutenant of MTB 243, Tim Collins, started developing serious blisters on their arms, with their eyes becoming very sore, which gave them difficulty seeing. They were taken to the 98th General Hospital, but on arrival found it overflowing with casualties, all of whom were in similar need of treatment.

Boats in Bari that night had to return to Brindisi for complete decontamination of both upper and below decks, to rid them of any trace of liquid mustard gas, with the crews' personal gear having to be destroyed. Peter was later awarded the British Empire Medal—BEM (Military)—for his efforts in rescuing survivors from the water, but a veil of secrecy was drawn over the events, with the full story of that night only emerging several decades later in 1973.

Peter was flown to Malta for further treatment, but in late January 1944 was given return passage onboard a motor launch to Brindisi, where he was able to rejoin his shipmates on MTB 243. Coastal Forces as a group then moved to Manfredonia in February, from where Peter's flotilla continued operations in and around Vis, until the boat's eventual paying off in May 1944.

At this point Peter's shipmates were dispersed to other boats, and he found himself back on one of the larger D-Type ‛Dog Boats’, MGB 647. The boat had recently suffered casualties in an attack on two ships in the Peljesac Channel, during which three of the crew had been killed. However, despite the sadness of the crew at their recent losses, Peter was welcomed on board and soon found his place among them.

MGB 647 was to participate in operations around the Greek islands in September 1944, which culminated in the liberation of Athens a month later. Several more months would be spent on operations and patrols around Vis and the Planinski Channel up until V.E. Day in May 1945, after which Peter was finally to return to the UK in July 1945, where he was reunited with his family, and sweetheart Doreen. The two were to marry in April 1949.

Civilian Life

On being demobbed in April 1946, a new chapter in Peter’s life began, one that lent on his new found experience in Coastal Forces.

When Peter had originally left school in 1939 aged 14, he had secured an apprenticeship at the nearby factory of Henry Hughes & Son at Hainault. At the time they manufactured nautical instruments, including marine sextants, as well as the first recording echo (depth) sounder.

Owing to the risk from bombing the factory was moved out to Dunstable, and it was during his relocation there that he was to meet another new recruit to the factory, Doreen, who would later become his wife.

On Peter’s return in 1946, Hughes had amalgamated with a rival firm to become Kelvin Hughes. Both companies had expanded into aviation and industrial instrumentation during the war, and the new company was now set to expand further, into the production of advanced radar systems.

As a young, single person, Peter’s employment needs were considered less than those of a married man with family, so when he was called into the Works Manager’s office one day, it was in the expectation of being offered the usual expressions of regret on being made redundant. However, when enquiries about his war service were made, and Peter mentioned his experience with radar, an interview by the Technical Manager for the new project the company was embarking on, to manufacture maritime radar systems for the UK Ministry of Transport, led to a further thirty years of service with the company.

At one point during his new career with Kelvin Hughes, the management decided that their radar engineers should obtain experience of their equipment under sea conditions, to offer instructions to ship’s officers in the use of this new navigational aid. So it was in early June 1949, that Peter found himself at sea once more onboard the carrier ship SS Ocean Volunteer bound from Newport, South Wales, for a voyage to Newfoundland, Canada, known as the grain run.

It was with regret that Peter volunteered for redundancy in 1980, after some forty three years with Kelvin Hughes as Production Test Manager, faced as he was with increasing technological challenges presented by rapid advances in the electronic industry.

After busying himself helping out his son Alan’s building business, Peter was to take up a new role in 1983 as caretaker/handyman for St Francis Hospice near Romford, a post which saw him through to his retirement.

Peter’s wife Doreen predeceased him, passing away peacefully in December 2012, after sixty-three years of marriage. He is survived by daughter Janet, son Peter, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

Coastal Forces Veterans Association (CFVA)

Peter’s long and involved association with the CFVA dated back to May 1974, just one month after an inaugural meeting organised by its founder Gordon Stevens, when Peter’s wife Doreen heard an announcement on the Charlie Chester radio program—an initiative which arose from that meeting—that a group of veterans who had served on ‛Little Ships’ were seeking others with whom to form an association. Peter answered the call, and after obtaining contact details from the BBC, enrolled, and became member No. 29 of the newly formed CFVA.

Founder Gordon Stevens' vision for the new association had been to ‟To foster the spirit of comradeship which existed in both Wars”, and so it proved to be for Peter—and the many others who joined—for the remainder of his life.

The membership soon grew, along with the formation of branches, with London Branch—of which Peter was naturally a member—formed at Brentwood in February 1976, with a later meeting place secured at Tenter House in London. An annual A.G.M. became a focal point for Peter and the veterans, which by 1981 had grown from a one day event at Portsmouth, to a weekend reunion event at either Lowestoft or Hayling Island, hosted alternately by East Anglia or Southern Branch.

Peter’s involvement in the CFVA saw him serve as National Secretary (1980–1983), Vice Chairman (1992-1996), and Chairman (1996–2000).

These annual CFVA reunions were soon to be added to by ones for veterans who had fought in the Adriatic throughout 1944–45 while based on the island of Vis.

Veterans of Vis

On the death of President Marshall Tito of Yugoslavia in 1980, a group of Coastal Forces veterans contacted the embassy in London to offer their condolences, and a painting of the jetty wall and landing at Komiža Harbour—familiar to all British Forces involved in operations on Vis—was commissioned in his honour, and presented the following year to the Yugoslavian Ambassador in London.

A request by the Ambassador to transfer the painting to the Museum in Split was greeted with approval, and this subsequently provided the impetus for the CFVA to arrange the first of many return visits by Peter and his fellow veterans to the island of Vis. At that time in May 1983, Vis was designated a sensitive military area by the Yugoslavian government, and out of bounds to all tourists. The CFVA had to obtain a special one day permit in order to visit the island, with strict security, and restrictions placed on their movements.

A return visit to Vis took place in 1985, this time with some 140 British veterans, including Royal Navy Coastal Forces, Royal Marine Commandos, Army Commandos, and other Army units to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of V.E. Day. The veterans were made welcome by the islanders, and the decision was taken to consolidate this renewed friendship, through an annual pilgrimage made with the support of the British Embassy in Zagreb, starting in 1996.

During the following years a memorial to all British Forces in the Vis Cemetery was created, as well as a memorial on the jetty at Komiža to the fallen of Coastal Forces, which formed the focal point for services held there each year.

The final visit to Vis by Peter and the veterans came in 2019, as the age of the veterans, combined with dwindling numbers, and the difficulties involved in the journey brought a close to the Veterans of Vis.

Peter was awarded the BEM (Civil) in the Queens Honours list of 2017 for his work commemorating the Adriatic Campaign of the Second World War.