HMS Opossum Newsletter Christmas 2019
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HMS OPOSSUM ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER CHRISTMAS 2019 1945-1958 th th Welcome to our Christmas Newsletter. Our next reunion is organized for 17 - 20 April 2020 at the Suncliffe Hotel, Bournemouth along with H.M. Ships – Newfoundland, Gambia, Kenya and Ceylon, again organized by The Isle of Wight Tours. Thanks to Tom Quirk for sending in some useful material the rest is the editors contributhtion which is hoped of interest to the membership. In this issue D-Day 6 June 1944. Two Naval personalities, Peter Scott and Bradwell Turner Isle of Man naval training 1939-1945 The ever popular Christmas Quiz Carols are Christmas Shipmates Humour Shaggy Dog stories Rattler and Alecto Reunion photographs Chairman Lewis Trinder 106 North Lane, Aldershot, Hants GU12 4QT 01252-323861 lewistrinder7@gmail Secretary/Editor Eddie Summerfold 28 Greymont Rd. Limefield BURY BL9 6PN 0161-764-8778 [email protected] Treasurer Sam Edgar 21 Heath Lawns, F1areham, Hants PO15 5QB 01329-235732 [email protected] website www.hmsopossum.org.uk TREASURER’S REPORT Brought RFoOrLwLa rOd F H O £N1O,77U1R .35 Income £1,912.13 Balance £1,785.51 Ronald Bradley John Eardly Wilmot John Cartwright J W Powell Albert Corless Harry Barlow David Jarvis Bob Gray Les Wood George Scott John Williams Ken Harris Pat Norman Reg Parker Harry Roach Ivan C Haskell George Fletcher Fred Thornton George H Richards Fred[Mick[Bodel Fred King George Curry Sid Pemberton John Davison Cliff Harthill George Brown Steven Hart Stewart A Porter Arthur Pope Jack Marshall Les Dimmock John Bray Joe Gornall Doug Banks Dick[Ginger]Bird Jackie Scholes Harry Woolhams Cornelious Canon Jim Tribe Doug Goulding John Fraser Pete Maddox Bill Bolton Cyril Mason John Hardman Ken Philipps Mike Swayne Harry Catterson Ron Hare Bill Bovey Jack Richards William Wilder George[Jan]Lobb Bill Price Martin George Ken Slater Mike Cole Jim Payne Peter Lockwood Edward[Ted]Longstaff Roy Cope Ron Blundy Bert Rimmer John Blair John W C Clark Ken Carson Charles Parker Tony Harris Willy Mitchell Brian Healey Alan Percival Alister Hunter Blair Stan Oldfield John Jones Roy Wood John MacKenzie Tom Tolson Ian Janes John Owen Ken Hodgkin Nick Whytock 2 D-DAY 6 th JUNE 1944 A D-DAY BEACH HEAD There had been previous Twentieth Century amphibious landings involving British Forces – Gallipoli, Dieppe, North Africa and Sicily. Except for the last two these were poorly planned, lacked accurate intelligence and grossly underestimated the opposition. To liberate German occupied Europe demanded the most detailed, well planned assault. Operation Overlord was the greatest amphibious landing in history, worked out to the tiniest detail. The Russian leader Joseph Stalin had demanded from the Allies a Second Front to ease the pressure on his land forces, an attempt was made at Dieppe in August 1942 that proved a total failure, with many lives lost and no gain save for the knowledge that only a maxim effort by land, sea and air was a prime requisite along with logistic support; if a port was unavailable the Allies would have to take one across the Channel, this was the Mulberry Harbour. Overlord took two years to plan and organize. To take on a well prepared entrenched enemy was difficult enough, from the sea an almost impossible task;3 one the Russian leader did not have to face. Nazi Germany had to defend 2,400 miles of occupied coastline, mostly concentrated around the shortest cross channel routes from England. This they did with bunkers, concrete protected artillery, an estimated four million land mines and very many beach obstacles, primed with explosive devices; and they waited knowing that at sometime, at someplace their enemy would be coming. Somewhere around the Pas-de-Calais was an obvious choice, being the shortest route, so the Allies let them believe this by organizing a cunning deception plan that involved fake radio transmissions, a phantom army and double agents to convince the Nazi hierarchy that despite what the Allies said or intended this was where the real landing would take place. Many men, tanks and artillery came over from the United States and Canada. In various parts of Britain intensive training took place of army units to prepare them for the coming enterprise . From early January 1944 equipment, ammunition and stores began to be accumulated around England’s South coast. Ship yards built many landing craft, Mullbury Harbour had to be designed and tested, together with PLUTO [pipeline under the ocean] transporting petrol to France after initial supplies were exhausted. Mishaps happened like the Slapton Sands fiesco, Operation Tiger a night time dress rehearsal for D-Day by US troops. Was this a chance encounter or did the German’s have some prior knowledge? Their E-boats torpedoed and blasted with gunfire the packed landing craft, 749 US soldiers, never saw Normandy ,they lost their lives in this planned exercise. Much was to be demanded from the Merchant Navy, once the soldiers were ashore, their task was to keep them constantly supplied with all they needed. The Royal Navy had three jobs, soften up the beaches and hinterland defences with heavy guns from battleships such as HM ships Nelson, Rodney, Warspite and Roberts [your editors first ship] provide mine clearance and midget submarines to guide the first landing craft to their objectives. Before the first troops landed a large British and American paratroop force, would land behind enemy lines, from 867 gliders and take out strategic targets to prevent Nazi reinforcements. French Resistance tasked with blowing up railway bridges that would block communication links in Normandy. All was set, all was ready, then the weather closed in and D-Day was delayed for twenty-four hours. Metrologists predicted a window of opportunity, fair conditions for a few days and Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D Eisenhower gave the go ahead. The Invasion was on. Air superiority was essential. The beaches of Normandy waths the chosen landing area, there were to be five - UTAH, OMAHA [American] GOLD, JUNO [British] and SWORD [Canadian] 4 On the Morning of Tuesday 6 June 1944 the invasion began. On the first day… …………..156,115 U.S. British and Canadian troops landed, from………….. 6.939 ships and landing craft, supported by …………….. 2,395 bombers and fighter aircraft. In five days all bridgeheads had been secured and moved inland. By the end of June ………… 850, 279 soldiers had been put ashore together with………… 148, 803 vehicles and …………...570, 505 tons of supplies. Transports sunk ………... 49, damaged….. 109. The cost on D-Day alone …………. 4,414 killed …………. [2,501 U.S., 1,917 British and Canadian] th Paris liberated in August, Belgium and Holland early 1945. European hostilities ended in total defeat of Nazi Germany 8 May 1945. th Disembarkation 6 June 1944 5 NAVAL PERSONALITIES [22] Sir PETER MARKHAM SCOTT CH, CBE, DSC,& Bar FRS [1909-1989] Born London the only child of Antarctic explorer Robert Falcon Scott, only two years old when is father died. Who wrote to his wife Kathleen try and make the boy interested in natural history, much better than games. Sir Peter Scott Educated Oundie School and Trinity College Cambridge where he took natural history. Won a bronze medal at dingy sailing ins the Berlin Olympics 1936. During the Sthecond World enlisted as a Sub Lieut. RNVR. After Dunkirk evacuation rescued wounded of the 51 Highland Division from Saint-Valery- en-Caux, 11 June 1940. Lieutenant on the destroyer HMS Broke doing convoy escort in the North Atlantic, later in command of light forces gun boats. Designed camouflage schemes for these boats with moderate success Stood as a Conservative candidate in 1945 elections lost narrowly to Labour. Founded Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetland Trust. Saved the Hawiian Goose from extinction. Did much promoting of6 Wild life on Radio and Television becaming well known world wide for his conservation schemes Died in Bristol 1989. ISLE OF MAN, NAVAL TRAINING DURING SECOND WORLD WAR [abridged Ed.] by Tom Quirk Boy seaman of HMS St. George, on parade, Douglas seafront, Isle of Man 1943 From September 1939 until the Wars end in August 1945 the Isle of Man provided Naval training for thousands of Boys and Adults in subjects such as seamanship, gunnery, communications, radar plotting, radio maintenance, anti-submarine work, Fleet Air Arm operations and also basic musicianship for Royal Marine Bandsmen. WRNS were also trained on the Island. Perhaps the most important was the Continuous Service training establishment HMS St. George in Douglas. Here throughout he whole War 8,677 Boy ratings were trained for 12 months in seamanship or communications before going to ships of the Fleet. At Ballakermeen School they received an education in many subjects comparable with a good secondary school given by qualified School masters. The Boys age ranging from 15 to 17 received their professional training from 300 officers, Chiefs and Petty officers in not only practical aspects of being good seaman and communicators, V/S & W/T, but also in smartness of the Service and keeping their issued kit clean and in good repair. Accommodation was provided in the former Cunningham Holiday Camp with it’s two gymnasiums and an indoor swimming pool. The former Children’s Home on Glencrutchery Road provided full medical facilities for all naval personnel. Other R.N. bases on the Island included HMS Valkyrie and HMS Valkyri7e II, Ronaldsway air port taken over for a Naval Air Station. In short the Isle of Man was turned over to the Royal Navy for almost all their training. THE CHRISTMAS QUIZ [No prizes just for fun, answers on the back page] 1. What does a petrologist study? 2.