大象传媒

In the run-up to D-Day I was aged 19 and serving in Combined Operations as a Royal Marine Lieutenant with 700LCP(L) flotilla at HMS Cricket - a shore base on the River Hamble.
A few days before D-Day I was informed - by George Powrie - the senior Lt.in the unit that I had 'volunteered' for a special job involving the shepherding ashore of 'DD' (amphibious) tanks. These tanks were to be transported by Group 210 to 'Gold' beach where they were to be first ashore.
It was necessary for me to transfer immediately to HMS Tormentor - another shore base a few miles down the river - for briefing and special training.
At 'Tormentor' I was given a new LCP(L) equipped with a 'G2' radio set used for pinpointing the craft's position by using, via an oscilloscope, radio beams from several transmitters in the U.K.
Joining me on the 'new' craft - which already had a Royal Navy stoker (A.Roper) and AB seaman (J.E.Coe) - were three Royal Marines - coxswain (Corporal P.J.Warren)
Signaller (Mne.C.J.Barton) and my MOA (Mne.L.Higgins) I refer to the craft as 'new', in fact, it was LCP(L)4-perhaps one of the oldest involved on D-Day - it may well have been to Dieppe years before.
In addition to the special radio we were provided with photographs of 'Gold' beach taken, in the months before, by Spitfires flying in at sea level.
Group 210 was comprised of (in cruising formation) ML303, LCH275, LCP(Survey),
2 LCS(L), 8 LCT (carrying the DD tanks),
3 LCG(L), and 8 LCP(L)s.
I still have the 'top secret'passage orders for the group - detailing the role for each craft. We left 'Tormentor' at 10am on June 4th-only to be recalled. 24 hours later we were off again - proceeding down the Solent, around the Needles and back to the rendezvous point south of the I.of Wight.
The weather was foul and when we rounded the Needles we realised we were in for a very rough sea. After some time getting organised, Group 210 set off for the 'swept' channel. - Next stop - France.

We were probably mid-channel - with heavy seas, strong wind and rain when the order came that we were to be taken in tow by the LCTs carrying the DD tanks.
The LCPs were the smallest craft in the group and their passage would have been hair-raising to watch - disappearing behind one wave and bursting out on top of the next
- but they were a bit like seagulls on the surface in rough weather - and quite safe.
The order to tow was aggravated by a second order restricting the length of the towline
-because of the danger from the number os ships milling around.
The first tow-rope snapped almost immediately so we were passed a bigger one.
This one tore out the bollard we fixed it to. The problem was the length of tow-line.
This meant that when the stern of the LCT went up on one wave - the LCP, at the same moment, was plunging down into the following trough. The second rope also parted and the LCT decided we shouls use a steel hawser. We attached it to the main 'lifting' ring on the foredeck.
On the LCP it felt like being on the end of a whip. We were all very sick - even the RN personnel. One huge whiplash resulted in the 'lifting' ring being torn out of the foredeck - taking with it some of the crafts wooden struts which formed part of its basic structure. - I was furious!
The LCT offered the steel tow again but I would have no more of it - indeed, there was nothing left to secure it on the craft.
We ploughed on independently which was more comfortable - in spite of the weather.
We kept station successfully for some time but the hole in our foredeck meant we were taking in more water than our pump could cope with. After what seemed like hours of struggling we started to slip behind the Group - eventually losing sight of them in the darkness.
While all this was going on, Corporal Warren
our coxswain, climbed out onto the foredeck and managed to fix a groundsheet over the large hole. As his CO, I should have made a report about his brave efforts.
It was after midnight - approaching the Seine Bay when I became aware of my young signaller using his aldis light to flash SOS. Admittedly the light was directed astern but I gave him a bit of a 'telling off' because any light was forbidden.
I can't be sure but I suspect he decided to forget my words (God bless him) because the next thing happening was the approach of a destroyer out of the darkness.
She drew up close giving us some shelter from the sea and a loud speaker demanded -
"Do you require assistance?"
I don't remember my answer!!
The destroyer was HMS Beagle and the skipper
Lt.Commander Murch took one look at us and ordered that we, the crew,be hauled aboard.
I grabbed the important documents and photographs we were carrying and we all made it up the rope ladders to the Beagle's deck. It was a great feeling to be aboard such a ship but I suspect we all had some worries about the rest of the Group.
We discovered later that the decision was taken not to launch the DD tanks in the rough sea but to take them into the beach still in the LCTs for a 'dry' landing.
(Our job was to shepheard them from launch point to the beach.)
We were extremely lucky to be found by the Beagle - it seems she was not tied to a particular group - she was carrying Desmond Tighe (Reuters Correspondent) and had some freedom to operate independently.
Desmond Tighe's report in a June 7th newspaper read......
.....It was about midnight, just before H.Hour, when we found our first casualty.
We were steaming for the coast of France.
The wind was high and seas were lashing over our bow. A faint light signalled SOS out of the darkness. We turned towards it and found a small assault landing craft manned by a Royal Marine Lieutenant, three marines and two ratings tossing about the sea. She was holed badly up forward.
We pulled them aboard......
The Beagle's skipper, Lt.Commander Murch gained a reputaion for rescuing people - contravening orders or not - as illustrated in the 大象传媒 WW2 contribution "HMS Beagle to the Rescue" - the story of Beagle's rescue of Americans - following their ship being torpedoed while making passage from Portsmouth to 'Omaha' beach on June 9th.1944
- not to mention other similar exploits in other theatres of war.
After further adventures at the Normandy beaches 'Juno' and 'Gold' on D-Day morning the Beagle was urgently recalled to Portsmouth to pick up some military VIPs.
She ploughed back across the channel at great speed (an exciting experience).
On disembarking on the old railway jetty in Portsmouth I was given a draft note for our crew. I still have this 'survivors note' and I notice that two of my marines were listed as 'G' (grog) while the third was listed as 'UA' (underage)
On the jetty I noticed a RAF utility truck with a WAAF driver from Thorney Island - this was where an older brother of mine was stationed - so I asked her if she knew him -She did - and I quickly scribbled a note to him on the back of the Beagle's draft note.
25 years later he returned it to me saying
'I thought you might like this as a souvenir'
That night we were, unbelievably, back in HMS Cricket for a very good nights sleep.
Next morning - an interview with a senior RN officer who informed me that while he had to 'repost' my crew - it was quite in order for me to return to my original unit. 700 LCP(L) flotilla which he knew to be somewhere on 'Gold' beach.
Overnight - back again on an American built
'liberty' ship - anchoring off 'Juno' beach where, amazingly, I was able to beg a lift from a passing LCS(M). It was commanded by Lt.'Buster'Brown who happened to be on the same course as me - a year before- at the
RM.OCTU., Thurlestone, Devon.
He ferried me to Arromanches where we soon located 700 flotilla.
Arromanches was already secured - everywhere
there was frantic activity - including the building of the amazing Mulberry harbour.
We made our base on one of the old ships sunk off Arromanches to act as a breakwater
for the new 'harbour' She was once a German freighter - taken after the first world war as a 'prize' and renamed 'Flowergate'
We were based at Arromanches for three months - our duties mainly to protect the anchorage.
We made frequent trips to 'Sword' beach at the far end of the anchorage where we carried out a variety of tasks along the 'Trout line' - running North from Ouistrehem parallel to the German held coast
We travelled during the evening, three LCPs together - staying overnight on the old French Battleship 'Courbet' (another sunk as a blockship). At first light we had to be ready for - smokelaying or patrols against 'human torpedoes' and radio controlled motorboats. Occasionally we had to protect our LCGs with smoke when they went in to attack guns on the German held coast whose fire could reach the 'Sword' anchorage.
On our trips to 'Sword' from 'Gold' it was our practice to go some way out to sea to avoid all the craft close in to the beaches.
On one occasion a group of three of our LCPs making passage to 'Sword' were mistaken for German 'E' boats as they approached from seawards. They failed to respond quickly to the coded challenge and suffered 'friendly' fire from outlying trawlers - resulting in casualties and the death of one of our Marines.
On Sepember 3rd - the anniversary of the start of the war - and the anniversary of my being commissioned in the Royal Marines I had the honour of bringing back to the River Hamble (under their own steam) the eight LCP(L)s, which remained seaworthy, from the two flotillas at Arromanches.
I regret not meeting Lt.Cdr.Murch after the war - but it was a great pleasure meeting a number of the Beagle's war-time crew at their reunions - including Lt.Cdr.Macmillan
(Sub.Lt.on the Beagle in 1944) and also
Surgeon Capt.Macdonald (Surgeon Lt. on the Beagle)

I give thanks to the crew of HMS Beagle and to that young R.M.signaller for granting me an extra 60 years on this earth with my wife + six wonderful children.

Frank Milton.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.