大象传媒

This is being typed by Helen Leech on behalf of Charles Richard Polglaze, who is aware of the terms of entering information on this site.

On D-Day I was on board HMS Aristocrat. We had been assigned acting headquarters ship (the headquarters ship was HMS Despatch) to the Mulberry Harbour port construction force. The commanding officer was Brigadier A.E.M Walter RE. Also aboard was Captain C.H. Petrie DSO RN who was a naval officer in charge of a party which planted the block ships or "gooseberries" to form the inner breakwater and other naval activities. We left the Solent and HMS Despatch (we had been moored alongside) at 2pm on D-Day. We made the crossing of the Channel overnight, arriving off the beachhead at Arramanches at first light on the morning after D-Day (D-Day +1). We were the only vessel there. Later we went close to the shore and anchored. While we were waiting for the first blockship to arrive, fortunately a U.S. DUKW which had drifted down from the Omaha beaches was brought by an American tug alongside Aristocrat. This was confiscated by Brigadier Walter for his construction force use. The Brigadier went ashore for a while and came back for the sinking of the first blockship which was a vessel called the Alynbank, which regrettably slewed out of position. (It didn't really matter, because it still worked - they used it as an entrance.) After the first day we moored alongside the sunken blockships and offloaded a telephone communication cable which we had carried across with us - the other end was taken ashore. This cable was used to communicate from a blockship to a station ashore for the movement of vessels crossing to unload. After four days HMS Despatch came in to the Harbour area (still not fully built) and assumed the duty of Headquarters Ship. HMS Aristocrat was then stationed outside the harbour for anti-aircraft protection and ship direction duties. We remained off the beachhead until ordered back to the UK after being damaged by a merchant ship that struck us forward. We proceded to Portsmouth into dry dock for inspection and repair.

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