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DOWN MEMORY LANE

My father, Ken Toller, joined the Royal Navy as a boy in 1935 and when war broke out was transfered to the Motor Torpedo Boats of Coastal Forces. These are some of his memories of those years.

鈥淲e commissioned MTB 25 in January 1940; she was delivered to Vernon from the makers J.H. Thorneycroft and after a few runs over the measured mile at Stokes Bay, was accepted and signed for by our CO Lt. Litchfield. Our whole crew had been together on MTB23. A few days at Vernon and then to Felixstowe dock with the Scott -Paine boats that had returned from the Med.
Our next move was to Blyth. We headed north and ran into a blizzard and rough weather so sheltered at Grimsby until the weather moderated. At Blyth we found our own mooring alongside a catamaran which saved tending our securing lines. As I seem to remember, MTB 25 somehow always found herself within a heaving line thrown from a bar, pub or caf茅 and once at Cherbourg, a bordello. We stayed aboard a month with a few trips searching for survivors from missing aircraft.
Our next move was to Felixstowe, our time spent as a glorified picket boat taking Ranking Officers to the offshore forts. On the 10th May, the balloon went up and we were roused about 4am by the first lieutenant telling us that Holland was being invaded and the three boats MTB 22, 24 and 25 were to load extra food and proceed to Ijmuiden. We arrived late afternoon to secure alongside a VIW class destroyer. No one seemed to know what was going on and that included the Dutch. It was all rumours and the wildest were believed.
Late evening a Dutch Petty Officer came aboard and we proceeded up the North Sea Canal using auxiliary engines and arriving at Amsterdam at dawn. We headed to the re-fuelling barge and were hailed by the barge crew demanding the password, which of course we had no idea of. Next a hail of fire! Being bowman I was very smartly in the prone position. It was the first time I had been shot at and it was from about ten feet.
The Dutch pilot went home and we proceeded on main engines across the Zee and went alongside the main street at Enkhuizen opposite a large bar. The officers went ashore to find out what the local situation was whilst we adjourned to the bar for food and refreshment.
The situation was that the Germans had reached the coast leaving us some forty odd miles behind them. In no time we were back across the Zee and through the lock into Amsterdam. The huge Shell fuel tanks were on fire and the whole waterway was covered in the thick black smoke. Somehow the three boats became separated and we made our own way back to Ijmuiden.
By then it was dark and we sped across the harbour and into the open sea. We were immediately challenged by a VIW class destroyer. On closing we found her decks were crowded with refugees. We were told that about a dozen British nationals were still waiting on a jetty. We crept back to the harbour and found them, took them aboard and dashed to sea. The destroyer had departed and we took our passengers to Parkston Quay. The sea became lumpy as we closed the coast 鈥� what a mess they made on the boat!
Our next move was to Dover from where we operated until we payed off. By day we stood by at immediate notice for air sea rescue duties. These were shared with RAF crash boats. At night we shared sweeps along the French coast. MTBs were very few at that time so we had few opportunities for runs ashore.
Very soon we were used for helping the evacuation at Dunkirk. We ran to and fro until it ended. One afternoon we took VA Dover across as he wished to see things first hand. May and June were hectic months with never a still moment. The crew were exhausted. The break we had did not last long as we were sent first to Calais then Boulogne. Both evacuations were a shambles by any standard. Most of the troops we took off were drunk as they were dead tired and they had helped themselves in the local bars as they retreated.
We had landed some special troops to demolish behind the town. Then we found we could not leave as the entrance was blocked by a destroyer that had been damaged by bombing and was sinking by the bows. We were there as the first Germans came along the jetty and we opened fire. We must have killed many of them; eight Vickers K can do a lot of damage at short range. The destroyer managed to get under way and we went at full speed into the open sea and returned to Dover.
As the enemy swept westward, we were ahead calling at Dieppe, Le Havre and Cherbourg. We payed off in September and commissioned MTB 45 in January 1941. She was built at Samuel White`s at Cowes. Our CO was Lt. Gamble and we were the leader of the 5th Flotilla based at Dover. We berthed at Ferry Dock whilst the Pens were being completed. Our 1st Lt. was Mark Arnold 鈥� Forster who soon became SO MTBs Dover. We did many varied operations; torpedo attacks, mine laying very close to enemy harbours and running gunfights.
There always seemed to be a flap. We usually operated in threes; Group A at immediate notice, Group B at one hour`s notice and Group C at two hours` notice. Group B had canteen leave when you could visit our three pubs, The Terminus, The Rose and Crown and the Cinque Ports. These were all within a hundred yards of Ferry Dock. Group C had leave in town. Often whilst watching a film, a recall would be flashed on the screen. The shore patrol and the police would soon round up the drinkers.
Dover at that time was good fun with no dress regulations and most certainly no customs; discipline was very lax. This only lasted until the Pens were completed, then we lived and slept in them. They were on the eastern arm so we could not slip into town.
Dover was often shelled and we replied with mobile guns mounted on rails. My time on MTB 45 ended when our CO left us to command a destroyer. Our 1st Lt. took command and on our second operation we were badly shot up towards the French side of the Channel coast. The CO was killed and myself and four others wounded. I spent several weeks in Gillingham Hospital and after a week`s leave went back to Dover and to MTB38.
I was promoted to coxswain and moved to MTB 129. It was the old Dover routine of torpedo attacks, mine laying and endless patrols in all weathers. With Mark Arnold -Forster as CO, we sank among other things a large tanker as it rounded Cap Gris Nez. Then in February 1942, we were involved in the historic Channel dash of the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau.
At about 11am the COs came running along the jetty yelling 鈥渟tart up鈥� and we sped across the harbour and set course for Calais. It was raining hard with a strong wind so we made a lot of spray. There were only four boats and one of these was running on two engines. We sighted the enemy but we were just too late for a shot with torpedoes. We fired a long shot but had no luck. We were harassed by destroyers and aircraft. On return to harbour, we picked up two survivors from the Swordfish attack; one was bleeding from about everywhere. We laid them on two bunks and the one that was bleeding had all our attention as the other seemed to be OK. But he died before we reached Dover and the one who had bled so much visited us the following day bringing us a bottle of rum. His wounds were superficial as he had got them getting out of the aircraft.
The 5th and 6th MTB flotillas were under- powered as they had Hall Scott engines and their acceleration left much to be desired. What was left of the flotillas in April 1944 manned one boat and we took over MTB 362 at Sheldon. She was a different kettle of fish. She had three supercharged Packard engines and a speed of 47 knots. We were soon installed in the Pens at Dover and into the old routine.
On returning from leave, I joined ML183 lying at Plymouth. In February 1945 we set sail for Dieppe in very bad weather and on arrival were told to patrol outside the harbour. When we were eventually ordered to enter, we were picked up by a huge wave and dashed against the wall. The whole port side was smashed in and we immediately sank.
The engine room crew were trapped and injured. We managed to drag them topside but found that they were dead. A huge wave washed us overboard and we swam to a boat alongside the harbour wall. Our engine room crew were buried in the local cemetery.
After a week`s survivor leave, I joined ML 445 based at Ostend. I then went back to general service joining HMS Hargood based at Reykjavik. I finally finished my naval service on HMS Creole, a C class destroyer.
I must say that life then never had a dull moment. Looking back at it all I realise I was extremely lucky!鈥�

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