Video: FAINT FOOTSTEPS, World War II (Part 4)

 Dark and Lonely Nights at Combined Ops Camp, 1942

Based on Editor's Column (4) 

Doug Harrison, RCNVR, stands guard with a rifle "and no ammunition"

at his first Combined Ops training camp, HMS Northney, UK. Jan. 1942

Introduction:

100 raw recruits from RCNVR landed in the United Kingdom in late January 1942, and without much, if any ceremony, they were soon whisked away - from HMCS Niobe in Greenock, Scotland - to Hayling Island, S. England. By the end of two year's service overseas they were experts at handling landing crafts and riding the rails.

At HMS Northney (I - IV) camps they learned that their responsibilities revolved around various types of small landing craft. Recently I found an online site that mentions Moira Cruickshank, WRNS, whose excellent drawings were used in classroom settings re LCAs (landing craft, assault) and LCMs (landing craft, mechanised). 

Drawing of ALCs by Moira Cruickshank as found at

The D-Day Story (link)

The Video: Faint Footsteps, World War II (Part 4) follows:

The LCM was called a 'D-Day workhorse', a sturdy and versatile flat-bottomed craft. Some sailors were not happy if you called it a barge:

Another drawing by Moira Cruickshank, WRNS at HMS Northney

To view the previous video in this series, please link to Video: Faint Footsteps, World War II (Part 3) by Gord Harrison.

More to follow.

Video GH

Unattributed Photos GH