Video: "FAINT FOOTSTEPS," WW II (Part 8)

 An Important Combined Ops Exercise Goes Awry

The WWII Training Exercise Schuyt 1, May 1942

WWII landing crafts penetrated 'hostile shore defences' under the

watchful eye of King George VI from waters off Irvine, Scotland

Introduction:

The Canadian sailors and officers who volunteered for the Combined Operations (C.O.) organization in December, 1941 were soon involved in training exercises - handling landing crafts filled with British soldiers - at C.O. training camps near Irvine, Scotland (and initially, Hayling Island, England, and Inveraray, Scotland) in the spring of 1942. Raw recruits, sea-sick soldiers under the thoughtful observation of C.O. Commander Louis Mountbatten, PM Winston Churchill and King George VI - not everything went off as planned. 

My father helped nudge a stranded landing craft off a sandbar, but was left

behind in the waters near Irvine. An Aldis lamp spotted him. Photo - IWM

FAINT FOOTSTEPS WWII, Part 8 follows:

The video incorporates many details from a story (below) written by my father, Doug Harrison (RCNVR, Combined Operations), and photographs from my trip to Scotland in 2014.

Exercise Schuyt 1: Marooned On a Submerged Sand Bar

by Doug Harrison, L/Sea, RCNVR.

(As found in St. Nazaire to Singapore: The Canadian Amphibious War Volume 1, page 46)

It was so damn dark. "Keep closed up!"
I can still hear Andy Wedd's voice to this day
(I am glad I saw him shortly before his death).

At the night exercise the time of arrival was midnight. The crew was Koyl, Art Bailey, Stoker Lank (and his pail — Stoker Willard Lank was always chewing kelp) and myself, with a full complement of English soldiers.

Believe me, these fellows were sick soldiers. Bailey and I lashed ourselves down as best as we could (onto canvas toppers) and emptied the helmets as the soldiers handed them up.

The assault landing craft (ALC) has an open channel up the middle, so

troops can hurry off; the benches for sitting are under 'canvas toppers'.

Caption w original photo: A23097. Troops landing on the beach from

an assault craft, Isle of Wight area...Lt. E.E. Allen, IWM.

Destination or landing, I don't remember. Troon? I can remember two perimeter lights vaguely in the distance. We were perhaps headed south and it was rough.

The following or all of this is true.

Our craft ran aground on a sand bar. Koyl ordered Bailey and I overboard to look or tread for deeper water. And he soon followed. First we tried rocking the craft in conjunction with the motors. No luck.

Wandering in sea boots, underwear, my duffel coat, I fell into deeper water (which wasn't too cold fortunately) and hollered, "Over here, sir!" So we worked our asses off to free the ALC and we were successful. The soldiers helped to rock the craft.

Koyl's fuming, ''We are going to be late!" And he is flotilla commander.

Bailey and Koyl were able to get aboard. I wasn't and they drove off and left me out in the water. I was scared, but I felt I knew Mr. Koyl.

I discarded all my clothing but uniform pants and underwear, found a sand bar and waited it out. They made their landing eventually but.... how is he going to find me (this is unbelievable)?

I thrashed my arms, swam on my back for short stints to maintain circulation and after an eternity I saw an Aldis Lamp blinking. Motors were cut, then revved up, and cut. Koyl had a fair idea perhaps but I don't know how he knew where to locate me.

Eventually our voices came reasonably close together. I was caught in the light of the Aldis lamp and picked up after one and a half or two hours waiting. My hands were all wrinkled. I felt all in.

When we returned to Irvine, Koyl, Bailey and I hurried to a local pub (now known as the Harbour Light).* We were given hot porridge, rum and our clothes were taken to be dried and we were wrapped in blankets. All of this help came from ladies.

It was late afternoon before we left the pub - Royal Sovereign or King George?

I was a very lucky fellow. In the darkness Koyl and Bailey took awhile before they missed me. I didn't really know what went amiss but the fact that the landing had to be made on time was uppermost in Koyl's mind.

[*The Harbour Light was mentioned by the creator of St. Nazaire to Singapore as well, but I believe the pub was the King's Arms Hotel, formerly owned by the Skinner family (as I was told by the current owner's son). The Harbour Light was formerly owned by the Burns family and known as the Queen Victoria. Editor GH]

All's well that ends well, I say.

Dad likely enjoyed the King's rum; I enjoyed the Guinness 72 years later

To view the previous video in this series, please link to "FAINT FOOTSTEPS, World War II, Part 7"

A series of "Faint Footsteps" videos can be found also on YouTube, e.g., Faint Footsteps WWII, Part 1

Questions or comments can be addressed to GH at gordh7700@gmail.com

Video and Unattributed Photos GH