1000 Men, 1000 Stories : Photographs: Imperial War Museum

Friday, January 5, 2018

Photographs: Imperial War Museum - N. Africa, 1942 (2)

Operation TORCH, Invasion of N. Africa, Nov. 1942.

Caption: A12661. American troops on board a landing craft going in to land at Oran

during Operation TORCH. Photo Credit - Royal Navy Photographer F.A. Hudson

and Imperial War Museum (IWM)

Introduction: A good many photographs found in books or on the internet related to the Allied cause during WW2 are part of the vast collection belonging to the Imperial War Museum, U.K. On just about every front, photographers could be found near the front lines - aboard troop ships, landing craft, on the beaches or in foxholes, etc. For example, a few worked upon the shores of North Africa when troops came ashore aboard LCAs, LCMs and other crafts.

I encourage readers to browse IWM collections at their leisure (at no cost). Memorable copies of rare photographs can be purchased, if desired, while visiting IWM websites.

Please link to Search Our Collections.

Displayed below are a few pictures taken by Royal Navy photographers during World War 2. They are now archived at IWM and may assist those searching for more information about the role of Canadians in Combined Operations during Operation TORCH.

The accompanying captions are found with the photos as well:

A12663. Smoke screens being laid in Arzeu bay.

RN photographer F.A. Hudson, IWM.

A12664. Smoke screens being laid in Arzeu bay.

RN photographer F.A. Hudson, IWM.

A12665. American troops making their way inland after landing at Arzeu.

F.A. Hudson, IWM.

A12666. American troops making their way inland after landing at Arzeu.

(Note GI smoking cigarette holding the Stars and Stripes.)

F.A. Hudson, IWM.

A12667. American troops making their way inland after landing at Arzeu. Several

small landing craft can be seen in the foreground whilst in the distance can be seen

some of the troopships that helped transport the men. F.A. Hudson, IWM.

A12668. American troops landing on Arzeu beach.

F.A. Hudson, IWM.

A12669. American troops landing stores on Arzeu beach from a landing craft.

Various sized ships can be seen in the distance. F.A. Hudson, IWM.

A12670. American troops landing light guns on Arzeu beach.

Lt. F.A. Hudson, IWM.

Editor's Notes: The next two photographs hold special significance, at least to this editor. I believe the sailor, centre foreground and knee-deep in water in first photo below, is my father Doug Harrison. He appears to be in the second as well, in my opinion. In his memoirs he says the following about that day:

My LCM had the leading officer aboard, another seaman besides me, along with a stoker and Coxswain. At around midnight (Editor: Nov. 8, 1942 at Arzeu, N. Africa) over the sides went the LCMs, ours with a bulldozer and heavy mesh wire, and about 500 feet from shore we ran aground. When morning came we were still there, as big as life and all alone, while everyone else was working like bees.

There was little or no resistance, only snipers, and I kept behind the bulldozer blade when they opened up at us. We were towed off eventually and landed in another spot, and once the bulldozer was unloaded the shuttle service began. For ‘ship to shore’ service we were loaded with five gallon jerry cans of gasoline. I worked 92 hours straight and I ate nothing except for some grapefruit juice I stole.

Our Coxswain was L/S Jack Dean of Toronto and our officer was Lt. McDonald RNR.

After the 92 hours my officer said, “Well done. An excellent job, Harrison. Go to Reina Del Pacifico and rest.” But first the Americans brought in a half track (they found out snipers were in a train station) and shelled the building to the ground level. No more snipers. I then had to climb hand over hand up a large hawser (braided rope) to reach the hand rail of Reina Del Pacifico and here my weakness showed itself.

I believe that my father, along with other Canadians, assisted British sailors with their LCAs loaded with U.S. troops, as well as handling LCMs loaded with the materials of war, e.g., gasoline and tractors, at various times during the week that they served in North Africa.