The Average Rating Would Rate Italy 9/10
Caption with Photo NA6239. Reggio, 3 September, 1943 (Operation Baytown):
White Ensign flies over Reggio harbour. Photo Credit - Imperial War Museum
Photographer - Sgt. J.A. West, No. 2 Army Film & Photographic Unit
Introduction:
Reggio, on the toe of Italy's boot, suffered a stiff bombardment on September 2, 1943 and the Allied landings on the morrow were reportedly unopposed. Most Canadian RCNVR veterans would say, like my father, that "Sicily was hot, Italy was easy."
And once the Canadian 80th Flotilla of Landing Craft (LCMs, the Mark IIIs) got into a reliable routine of 'days on and day off' they enjoyed water skiing, visiting towns along the coast and even the occasional celebration, e.g., the day Italy surrendered.
In fact, by the time Richard L. Sanburn, a war correspondent for The Ottawa Citizen, interviewed three Canadian officers and four ratings (of RCNVR and Combined Operations, some from Ottawa) during a lull in the action, they reported that they were already "getting a bit bored running a shuttle service between (Messina) Sicily and (Reggio harbour) Italy."
Excerpts from Sanburn's article follow:
About the above introductory paragraph: The sailors seemed cheerful and bored at the same time. If they were expecting a repeat of the hot action they had somehow endured without suffering many fatalities or injuries - during the heavily opposed landings near Avola and Syracuse (south eastern Sicily) beginning on July 10, 1943 - they did not get it.
If they were expecting a repeat of harsh to zero accommodations - as in limestone cattle caves (again, as in SE Sicily) or under a tarp on the beach during Operation Husky - they did not get it. Bombed out and vacant houses were available in parts of Messina.
When a creative Navy lad made water skis out of wine barrel slats, hopes for some form of recreation grew by leaps and bounds. Some Navy boys also traded their tinned rations for laundry service (dobying) and were guided about by willing youngsters who happily accepted payment in the form of food or chocolate.
Before Sicily and Italian campaigns, five Canadians in
Combined Ops were guided around Cairo by Omar.
Things were looking up!
As well, a short quote by Sub-Lieut. Ian Barclay (featured in the previous entry) seems to suggest that work was made easier by Reggio's accommodating beaches, perhaps as seen in the first photo:
By "dream beaches", I think Barclay is referring to more than the fact they were unopposed. They were broad and relatively flat, so skillful sailors could step on and off without getting so much as their feet wet.
Earlier examples of 'dream beaches':
Practice in S. England. Photo - Combined Operations, C. Marks
Sicily, 1943. Photo - Combined Operations, C. Marks
That being said, sometimes the cargo left a little to be desired. One sailor reported that the landing crafts were used at one time to transport "mules to Italy", and he didn't like that. Mules could be unruly and messy, and if they left a mess behind then the sailors had to clean it up before filling their crafts with a more delicate load, e.g., food or clothing supplies or almost anything other than more mules!
Chuck Rose (RCNVR, Comb. Ops.) cleans up sewage dumped by a troop ship.
Circa 1943. S. England. Photo - Memoirs by Lloyd Evans
Sanburn's article finished with the following excerpt:
From The Ottawa Citizen, Sept. 5, 1943
Sanburn kindly lists the names of four sailors or ratings from Ottawa. Three of the names sound familiar (Evans, Belisle and Boren (sic)) and two very familiar. I have a wide range of material about Lloyd Evans and Norm Bowen, including many photographs of and from Mr. Evans.
I have been unable to find any references to Cy Little or Sam Belisle at this time, though the second name is quite familiar, perhaps recorded in books from my father's collection. If I come across any items related to these two ratings I will amend this entry to include them.
re Norm Bowen, Ottawa; Mr. Bowen's name is listed on a Navy hammock that can be seen (by appointment only) at the Navy Museum located on the grounds of HMCS Naden in Esquimalt BC.
Dedicated to the 80th Canadian Flotilla of Landing Craft
Photo Credit - Staff at HMCS Naden Navy Museum
Though I helped unroll the hammock when I visited the museum in 2012 and therefore like to call it "Dad's Hammock," it belonged to W.N. Katana, was given to S/Lt. D. Rodgers when he boarded S.S. Silver Walnut in 1943 (before circling Africa on the way to Operation Husky, invasion of Sicily), and returned to the Canadian Navy at a reunion in Australia more than 40 years later.
Upon it are many familiar names including the entry "N. Bowen, Ldg. SEA., Ontario" at the bottom of the first column.
Later in life Norm was involved in the creation of an audio tape (found at The Memory Project; Norm was listed as a Petty Officer there) that includes information about his experiences at Dieppe and subsequent invasions in the Mediterranean theatre of war (N. Africa, Sicily and Italy).
For further information, including a written transcript of the taped message, please click on the following link - Audio re Combined Operations: Norm Bowen, SICILY
The following paragraph was included in the first entry in this series:
Mr. Sanburn has recorded, for posterity's sake, not only what he saw pertaining to an important landing craft flotilla (the 80th, the only Canadian Flotilla in Italy), but the names of several men attached to the flotilla that deserve honourable mention, and, perhaps one that does not, though he may have already been punished enough for his crime.
The sailor associated with a crime was Mr. Bowen. A strange tale about him and another sailor, W. Kuntz (also listed on the Navy hammock above) is found in my father's memoirs:
O/D Kuntz and O/D Bowers (sic) were oppos and spent most of their leaves together. One time on leave in London they both ran out of money and although drunk, they contrived to rob a cabby. They planned to induce the cabby out of his cab, have Bowers pinion his arms so Kuntz could hit him with a milk bottle.
The sailor associated with a crime was Mr. Bowen. A strange tale about him and another sailor, W. Kuntz (also listed on the Navy hammock above) is found in my father's memoirs:
O/D Kuntz and O/D Bowers (sic) were oppos and spent most of their leaves together. One time on leave in London they both ran out of money and although drunk, they contrived to rob a cabby. They planned to induce the cabby out of his cab, have Bowers pinion his arms so Kuntz could hit him with a milk bottle.
The time came and they asked the cabby to stop and get out, which he did, under a dim street light. Bowers grabbed his arms but Kuntz, being so drunk, missed with the bottle and just grazed the cabby’s head. The cabby hollered for help and Bowers ran one way, Kuntz another.
Bowers got to the Westminster YMCA but Kuntz, being unable to see in the dark, ran into an open ground window grating in the sidewalk where a lady later found him with her torch light and he was put in jail by the police after they arrived on the scene. The police pried information out of Kuntz about his accomplice and Bowers was later taken from his bed at the Y and arrested.
They were brought to trial, and the cabby came in possibly a little over-swathed with bandages on his head. They were, of course, found guilty, but luckily were only fined after an observation of the wound and because they had not stolen any money. They were very lucky - it could have been murder. They were a quiet pair of sailors when they arrived back in camp to raise money for the fine. That was their last episode on leave.
"Dad, Well Done" Pages 14 - 15
The story contains a lot of detail and makes me feel that a good handful of sailors, including my father, paid very close attention to the drama, perhaps even attended the court room when judgment was passed.
They were brought to trial, and the cabby came in possibly a little over-swathed with bandages on his head. They were, of course, found guilty, but luckily were only fined after an observation of the wound and because they had not stolen any money. They were very lucky - it could have been murder. They were a quiet pair of sailors when they arrived back in camp to raise money for the fine. That was their last episode on leave.
"Dad, Well Done" Pages 14 - 15
The story contains a lot of detail and makes me feel that a good handful of sailors, including my father, paid very close attention to the drama, perhaps even attended the court room when judgment was passed.
My father may have paid closer attention than some because he'd had a run-in with N. Bowen and may have been carrying a grudge against him. In a story primarily about one of their shared officers, Lt. Cdr. Jake Koyl, my father says:
After a short argument I refused (which is bad, real bad) and he took me to have a chat with our huge, no-nonsense commanding officer Lt/Comdr Jacob Koyl, later to be known as Uncle Jake.
L/S Bowen explained his case about my refusal to Mr. Koyl. With that, Bowen was dismissed and the commanding officer laid his big hand on my shoulder and started to recite, without benefit of the navy book, King Rules (KR) and Admiralty Instructions (AI) about the seriousness of refusing an order.
I knew I was in for rough seas as he continued to expound, his big hand bowing my shoulder....
It took a lot of years, but the baggage episode did have a happy ending for me. In August, 1990 Leading Seaman Harrison visited Leading Seaman Bowen in Ottawa and L/S Bowen was detailed to carry my baggage from the car to the hotel room.
It took a lot of years, but the baggage episode did have a happy ending for me. In August, 1990 Leading Seaman Harrison visited Leading Seaman Bowen in Ottawa and L/S Bowen was detailed to carry my baggage from the car to the hotel room.
Who was it that said, “It’s a long road that has no turning”?
"Dad, Well Done" Pages 88 - 89
"Dad, Well Done" Pages 88 - 89
Because of the three different spellings I have encountered related to Norm Bowen's name, there is a possibility that I have connected his name to someone else's crime, but because of the 'Kuntz and Bowen' connection on the Navy hammock and 'Kuntz and Bowers' link in my father's story, I think the three references to the Ottawa sailor (the man with three last names!) refer to the same rating.
Lloyd Evans of Ottawa is also mentioned in Sanburn's 1943 news article, and I could fill several pages here with his memoirs and photographs.
A number of years ago, after reading his memoirs on Combined Operations Command, a superlative Comb. Ops website created and maintained by Scotsman Geoff Slee, I felt that my father and Lloyd Evans were twins. I felt their stories and paths crossed dozens of times.
Geoff provided me with Lloyd's email address and I had the privilege of meeting Lloyd at his home in Markham on three or four occasions. We shared stories and traded books of memoirs and he gave me permission to use his stories in any way I wanted. I am happy to be entrusted with them.
Lloyd's son recently sent me a large file of Lloyd's WW2 photos and I will display some below.
Please click here to view Lloyd's memoirs as found at Combined Operations Command.
*P. Bowers is the name attached to a member of RCNVR and Combined Ops seen in the photo below, from the collection of Joe Spencer, a close mate of Doug Harrison, my father. Joe's collection was sent to me by his son Gary. Now, wouldn't it be something if this is actually Norm Bowen (mentioned as L/S Norm Boren in Sanburn's article)? P. Bowers is seen on two occasions to the right side of Lloyd Evans in photos above. And what if the Norm Bowers my dad mentions in a story where he got pinched is actually P. Bowers?
I should really put out a big "Help Wanted" sign on this one!!
Please link to Articles: Canadian Flotilla of Landing Craft in Italy (3).
Unattributed Photos GH
Lloyd Evans of Ottawa is also mentioned in Sanburn's 1943 news article, and I could fill several pages here with his memoirs and photographs.
A number of years ago, after reading his memoirs on Combined Operations Command, a superlative Comb. Ops website created and maintained by Scotsman Geoff Slee, I felt that my father and Lloyd Evans were twins. I felt their stories and paths crossed dozens of times.
Geoff provided me with Lloyd's email address and I had the privilege of meeting Lloyd at his home in Markham on three or four occasions. We shared stories and traded books of memoirs and he gave me permission to use his stories in any way I wanted. I am happy to be entrusted with them.
Lloyd's son recently sent me a large file of Lloyd's WW2 photos and I will display some below.
Please click here to view Lloyd's memoirs as found at Combined Operations Command.
Lloyd Evans is in back row, third from left.
(On Lloyd's right is P. Bowers*, I believe)
My father is front row, far right.
Lloyd Evans is back row, fifth from the left.
(On Lloyd's right is P. Bowers*, I believe)
Front row, 2nd from right, is W. Kuntz.
Lloyd Evans. Note his name stencilled onto kit bag strap
This may be December, 1941, before trip to U.K.
More of Lloyd's photos will be displayed on this site in the future.
In conclusion, I tip my hat to Richard Sanburn of The Ottawa Citizen. I hope to find more of his stories in the future, thanks to the 1000s of reels of microfilm in safe and secure storage at the University of Western Ontario, London.
*P. Bowers is the name attached to a member of RCNVR and Combined Ops seen in the photo below, from the collection of Joe Spencer, a close mate of Doug Harrison, my father. Joe's collection was sent to me by his son Gary. Now, wouldn't it be something if this is actually Norm Bowen (mentioned as L/S Norm Boren in Sanburn's article)? P. Bowers is seen on two occasions to the right side of Lloyd Evans in photos above. And what if the Norm Bowers my dad mentions in a story where he got pinched is actually P. Bowers?
Front, L-R: Chuck Rose, Joe Spencer (no dispute w names)
Back L-R: J. Dale, P. Bowers, Joe Watson.
Chuck, Joe S., Joe W. were in the first draft of volunteers to Comb. Ops. with my father and I assume Dale and Bowers were in the 2nd draft with Lloyd Evans. Confused yet?
I should really put out a big "Help Wanted" sign on this one!!
Please link to Articles: Canadian Flotilla of Landing Craft in Italy (3).
Unattributed Photos GH
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