Photographs: Imperial War Museum - N. Africa, 1942 (7).

Operation Torch, Allied Invasion of North Africa, WWII.

[Photo: A12935. The British Naval beachmaster and his party at Arzeu, near

Oran, Algiers. Photo Credit - RN Photographer Lt. F.A. Hudson, IWM.]

Introduction: 

Readers will find 13 entries related to newspaper articles, supported on occasion by veterans' memoirs, as well as videos and audio tapes, about the invasion of North Africa and its significance as the Allied nations combined efforts in a markedly more successful way during November 1942.

The articles, almost exclusively from The Winnipeg Tribune (digitized), were selected from issues published in November 2 (pre-dating D-Day N. Africa November 8th by 6 days) to December 7, 1942.

Readers can gain access to the first batch of articles here - Articles: Operation TORCH, N. Africa, Nov. 1942 (Pt 1)

Presented below are more photographs taken (chiefly) by Royal Navy photographers assigned to various troop and supply ships, including Lt. F.A. Hudson (re first four photographs). Hudson's photographs are of particular interest to me because he set up his camera(s) on some of the same sites visited by my father (RCNVR and Combined Ops) while he laboured aboard landing crafts (assault and mechanized) for about two weeks - before returning to the UK.

Doug Harrison writes the following in Navy memoirs:

One November morning the huge convoy, perhaps 500 ships, entered the Mediterranean Sea through the Strait of Gibraltar. It was a nice sun-shiny day... what a sight to behold.

On November 11, 1942* the Derwentdale dropped anchor off Arzew in North Africa and different ships were distributed at different intervals along the vast coast. My LCM had the leading officer aboard, another seaman besides me, along with a stoker and Coxswain. At around midnight 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. ("DAD, WELL DONE", page 23-24.)

*The above date has always confused me. D-Day was November 8, and photos reveal my father was active in LCAs as US troops disembarked from the Reina Del Pacifico and as they landed on beaches near Arzew. See Photographs, Part 6.

However, as far as I can reason, he was likely assigned to two sets of duties: The first related to LCAs and getting troops to shore beginning on Nov. 8; the second related to the LCMs on the Derwentdale and getting troops' supplies to shore beginning on Nov. 11. Earlier memoirs reveal he boarded the Derwentdale in the UK, so he likely considered the Derwentdale and the LCMs his home base.

(In 1943, during the invasion of Sicily, four Canadian flotillas of landing craft (LCAs and LCMs) were larger and there were more Canadian sailors involved, thus the duties aboard the two different types of craft were likely kept separate in most cases, with Dad aboard LCMs almost exclusively).

More photographs from the Imperial War Museum, via "Search our Collections":

A12936. An injured French soldier being lowered into a landing craft

after receiving treatment on board the REINA DEL PACIFICO.

Photo - Lt. F.A. Hudson, Imperial War Museum (IWM).

Readers are encouraged to look closely at the passengers and 'helping hands' on the Landing Craft, Assault above. The LCA appears to hold both British and American servicemen, but chiefly American... sporting rounded helmets and goggles. The sailor, top right in the LCA, could be British or Canadian, as Canadians were sprinkled amongst the English or RN crews. And the crew member (officer?), lower middle, about to catch the "injured French soldier" with arms spread, appears to have an RCN epaulet on his shoulder (?).

Your impressions, of course, may be different. Let me know via email. (See Submissions Contact Us in right margin for email addresses).

A12937. Transports of the expedition lying in Gibraltar harbour.

Photo Credit - Lt. F.A. Hudson, IWM.

A12939. Hoisting the Stars and Stripes over Algiers, after the cease-fire.

The ceremony was attended by Senior Naval and Military Officers.

Photo Credit - Lt. R.G.G. Coote, IWM.

A12945. A FRENCH FORT NEAR ORAN WHICH IS NOW IN ALLIED HANDS.

The harbour of Oran is now in Allied hands. Photo - Lt. R.G.G. Coote, IWM.

A12946. Heading - THE NAVY ON ANTI-SUBMARINE PATROL AROUND ORAN. PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN FROM HMS FORMIDABLE, 19-21 NOVEMBER 1942.
Caption - The French fort on top of the hill, west of Oran, Oran harbour and town.
Photo Credit - Lt. F.G. Roper, Imperial War Museum (IWM).

A12947. THE NAVY ON ANTI-SUBMARINE PATROL AROUND ORAN.
PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN FROM HMS FORMIDABLE, 19-21 NOV. 1942.
Caption - A British destroyer in Oran. Lt. Photo - F.G. Roper, IMW

A12948. A destroyer and auxiliary aircraft off Oran.
Photo Credit - Lt. F.G. Roper, IWM.

A12978. Heading - Escort Ships return from the North African operations.
Londonderry, 22 November, 1942. Caption - Ratings on board a Corvette
reading letters from home which awaited their arrival in a British port.
Photo Credit - RN Photographer Lt. H.W. Tomlin, IWM.

I've read that Allied servicemen and -women looked forward to receiving mail from home and friends as much as their weekly pay, if not more. Some of the Canadians in Combined Operations also returned to the U.K. about two weeks after N. African operations started, and a few may appear in the photos, immediately above and below.

A12980. The ship's company of a corvette which formed part of the

North Africa convoy, in good spirits on their return to harbour.

Photo Credit - RN Photographer Lt. H.W. Tomlin, IWM.

One newspaper report (revealed in an earlier post) from The Winnipeg Tribune makes note of "their return to harbour" in the U.K., with Canadians aboard.

Original clip from The Winnipeg Tribune, November 25, 1942

My father, Doug Harrison (RCNVR, Combined Operations), "who landed American troops and equipment on the beach at Arzew" refers to his return to the UK - after duties were completed - in his Navy memoirs. About the return trip, via Gibraltar, he says the following:

The Reina (Del Pacifico) was a ship purposely for fellows like me who were tired out, and I was fed everything good, given a big tot of rum and placed in a hammock. I slept the clock around twice - 24 hours - then went back to work. In seven days I went back aboard the Reina Del and headed for Gibraltar to regroup for the trip back to England. During the trip I noticed the ship carried an unexploded three inch shell in her side all the way back to England.

Just outside Gibraltar, Ettrick was torpedoed in her side and sank, and one rating from Ingersoll, Ontario was among those killed. She took four hours to sink and many were saved. We arrived in England without trouble. Our ship was fast, could do about 22 knots per hour, a knot being one mile and a fifth per hour. (I am going to leave my memories about hilarious occasions during leaves I enjoyed until last.) ["DAD, WELL DONE" page 26]

About going on leave after Operation TORCH he writes the following:

Six weeks later (i.e., after leaving the U.K for N. Africa) we arrived back from North Africa to Liverpool on the Reina-del-Pacifico and in a few days the mail arrived from FMO and among my stack was a letter from Grace (a woman he met while training at HMS Westcliff), now serving at the summer resort town of Blackpool.

Could I get a weekend leave? If so, she said she’d arrange rooming quarters and give me a phone number to call at a precise time. That’s if things became favourable for me, which they did, and quite soon I was stepping onto the train platform at Blackpool with Grace waiting with open arms.

I had a 72 hour pass and stayed at a Seniors Boarding House with a lovely room. I sat down at meal times with Seniors dressed in formal bib and tucker to shepherd’s pie - and Brussel sprouts, of course.

Friday night and Saturday night we had a drink or two and enjoyed a dance and restaurant and renewed our friendship. Then I went back to the boarding house. Sunday (this would be late November, 1942) we went to see a large aquarium, sharks and all. The weather was foreboding, like the feeling in our hearts. On the surface we were enjoying ourselves but underneath I think we were both quite sad for we feared the end*. ["DAD, WELL DONE" page 54]

*After they left Blackpool they did not reunite again, as far as I know. Editor.

A12981. The signalman of a corvette with the pile of signals received

during the North Africa operations. Photo - Lt. H.W. Tomlin, IWM.

A12991. Heading - Free cigarettes for the Royal navy. 20 November 1942.
Caption - Gift cigarettes from the Overseas League Tobacco Fund arriving
on board a Minesweeper. Photo - Lt. C.J. Ware, IWM.

A12993. Lt. H. L. Choppin handing over a gift of free cigarettes from the Overseas
League Tobacco Fund, together with acknowledgement cards, to his crew.
Photo Credit - Lt. C.J. Ware, Imperial War Museum

A12994. The crew of a minesweeper enjoying the gift cigarettes
before going on patrol. Photo - Lt. C.J. Ware, IWM

A13014. Heading - NORTH AFRICA OPERATIONS. 12 NOVEMBER 1942,
BRITISH TROOP CONVOY BEACHES AT BOUGIE, ALGERIA.
Bougie Harbour, Algeria where British troops have been landed.
Photo Credit, RN Photographer Lt. L. Pelman, IWM.

I'm sure there is a story - not a fully happy one - about the abundance of cigarettes that were distributed to servicemen during WW2. It slowly dawned on me as I looked at many photos from various fronts, that cigarettes were often present between the fingers or on the lips of sailors, soldiers, airmen, etc.

More photographs to follow in this series from North Africa. 

Please link to Photographs: Imperial War Museum - N. Africa, 1942 (6).

Unattributed Photos GH