Photographs: Imperial War Museum, 2014 (1)

The Trip of a Lifetime, Combined Ops-Related in 2014 

London Was Actually a Detour, Lost-Passport-Related

Introduction:

The trip to Scotland was well-planned and my first days in Irvine were a treat. I walked over some of the same beaches and sat in some of the same pubs that my father had during WWII.

I didn't see any Nissan or Quonset huts that housed members of RCNVR and Combined Operations when they were training to handle landing crafts south of Irvine, toward Troon. But I did see the water and shore that was abuzz with practice operations during the months preceding the Dieppe Raid, the invasions of North Africa, Sicily and Italy, and more.

Before I headed to Inveraray and Edinburgh I had to make an unscheduled detour to London, however, in order to deal with (what I thought was) a stolen or lost passport. Within five minutes of unpacking at my bed and breakfast, my missing passport tumbled onto my bed from deep within my backpack and my worries were over. I was duly informed at Government House that my passport was still valid so I skipped down the street to a coffeeshop and made exciting plans re the city of London.

I visited my great-aunt's neighbourhood and sampled wares at pubs my father had mentioned in memoirs. I walked for hours, loving every minute, snapped 100s of photos (Buckingham Palace, Parliament Square, shiny beer taps, on and on, and visited the Imperial War Museum to donate a copy of my father's memoirs and newspaper columns re his time in Combined Operations.

Below are a few photos of my trip to the Imperial War Museum (IWM):

The IWM is south east of Lambeth North (centre, blue ink, subway hub) at

Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park (green space just below 'sub hub', centre)

A landmark east of Lambeth North hub, on my way to the IMW

and (later) the Ship Inn Pub on Borough Road*

*My father wrote in memoirs, "You could not get me lost in London even if I was three sheets to the wind." I only got turned around once, quickly corrected myself ("That store doesn't look familiar. Better retrace my way back to the pub, then start over."

Front entrance to IWM is well-guarded!

The Grand Hall is open to several levels

"A pint of beer costs 2 pence." Not anymore. Average price 3 GBP

Navy boys on landing crafts moved tonnes of fuel in these cans

The size and functions of landing crafts grew as the war progressed

1000s upon 1000s were required for ever-larger operations, from raids,

e.g., St. Nazaire, Dieppe; to invasions N. Africa, Sicily, Italy, France

LCAs would hold 3 dozen men; later LCMs, the next size up, were not on display

LCT - Landing Craft, Tank seemed gigantic, then came LST - Landing Ship, Tank

An LST has its own RHINO bridge attached to its sides

This is an LCI(S) - Landing Craft Infantry, Small; later came LCI(L) - large

Landing Craft Assault, perhaps the most common landing craft

LCAs in the Far East perhaps Burma

A Lancaster or Lanc. Many were produced in Toronto Ontario Canada

An Italian mini-submarine/"glorified torpedo", a two-man weapon

More photos of the 'mini-sub-torpedo can be seen here

Attlee (left, W. C. Churchill (right)

IMW is home to its own significant gallery. Photos were not allowed

but a few may appear in another entry in the future. Photo - GH

One of my favourite two pubs in the area in which I stayed for a few days

Please link to Photographs re Combined Operations and "The Spit" at Comox, Vancouver Island, BC for more information and photographs re Canadians in Combined Operations.

Unattributed Photos GH