The Resources We Can Explore Seem to be Growing...
And That's a Good Thing
This is very likely GEORGE or JIG Beach, where Canadians in Combined
Operations transported 'the material of war' for 4 weeks, July - Aug., 1943
Photo from They Left the Back Door Open by Lionel S.B. Shapiro, 1944
Original shot, along with 100s more from Sicily, taken by Canadian photographers
Photo Credit - Lieut. Dwight E. (Joe) Dolan, No. 21538, Album 61 of 110 (LAC)
I would recommend Lionel Shapiro's book, They Left the Back Door Open, to anyone. I think he hit the right tone as a war correspondent in Sicily and Italy, 1943. Please link to a three-part series related to his book on this site.
And he wrote the book while nestled in a hotel suite in 1944. How he was able to get one-year-old photographs by Canadian photographers is a mystery to me but as many as 20 shots illustrate his book.
That being said, today we may be able to find 1000's if we know where to look. For example, the Imperial War Museum (IWM) is home to 100s of 1000s and those with patience and a will to keep on searching will not be disappointed.
For example:
Troops and ammunition for light guns being brought ashore from a landing craft
assault (ramped) (LCA 428) on Arzeau beach, Algeria, North Africa, whilst another
LCA (LCA 287) approaches the beach. Photo Credit Lt. F. A. Hudson. IWM
A12671. Date would be Nov. 8 - 18, 1942. The sailor (centre) is my father
While completing a series of three entries re Canadian WWII photographers and videographers recently I discovered again a Canadian website, entitled Canadian Film and Photo Unit (CFPU), that has links to 1000s of original black and white photographs (not as many as IWM but still very significant and impressive) with a big focus on the Canadian Army, WWII. Even though my chief interest is the role played by Canadians in RCNVR and Combined Ops, I am very interested in exploring the scores of photo albums at Library and Archives Canada (LAC, Ottawa) after finding the original shot of GEORGE or JIG BEACH in Sicily, where my father was active with other members of the 80th Flotilla of Canadian Landing Craft during the summer of 1943.
My interest led me to share this entry with some of my favourite and most productive links to resources related to Canadians in Combined Operations... as of late.
Infantrymen of an unidentified Canadian Scottish regiment in a landing craft
during an assault landing training exercise, England, ca. 14-26 April 1942
Photo as found at Library and Archives Canada (LAC)
At CFPU is a link to 110 photo albums re the Canadian Army, and of course the Army's path criss-crossed with Navy and Air Force operations. So, there is much to learn or gain for most researchers:
Link here to 110 Photo Albums - Mr. Gervais suggests the following on that page:
Please read the lengthy paragraph D. Gervais presents under the heading "Scope and Content"; many suggestions for key words appear to be offered, in my opinion. There are links to other informative entries as well, e.g., The Canadian Army Newsreels. Happy Hunting.
Here are a few photographs I located in Album 61:
Photo Credits, 22204, 22200, 22205 - Capt. Jack H. Smith (LAC)
Canadian troops embarking in landing craft during training
exercise before raid on Dieppe, France, ca. August 1942.
Photo Credit - Collection Search Library Archive Canada
Allied landing craft delivering vehicles (no location given)
Photo Credit - Library Archives Canada
"D" Day preparations. Overhead shot showing part of the huge invasion
fleet: Landing Craft, Tanks (LCTs) fully loaded and camouflaged
Photo Credit - Collection Search Library Archives Canada
Infantrymen of the 1st Battalion, The Canadian Scottish Regiment, in a Landing
Craft Assault (LCA) of the Landing Ship Infantry (LSI(M)) H.M.S. QUEEN
EMMA during Exercise FABIUS, England, ca. 29 April - 4 May 1944
Photo Credit - Collection Search, Library Archive Canada
Canadian troops aboard landing craft en route to Dieppe, France, 19 August 1942.
Photo Credit - Archives / Collections and Fonds. Item ID number: 3396540
Landing craft carrying Canadian troops and Bren gun carrier alongside
destroyer off Dieppe, France, 19 Aug. 1942. Photo Credit - LAC Ottawa
Landing craft carrying Canadian troops ashore to Dieppe, France,
19 August 1942. Photo Credit - Library Archive Canada (LAC)
Link here to full list of 106 Canadian Army Newsreels
Each comes with a numbered list of key items covered in the newsreel. For example, newsreel no. 22 covers five main topics, the last described as follows:
The beach landing exercise and other types of training revealed would be similar to the activities familiar to approx. 1,000 members of RCNVR/Combined Ops (including my father), the focus of this website/blog/archive.
Within its pages are countless articles and photographs related to the Canadian Armed Forces and their role during WWII. I have discovered numerous articles related to the Canadians in RCNVR/Combined Operations and their participation in the Dieppe Raid and invasions of North Africa, Sicily, Italy and Normandy. Click here to view entries from The Tribune related to the days prior to the Dieppe Raid.
This article from The Winnipeg Tribune was found while doing research
for a recent series re Canadian WWII photographers, videographers, films.
The self-published volumes have light-blue cardboard covers, are as
rare as hens' teeth, and I am lucky to have my father's copies, 1995
Link here to St. Nazaire to Singapore: The Canadian Amphibious War 1941 - 45, Vol. 2
The two-volume series, re stories by RCNVR/Combined Ops WWII veterans was written, collected and compiled by Canadians vets David Lewis (with assists from his wife Catherine) and Len Birkenes.
The two-volume series, re stories by RCNVR/Combined Ops WWII veterans was written, collected and compiled by Canadians vets David Lewis (with assists from his wife Catherine) and Len Birkenes.
An excerpt or two from Volume 1 is offered below:
Finding the pubs my father mentioned in Irvine cost me a small fortune.
It was worth it! (GH) Excerpts from pages 46 - 48. Screen shots by GH
The two volumes, St. Nazaire to Singapore were inspired by a book written and compiled by Londoner Clayton Marks entitled Combined Operations. Most of Clayton's stories and photographs are shared on this site. Click here for an example: Memoirs re Combined Ops - 'Dieppe' by Al Kirby, RCNVR/Comb. Ops
There are many more entries in Clayton's rare, significant book
Connect with me for copies of the second edition. GH
gordh7700@gmail.com
I am sure more entries about resources will follow in the future.
For a close look at what memoirs, books, research topics, photographs, war correspondents, etc. have been listed on this blog/website/archive please click here - A - Z Directory.
If readers can provide positive links to more information related to Canadians in Combined Operations, please contact me at gordh7700@gmail.com
Readers can link to more resources here - Resources: CFB Esquimalt Naval Military Museum
Unattributed Photos GH
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