1000 Men, 1000 Stories : Research: Three Months in the Mediterranean, 1943 (21)

The Last Few Days in July, 1943, Kept Allied Forces Very Busy

Then There was an Incident Related to a Sicilian Turtle!!

Myrtle the Turtle held by LT David Lewis, with her keeper, AB Funnell,

(who) looks on. With beard in background is AB Murray. RCN Photo

(More information below from Editor and an undetermined newspaper)

Introduction:

At some point during June or July, 1943, before the 55th, 61st, 80th and 81st Canadian Flotillas of Landing Craft began transporting General Montgomery's troops, reinforcements and all materials of war from Allied ships onto eastern coastal beaches of Sicily (for Operation HUSKY, a few miles south of Syracusa), a Canadian Navy officer took time to pick up a small turtle "somewhere along the route" between South Africa and Sicily. And it later became a mascot, in the care of AB (Able-Bodied Seaman) Funnell (RCNVR/Combined Operations), which is just a bit more unusual - in my opinion - than a small monkey that accompanied one of the four aforementioned landing craft squadrons.

Ephus P. Murphy, motor mechanic and "a devil-may-care type of

sailor". Photo with mascot Jocko - CombinedOperationsCommand

The monkey, purchased by E. P. Murphy (also RCNVR/Comb. Ops) was likely purchased at some port in South Africa as Allied ships made their way toward landing craft destinations associated with the invasion of Sicily beginning July 10, 1943. Unfortunately, the monkey mascot did not survive the invasion of Sicily. Please click here to read about the 'monkey mishap', a story told by a WWII veteran of Combined Ops who was involved with the landings in Sicily. And again unfortunately, Myrtle did not survive the war as well. Details to follow.

A significant selection of news clippings from the Thursday, July 29, 1943 issue of The Montreal Gazette now follow:

Click on the headlines above

in order to read the full set

Lionel Shapiro, regularly providing more than one story per issue of The Gazette, was again featured on page 1. Signs "of German weakening" are now evident:

Well-armed Canadians. Photo 22236, Album 61, Canadian Army Film Unit

Empty streets in Sicily. Photo 22200, Album 61, CAFU

Red circle - Leonforte, Nissoria, Agira. Blue circle - Canadian 80th Flotilla

of landing crafts at Fontane Bianche, home of Myrtle the Turtle

In the next article Canadian and American troop advances are featured:

Canadians in Combined Operations (80th and 81st Flotillas of Landing Craft)

transported materials of war to Monty's Eighth Army while in Sicily (see red circle),

and the 80th Flotilla (my father included) later supported Canadian troops in Reggio

Di Calabria "on the Italian toe" beginning Sept. 3, 1943 (blue circle).

Photo - page 76 Combined Operations by Londoner Clayton Marks

"Advance in North" concludes below:

More news about the significance of Reggio di Calabria (mentioned above) will be featured in September issues of The Gazette re the invasion of Italy at the toe of the boot beginning on the third day of that month. However, the "three months (spent) in the Mediterranean" by Allied forces (including Canadians in Combined Operations) are moving very slowly because there is still a lot of information to sort out from the Montreal newspaper - and I haven't got to The Montreal Standard files yet!! Be patient : )

And now some news from Rome Radio, a voice that declares Italy must "continue to fight" in spite of Allied threats and strength:

(Perhaps some in Italy were a bit peeved by the previous day's headline in The Gazette!)

News clipping as found on microfilm at University of Western Ontario

The article "First Rome Radio Explanation" concludes:

Air raids - some "near to Berlin" - involving American, British and Canadian forces make headlines as well:

And now for a quick overview from the War News Digest*:

*Note to self. Is there an archive dedicated to the War News Digest? Good resource material.

Clapper's Column provides good resource material too concerning the importance of air power:

The last paragraph above says a lot about the Allied ability to produce not just 1000s of various types of landing craft but, more importantly, man them with trained sailors.

Troop ships and LCT in background. British-made LCAs manned by British and

Canadian sailors unload American Army troops in North Africa, November 1942

Photo as found at army.mil (2008-10-30) and Imperial War Museum

Left and right American L.S.T.s unloading tanks and vehicles.

British-made LCI(L) in middle. Photo 21092-1 CAFU

Clapper's Column concludes below:

Action off the coast of France is reported. And eleven months forward there will be a lot more action in the same area:

"They'll be comin' around the mountain..." ['Lava Flow, Sicily 1943']

Towering Mt. Etna, backgr. Photo - National Army Museum Copyright

Interpreting the War News by Kirke Simpson concludes below:

Some Sicilian prisoners of war cheerfully helped Canadian sailors unload landing crafts on the east coast of Sicily. Others were sent to prison camps. A story about their responses would include the following:

Sicilian POWs assist sailors in 81st Canadian Flotillas of landing craft

near Noto and Gallina. St. Nazaire to Singapore, Volume 1, pg. 185

Members of 81st Canadian Flotilla on east coast of Sicily, near Gallina

Photo - From the collection of Roy Burt, (RCNVR/Comb. Ops), centre,

closest to camera. Used with permission of Laurel Pinske

An account of observations of another member (officer*) of RCNVR, from off the southern coast of Sicily concerning "naval shelling" July 10, 1943.

Canadian troops landed in Sicily west of Pozzallo, see blue circle.

(Red circle shows area where Sicilian POWs assisted 81st Flotilla)

Sub. Lt. Drennan's account continues:

* officer Drennan hailed from Westmount, Montreal, Quebec, as did Sub. Lt. David Lewis (seen holding Myrtle the Turtle in top introductory photograph. Coincidence? Yes.

I promise. This is the only news clipping about undergarments. But talk about your tough times!

Though photographs stored on microfiche continue to be of poor quality, at least the captions can still be read:

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The above photo was found in The Montreal Gazette. Readers are aware that the quality is not the best, and likely for a few reasons. However, Sub. Lt. David J. Lewis was able to locate one of better quality from the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) at some point during or after the war, and a copy of it appears at top of page and now below, with the complete caption he provided in his collection of WWII veterans' stories:

Caption and further details as found in St. Nazaire to Singapore:

The Canadian Amphibious War 1941 - 1945, Volume 2, pg. 383

David Lewis was also able to locate and then later share the story of 'Myrtle the Turtle' - as told by another RCNVR officer - in his two-volume set of salty tales (self-published and distributed in the mid-1990s). Unfortunately, the right edge of the photo covers the first word or two in the early paragraphs of the story... and we are left to use our own imagination for several lines. I've tried my best! : )

Lt. Bill Sinclair's account begins below

The 80th and 81st Flotillas served near one another south of Syracuse.

No clues are given re which flotilla Sinclair was attached to in 1943.

Sinclair's account concludes below:

I think the second-last paragraph above should read, "I know I

learned some things that came in mighty handy later."

And May She Rest in Peace

While visiting Sicily in September, 2023, 80 years after my father spent three months in the Mediterranean with the 80th Flotilla, I spotted one rugged turtle in a very safe location after my friend and host Fabrizio Sergi pointed me in the right direction!