Canadians in Combined Operations Visited Malta, 1943,
Between Operation HUSKY (Sicily) and Op. BAYTOWN (Italy)
This cluster of LCMs (landing craft, mechanised) may include several from
the 80th and 81st Flotillas of Canadian Landing Craft used in Sicily, 1943.
Photo from A Sailor's Odyssey: the autobiography of Admiral of the Fleet,
Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope, p. 601, Memorial University of
Introduction:Four Canadian Flotillas of Landing Craft served during WWII in the Mediterranean theatre of war, from Day 1 of Operation HUSKY, beginning July 10, 1943.
Map from Combined Operations, by Londoner Clayton (Red) Marks
One Canadian Flotilla (the 80th, including my father and many of his closest Navy mates) was kept in the Med for use during the invasion of Italy at the toe of the boot, aka Operation BAYTOWN, beginning September 3rd, '43.
During most of the month of August my father and mates recuperated from illnesses, rested after 4 weeks of seemingly endless hard work - transporting all materials of war from troop and supply ships to the shores in GEORGE and HOW Sectors on the east coast of Sicily, south of Syracuse - and repaired damage to the squadrons of landing craft needed for the next invasion, mere weeks away, in early September.
Photo - Found at Operation Husky by B. Ricketts
Map (reconnaissance photo) from LIFE magazine, Aug. 2, 1943
(Cost me more than 10 cents!)
Because he contracted dysentery in early August my father was transported to Malta a few days before his mates arrived with all their landing crafts - for rest, recuperation and repair work. I'm sure my father long-remembered his time in Malta, a rock in a hard place. In Navy memoirs my father wrote about his trip from Sicily to Malta after almost 4 weeks of service at GEORGE Beach:
A very rare group photo of members of Canadian Flotillas of LCs at
HMS Saunders, Egypt. June - July 1943, just prior to HUSKY. Some
sailors (of the 80th) haven't arrived, still aboard the S.S. Silver Walnut
Look very closely for tents in the background. Don Westbrook, fourth
from left in back row, in XXXL shorts; suffering from dysentery?
Photo from the collection of Doug Harrison, of the 80th Flotilla.
At Malta I was let loose on my own to find Hill 10 Hospital. I did after a while and they asked me my trouble. I said, “Dysentery.” “Oh, we’ll soon cure that,” they said. How? “We won’t give you anything to eat.” So for four days all I got was water and pills and soon I was cured, though weak. I thought of those poor devils in the desert. (i.e., at HMS Saunders)
When I felt better they sent me to a tent where I got regular meals. I saw an air force newspaper and on the front was a picture of Bob Alexander of Norwich, a school chum.
When I felt better they sent me to a tent where I got regular meals. I saw an air force newspaper and on the front was a picture of Bob Alexander of Norwich, a school chum.
"Bob Alexander of Norwich, a school chum" (centre)
From D. Harrison's 1936 high school photo
But Bob returned to the fray and was lost on one of his bombing missions. How sorry I was to hear that news. He had already done so much.
Soon all the boys returned to Malta and we prepared for Italy, though all our barges stayed in Sicily. We took a Landing Ship Tank (LST) back to Mili Marina, Sicily, and if memory serves me correctly, attacked Italy at Reggio di Calabria across Messina Straits on my birthday, September 6, 1943*.
Soon all the boys returned to Malta and we prepared for Italy, though all our barges stayed in Sicily. We took a Landing Ship Tank (LST) back to Mili Marina, Sicily, and if memory serves me correctly, attacked Italy at Reggio di Calabria across Messina Straits on my birthday, September 6, 1943*.
Excerpt from "Dad, Well Done", pages 34 - 35
*Doug did celebrate his 23rd birthday with "too much vino" on Sept. 6, 1943, and he took part in the first day of the invasion on Sept. 3, either from Messina or Mili Marina.
View of Italy's 'toe of the boot' (centre, "Reggio di Calabria
across Messina Straits") from the beach at Mili Marina,
80 years later, i.e., Sept. 2023. Photo G. Harrison
MALTA, A ROCK IN A HARD PLACE
E.g., OPERATION PEDESTAL, AUGUST 1942 (Imperial War Museum)
A11498 from IWM. "15 August: The arrival of the OHIO at Malta"
More details will follow below.
E.g., see Operation Pedestal at Wikipedia
Photo as found at Wikipedia
E.g., see 30 minute film re Operation Pedestal on YouTube
Malta, as shared earlier, was a Godsend for Canadians in Combined Ops (rest, recuperation, and the time to repair landing crafts came at a high cost for the people of Malta) in August, 1943, a year after the following 30 photos were taken. All photographs are from the Imperial War Museum's (very!) extensive collection and were taken by (or in collaboration with) Lt. J. E. Russell, a Royal Navy photographer. Click here for the first 30 links to 1,208 photographs attributed to Lt. Russell.
More to follow? Very likely, if there are even a handful from Malta in August, 1943! (Especially if they are related to Canadians in Combined Operations. What are the odds?)
Original caption: "convoy Sicily to Malta J Spencer in boat 2nd in foreground"
Used with permission, from the collection of Joe Spencer, RCNVR
and Combined Operations, 1941 - 1945. Friend and mate of Doug
Harrison (RCNVR/Comb.Ops, 1941 - 1945)
Questions and comments can be addressed to GH at gordh7700@gmail.com
BOMB DAMAGE IN MALTA AFTER BIGGEST RAID YET. 7 APRIL 1942. BOMB DAMAGE TO THE DOCKYARDS.
A9630 - All that is left of the 200 ton Floating crane in the dockyard
after direct hit from a bomb. In the background can be seen the
supply vessel PLUMLEAF with a heavy list after being hit.
Photo Credit - Russell, J E (Lt) IWM
A9631 - Looking across to all that remains of the saw mills,
an old generating station.
A9632 - The ruins of No 5 Dock.
A9633 - Looking across to Hamilton Wharf, showing bomb damage
on the houses above and a large gash in the Bastion by a bomb. Below
is HMS LANCE down by the stern after some direct hits.
A second shot of the same area, almost identical to above:
A9634 - Looking across to Hamilton Wharf, showing bomb damage
on the houses above and a large gash in the Bastion by a bomb. Below
is HMS LANCE down by the stern after some direct hits.
A9635 - HMS LANCE after being bombed in the harbour,
a huge hole can be seen in forecastle.
A9636 - HMS KINGSTON in No 4 Dock where she
suffered severe damage.
A new heading, a new link to not only Lt. Russell's work but to Lt. J. A. Hampton's photos as well:
A11307 - The BRISBANE STAR discharging her cargo, at Grand Harbour,
Malta. Photo Credit - Hampton, J A (Lt) Russell, J E (Lt)
A11308 - The BRISBANE STAR and the ROCHESTER CASTLE
discharging their cargo, at Grand Harbour, Malta.
A second shot of the same scene as shared above:
A11309 - The BRISBANE STAR and the ROCHESTER CASTLE
discharging their cargo, at Grand Harbour, Malta.
A new heading with a different link to Lt. Russell's photos:
A11484 - HMS CORAL being broken up in Dry Dock No 3
in Malta Dockyard. Photo Credit - Russell, J E (Lt)
A new heading with a different link to Lt. Russell's photos:
Not only was HMS LANCE photographed from several angles, so was HMS CORAL:
A11485 - HMS CORAL being broken up in dry dock No 3.
A11486 - HMS CORAL being broken up in dry dock No 3.
A11487 - HMS CORAL being broken up in dry dock No 3.
A11488 - HMS CORAL being broken up in dry dock No 3.
A11489 - HMS LANCE almost submerged in No 2 dock.
A11490 - HMS LANCE almost submerged in No 2 dock.
A11491 - HMS LANCE almost submerged in No 2 dock.
A11492 - Motor Launches docked for repairs in No 1 dock.
A11493 - SS MELBOURNE STAR (left) and PORT CHALMERS (right)
discharging cargo on arrival at Malta.
A11494 - Unloading timber from lighters in the dockyard to effect repairs.
A11495 - The MELBOURNE STAR unloading cargo.
A11496 - Unloading supplies at Malta. Unloading supplies at Malta
from the MELBOURNE STAR.
A11497 - Unloading supplies at Malta.
A11499 - Repair work being carried out in No. 3 dock.
MELBOURNE STAR in the distance.
A11500 - Repair work being carried out in No. 3 dock.
MELBOURNE STAR in the distance.
A11501 - Damage to the conning tower of HMS UNITED (P44).
A11504 - Clearing up the debris outside the saw mills.
A11505 - Members of the ships company on the damaged conning tower
of submarine HMS UNITED (P-44). View of starboard side of the conning
tower showing damage sustained when a girder from a ship torpedoed by
the submarine fell on the conning tower.
A11498 - 15 August: The arrival of the OHIO at Malta
About the above photo and Operation Pedestal: Full caption reads - The tanker OHIO discharging oil into the oilers BOXALL and PLUMLEAF. The OHIO was probably the most important ship in the convoy with her cargo of 11,000 tons of petrol which was desperately needed to maintain the aircraft flying from Malta. OHIO had been torpdoed on 12 August and had been subsequently damaged by bombs on 13 August and was forced to drop out of the convoy. She was brought into Malta by a superb feat of seamanship involving her own crew and the destroyers HMS PENN and LEDBURY.
That being said, there are several more photos under the 'Operation Pedestal' heading for those interested. If I can find the 'Pedestal' code numbers again I will post them here.
More photographs from Malta may follow shortly, depending on whether Lt. Russell or Lt. Hampton returned to the hard hit island approximately one year later.
For more information re Malta, please link to Presentation: Dad's Navy Days Part 9
Unattributed Photos GH
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