Photographs: From the Collection of Lloyd Evans (3)

There are Pros and Cons re Some Photograph Collections

This Editor's Job is to Find the Silver Lining!

This photo came with no caption... RATS!! The silver lining is... I know

exactly where to find a lengthy caption for this exact picture from 1943.

Introduction:

The photo collection contributed to me a few years ago by Steve Evans, after his father Lloyd Evans (RCNVR/Combined Operations 1941 - 45) of Markham passed away, is rare and very valuable for adding to our knowledge of the roles and responsibilities associated with a relatively small band of Canadian sailors. 

The sailors who are the focus of this blog/website were members of RCNVR who also volunteered to serve in Combined Operations from 1941 - 1945, and by so doing manned various types of landing crafts for major raids and operations during World War II, beginning with the Dieppe Raid (August 19, 1942) and thereafter several operations, invasions or D-Days. For example, Operation Torch (Allied invasion of North Africa beginning November 8, 1942), Operation Husky (Sicily, July 10, 1943), Operations Baytown and Avalanche (Italy, Sept. 3 and 9, 1943 respectively), and more.

Lloyd Evans, in my opinion, was a clever and creative man. He played musical instruments (drums and brass instruments from what I can gather), took very good photographs of the birds and squirrels that inhabited is backyard during the later years of his life, and told me he carried a camera in his kit bag for much of the war even though he was not supposed to do so. That many good photographs survived the war is a rare thing - many of Lloyd's mates lost their navy kit bags, possessions and souvenirs from a warehouse in Port Said or Alexandria while taking part in the invasions of Sicily and Italy.

That being said, even though Lloyd's photo files do not include captions, or details re locations or dates, we can still learn much from Mr. Evans' photos and memoirs and others that are very closely related.

Below readers will find a number of black and whites from Lloyd's collection and offerings and links to other material that relates to the roles and adventures of the 950 - 1,000 Canadian sailors who were part of Combined Operations during WWII.

PHOTO GALLERY - 

Lloyd circled Africa by ship during the summer of 1943 on his way to take part in Operation Husky. Stops for refueling were made at major ports and Canadian sailors were granted time ashore. No names, ranks (officers or ratings?), location, date appear with this photo. But a somewhat similar photo follows... 

Possibly in Capetown, Durban, Port Said, Alexandria, Cairo. June - July 1943.

Canadians in Combined Ops in Cairo, June - July 1943

Ted Zealley (back row, above) appears again below:

From another photo collection (by Joe Spencer, RCNVR and Combined Operations 1941 - 45) we see more Canadian sailors (identified in caption) in Ismalia, Egypt, 1943:

From L - R: P. Martel, Ed Chambers, S. Ingram, Norm Mitchinson

Ed Chambers later served on Vancouver Island w Joe Spencer and

my father Doug Harrison, from Jan. 1944 - Sept. 1945 (dispatched)

Another no-name photo, but I will guess these Canadians in Combined Ops are on their way to Sicily. By bicycle?? No, on leave in Cairo or Alexandria:

The 2nd cyclist (left side, above) looks familiar, even in this poor shot

I am guessing the second cyclist from the left is C. Michael above.

My father, 'Author (Doug) Harrison' "rides a Gharry" in Capetown,

1943, on his way to Sicily. Not as fast as a bicycle, I bet!

Lloyd Evans provides photographs of his Naval Pay and Identity Book. Some details within may be of interest to readers, especially if a close relative was in Combined Operations:

Members of the armed forces loved getting letters from home. Below is a guide for them to follow when sending mail back home:

Rates of Daily Pay below is confusing. Help Wanted from readers:

HMS Monck is stamped on a page below and it may have something to do with Lloyd getting some clothing (shirts?) in preparation for an upcoming trip around Africa. There is a link to Combined Ops. 

General view of HMS MONCK, showing hangars and craft. 

Photo Credit - © IWM (A 29940)

As well, on the second page below we see a stamp re Liverpool, March 24, 1943. This is prior to Lloyd's journey to Sicily and there appears to be a record re 'inoculation' completed in Cape Town in May, i.e., during the actual voyage to Cairo and Alexandria (to prepare for voyage w landing crafts to Sicily). 

Lloyd provides a few details about the above time period in memoirs:

The last port of call before my next mission (Sicily, July 1943) was Liverpool. My cousin Ashley's new ship was in port in Canada Docks so I paid him a visit and we had a night out on the town together. [Photos of Ashley were shared in the previous post, i.e., Photographs: From Collection of Lloyd Evans (2)]

During our short stay in Liverpool we were given more shots in the arm for tropical diseases so we knew something was in the offing. About seventeen or so of us ratings and one sub-lieutenant were then sent to the British merchant ship MV Pardo along with our landing craft... the convoy was set up and around March or April we sailed for parts unknown. My Navy Chronicles, page 17

In relation to the same time period, i.e., March - May 1943, my father writes the following in his navy memoirs:

Back to England I went for more training in May, 1943 with barges aboard the S.S. Silver Walnut, a real dud.

We formed up and headed to sea again, this time from Liverpool. We didn’t know but Sicily was next. The Silver Walnut left convoy at Cape Town, South Africa to coal up and for repairs. She was constantly breaking down and was a sitting duck for subs. Fortunately, there were not many subs in S. Africa vicinity.

While aboard the Silver Walnut I struck up an acquaintance with a Scottish engine room engineer named Hastings, age about 55 - 60, with lots of money. Every morning for awhile he would wake me up early and say, “Are you for a halfer, Douger?” I’d say yes and go up to his cabin for a big hooker of whiskey. Our captain caught on and stopped it. How thankful I am now.

Canadians in 80th Flotilla on the Walnut, prior to sailing for Sicily, April 1943

D. Harrison sits in back row (middle), left of PO Freddie Logsdon (black cap)

"Dad, Well Done" page 27

Lloyd received some cash (likely British Pounds), as recorded below, on October 20 and Nov. 5, 1943, after returning to England from Italy and the Mediterranean Sea:

Several pictures of the following gentleman appear in Lloyd's photo files. No name or rank is supplied. However, Lloyd mentions the following about his time in Sicily:

Despite the chaos of war chance meetings with friends and acquaintances happened from time to time. One day I visited the airfield (i.e., "a nearby grass runway, a Canadian Spitfire squadron") and ran into Flight Lt. Bob Hazel, who used to play football for the Ottawa Technical High School I attended a year or two earlier. We had dinner and a few drinks together and I slept that night in the squadron ambulance. My Naval Chronicles, page 29.  

Help wanted. Is the plane below a Spitfire? I don't think so! 

Lloyd Evans appears fifth from the right. Location - Ottawa, Canada.

One of many convoys Lloyd saw during his journeys. On his way to Sicily?

The photo below was in Lloyd's files without explanatory details. By chance, however, I am familiar with it, knowing that it appears in the first of a two-volume set of books (from my father's collection) entitled St. Nazaire to Singapore: The Canadian Amphibious War 1941 - 1945, a compilation of stories written by veterans of RCNVR and Combined Operations, produced by David and Catherine Lewis and Len Birkenes. Lloyd's photo is higher quality than in Volume 1 of the set, but I have added the caption:

Location: HMS or Camp Saunders, Egypt. Photo from Volume 1, page 194 

Canadians in Combined Ops at HMS Saunders, Egypt, prior to invasion

of Sicily, July 1943. I recognize a few faces but no list provided. GH

HMS Saunders on the Bitter Lakes. Courtesy of Henry More.]

Photo found at Lloyd's memoirs @ combinedops.com 

The links to the two books are provided below, as found at the University of Alberta:

St. Nazaire to Singapore: Volume 1

St. Nazaire to Singapore: Volume 2

Photographs of a few of the sailors who attended navy reunions later in life can be found at a recent post on this site. Please link to Photographs: Aging Navy Vets Reconnect at Reunions (2)

Lloyd Evans (left) on his way to Sicily, with unnamed mate and

assault landing craft tied down to their left. June - July, 1943

The sailor with Lloyd (above) may be included in the trio below, i.e., first on the left. The other two are not identified but the sailor on the right looks a bit like a fellow I have seen in photo files belonging to Joe Spencer (RCNVR, Combined Operations) and one other photo I found in The Winnipeg Tribune while doing some research re microfiche.

"Jack Trevor, Sicily" from the collection of Joe Spencer

Same person as fellow in previous photo? Not sure.

But I am sure about the next one being the same Jack Trevor as above:

Photo as found in The Winnipeg Tribune, microfiche at U.W.O.

I am pretty sure that this next photo was taken in Halifax at a park (east of Citadel National Historic Site) called Grand Parade, with significant war memorials. I think the sailor is Clayton Marks, seen in an earlier photo (repeated below).

Clayton Marks is in back row, below, first on the left. You may disagree with me re his identity above. His daughter did, but I'm sticking to my guns ; ) Clayton wrote a fine book re the role/responsibilities of Canadians in Combined Operations. 

His book has been reprinted and is available for sale on this site. Many fine passages from Mr. Mark's book can be found on this site as well. For example, link to Memoirs re Combined Operations: Dieppe by Al Kirby

The original text (upper left) has been updated. GH

C. Marks - for certain - is front and centre in the next photo re navy reunion:

L - R: Ed Corbett, NA, Clayton 'Red' Marks, NA, Jake Koyl*

Jake Koyl appeared in an earlier photo @ HMS Saunders

Lloyd and others enjoyed time with four-legged mascots during long times aboard ships at sea.

He wrote a story re one such mascot in memoirs. Furry, four-legged, and frightened... but not a dog.

An interesting distraction occurred when one of the merchant crew bought a baby monkey (I called Jocko), which he kept in a big box but, during the night, it cried incessantly for its mother. He let it loose and it found its way into our quarters and crawled into my bunk for comfort. He slept in the crook of my arm with his head on my shoulder. I felt sorry for him and he stayed with me till we left the ship a month later. At one stage, he became so ill he could barely stand up or chew his normal food. I talked the ship's steward into giving me some raisins, chewed them to make it easier for Jocko to eat. After several days he regained his health. Jocko acquired a taste for candy, so much so that he would come running whenever I shook the tin. In fact I spoiled him so much, he would only eat the candy if he could jump on my shoulder and reach around and take them out of my mouth!

My Naval Chronicles, pages 17 - 18

The next photo (source unknown) may have reminded Lloyd of his time in hospital and what he saw there:

In Lloyd's memoirs we read the following re his hospital stay during the invasion of Italy:

Allied forces advanced quite rapidly, so another unplanned landing further up the coast was set in motion. The object, this time, was to land supplies for the advancing Allied forces and our flotilla was one of several selected for the job. While we waited on a safe beach for the signal to leave, a few large warships, including a battleship, went past at high speed. Their mission was to shell the new landing beach before we moved in during the night. The waves they created started to wash the landing craft off the beach, so I winched the door up a little, prior to ramming the craft back onto the beach. Unfortunately I left the safety catch off the winch handle and the next wave lifted the boat and I took the full force of the spinning winch handle on my left leg before I could remove it. One of the other boys made a similar mistake but this time with the kedge anchor winch. It hit him on the head to his severe injury. An Italian surgeon inserted a steel plate in his skull to repair the damage...

I didn’t think my leg was too bad other than very sore but it got worse a few days later. After a visit to the first aid post, I was sent down the coast by ambulance with a few others. We spent one night in a church and next day arrived at a British hospital in Catania near Mt Etna. When they noticed my Canada badge, I was offered a move to a Canadian base a short distance away - the 5th Canadian Casualty Clearing Station that was situated in a modern Sicilian hospital. The next day they operated on my leg to remove a blood clot.

My Naval Chronicles, pages 33 - 34

The officer below comes with no name but I believe he appears in a Canadian photographer's book:

Lloyd may have collected the photo because of the cute mascot! GH

Is the officer below the same one?

From H.M.C.S. One Photographer's impressions, G. A. Milne, page 81

The final photo may have been collected by Lloyd because it reminded him of his return to Canada in January 1944:

More photos from the collection of Lloyd Evans will follow.

Lloyd at home in Markham, Ontario

Please link to Photographs: From Collection of Lloyd Evans (2)

Unattributed Photos GH

Video: "FAINT FOOTSTEPS, World War II, Part 6"

The Video Series Continues w Recreational Activities

"Sailors Work Hard, Play Hard in Scotland" (1942)

"Gambling was not allowed in the Navy. Losers might steal."

Introduction:

The Canadians in Combined Ops did get time off or leaves from training during their time in Inveraray and Irvine, Scotland, 1942. Sometimes they would walk to the closest pubs, 1 - 2 miles away from their camps (e.g., HMS Quebec near Inveraray; Camp Auchengate near Irvine). Gambling was a no-no but a few Canadians tried their luck with dice when no one was watching. Bad luck followed on the heels of some of our boys.

The video that follows describes some of the recreational activities enjoyed by many Canadians during WWII. A few bash ups are described as well.

One of Dad's navy mates "poured the coals" to an ALC or LCM

and smashed into the stern of the Princess Iris. "Hell to Pay!"
 

"Faint Footsteps WWII, Part 6" follows:

The video can also be seen on YouTube with links to previous videos.

Please link to Video: "FAINT FOOTSTEPS, World War II, Part 5" as found on this website/blog. GH

Questions and comments can be addressed to GH - gordh7700@gmail.com

Another video will soon follow.

Unattributed Photos GH

Video: Prep Work for "FAINT FOOTSTEPS WWII, Pt. 6"

Canadians in Combined Ops Visit the George Hotel, Inveraray 

Video Title - "Sailors Work Hard, Play Hard in Scotland"

My father said he trained like commandos and trained with commandos

but he wasn't a commando. He was a sailor (RCNVR) in Combined Ops

In the illustration below (from Irvine and Fullarton Times, 1942) one can see commandos taking a break while enjoying some steaming OXO in a mug. And in the water - likely Loch Fyne or Loch Long (Scotland) - between the large troop ship and shoreline, one can see Canadian sailors bringing the commandos to shore via ALCs, or Assault Landing Crafts. I think my father is just about to lower the ramp on the craft closest to shore and holler, "Go get 'em, boys!"

"I trained with commandos but I wasn't a commando."

Introduction:

The work associated with putting a short (e.g., five minute) video together is a story unto itself. I connect with several resources while putting a script together and then search far and wide for suitable photographs to illustrate particular sentences or events, etc. Not all of the resources or photographs appear in the video but I think they are valuable to pass along to readers.
 
Readers may find - by scanning my prep work - a particular link to a written source or photograph (e.g., the Imperial War Museum is home to over 11 million good to excellent WWI and WWII photos on file) that may prove useful for their own study or research. Happy Hunting I say! 

Below is the script associated with video 6:

[Some editting may take place while the video is being produced.]

Sailors Work Hard, Play Hard in Scotland

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, says an old proverb. I’ve read that it means that “without time off work, people (e.g., young sailors!) become bored and boring.”

Canadian sailors training on landing craft at H.M.S. Quebec on Loch Fyne during World War II worked long hours - handling tides, currents, ropes and anchors until it became second nature. Then, for fun, some rolled in the heather, bent a few serious rules, and visited The George Hotel on Main Street in Inveraray, Scotland.

My father said, “Gambling in any form was not allowed in the navy for fear the losers might steal, but a friendly game of craps with pennies was going on one night when rounds were being made. Sailor Art Bradfield of Simcoe, the winner, couldn’t sweep the pennies under his hat fast enough and was caught and severely punished (i.e., confined to barracks).”

Those not confined hiked to ‘The George’, and played another friendly game that didn’t end so well for one poor fellow.

“In our group was a seaman named William Kuntz,” recalls Dad. “He also liked to go into Inveraray (have a beer or two, but) he was absolutely blind in the dark.”

Anthony Bouchard (Ontario) and Dad would take him on each side by the arm and when they spotted a bomb blast door (a wall of bricks to stop an explosion from travelling up closes or alleys) they would suddenly pull away from him and let him run headlong into the wall.

Doug Harrison writes: William would yell, “Where are you guys? I’ll murder you, ya bums.”

“You can’t murder us if you can’t find us, Willie,” we said. “When we had enough laughs we would go back to his side - he would forgive us because he would never get back to base otherwise - but we would get it in the morning.”

And in the morning all were back to work, unaware that within 2 - 3 months of those (almost) carefree episodes in the Scottish hills and hotels, many young Canadians would participate in an ill-fated raid. But first they boarded lorries and trains bound for their next training assignments at Camp Auchengate, situated just south of Irvine (on the coast of Ayrshire, a 50 km. drive southwest of Glasgow), with ample access to wide beaches and the open sea, where even bigger and better bash ups occurred.

“We practiced running our ALC up the stern of the Iris and Daffodil, i.e., train ferries,” Doug says. “Their sterns were nearly completely open, but with waves and a stiff wind blowing it was difficult to hit the opening.” (Like trying to park a truck inside a garage that is moving up, down, left, right, back, forth and sideways).

He then describes a day when conditions were terrible, yet expectations remained high.

“One day I just could not make it. I had a Seaman named Jake Jacobs and he said, ‘Let me see her. I’ll put her in there.’ He pulled the ALC back, poured the coal to her and crashed right into the stern of the Iris. There was Hell to pay.”

Fortunately, Dad escaped the incident without injury or a black mark on his record.

And Jake? In my father’s notes I read, “Jake Jacobs was a lead swinger of the first water and said he would make it back to Canada before any of us, and you know, he did. He wangled it somehow and after Auchengate I never saw him again.”

Without Jake at the wheel, Dad’s luck with landing crafts might have changed for the better - had King George VI not popped ‘round.

607 Words

Below are most of the photographs I assembled for consideration to use in the video. Many will be editted before use. Not all will be used but some of the links may prove useful to others.

I purchased my copy (used) at AbeBooks online for under $20 Canadian

Photo from H.M.C.S. One Photographers Impression, page 87

The Crow's Nest is but one Canadian Navy magazine worth its weight in gold

Link to CFB Esquimalt Naval Military Museum; look under Publications

Readers can link to a Crow's Nest article about Naval Commandos here. The first few paragraphs are provided below:

A very good article is provided below - as found in The Crow's nest June, 1945 edition - along with excellent art work, that focus on "Physical and Recreational Training as well upon the entertainment side of life", navy related:

One illustration in particular, found immediately above,

fit neatly into the script

This photo and next were taken during a 2014 trip to Inveraray, Scotland

The Combined Operations No. 1 Training Centre was 1 - 2 miles south. GH

"You a gambling man, Sailor? Just don't get caught!"

Art Bradfield, caught gambling as per the script, is above fifth from left.

Eight Canadians above, among many others, were introduced to various

landing crafts at HMS Northney, on Hayling Island, Feb. 1942

Art Bradfield later played a creative part in Navy stage productions.

More details can be found here on this website

Welcome to "The George", on main street Inveraray

William Kuntz is not stumbling in the photo above. My father, Doug Harrison,

is sitting nearby. SS Silver Walnut sailed around Africa, on its way to Sicily.

W. Kuntz and others are listed on Navy hammock below. The hammock was given to Sub. Lt. David Rodgers after he arrived on board the Walnut. It had earlier belonged to Stoker W. N. Katanna, second from left in above photo.

Bill Kuntz is in the front row, second from right, in the photo below. It is from the collection of Lloyd Evans, living in Markham when I met him a few years ago. Lloyd is in back row, fifth from the left. His group was the second division to volunteer for Combined Operations in late 1941. He and my father (member of the first division to volunteer for C. Ops.) journeyed across the Atlantic together in January, 1942 

Next are three photos as found at the Imperial War Museum. The location is the beach between Irvine and Troon, Scotland, near Camp Dundonald (army and RAF) and Camp Auchengate (Navy). Combined Ops training is taking place, and landing craft, perhaps manned by Canadians (if photos are from spring/early summer of 1942) can be seen in the background:

 

A13228. Lord Louis Mountbatten (on right) watching a landing exercise on the beach

at the combined operations centre at Dundonald Camp. Here the men making their way

out of sandbagged emplacements. Lt. S.J. Beadell, RN Official Photographer, IWM.

A13229. Lord Louis Mountbatten (on right) watching a landing exercise on the

beach at the combined operations centre at Dundonald Camp. Here the men are

leaping from a high embankment shored up with steel girders.

Lt. S.J. Beadell, RN Official Photographer, IWM

More photographs and information related to landing craft training can be found here.

A29875. General view of the beach at HMS DUNDONALD, Troon, where many

Tank Landing Craft tests were carried out. German prisoners are working in the

foreground. Lt. E.A. Zimmerman, Admiralty Official Collection, IWM.

More details related to landing craft training can be found here.

The next four photographs were taken during my trip to Irvine, Scotland, 2014. GH

Map displays the RAF and navy camps, landing strips, bogs, etc.

As found at Combined Operations Command by Geoff Slee

The next two photos relate to the train ferries that were used during training with landing craft. The Iris and Daffodil were two ferries recalled by Canadian sailors:

H11177. A landing craft containing a Valentine tank being launched down the

slipway of a landing ship during combined operations training on Loch Fyne

in Scotland, 27 June 1941. Photo - Major W.G. Horton, War Office, IWM.

My father's memoirs recall the hard work re train ferries and landing craft in Inveraray and Irvine, 1942:

Jake Jacobs says, "Let me see her, I'll put her in there!" He crashed instead.

The second paragraph concerns commando-style survival training

Doug Harrison, far left. Jake Jacobs, far right. Jake got home quicker!

Gambler Bradfield, 2nd left. Photo from Joe Spencer's collection.

The King talking to A/B Stride when he inspected the FX Division of

HMS BELFAST. Most of the men are survivors from other ships.

Mason, H. A. (Lt) A18663 Imperial War Museum collections

Video 6 in the series will soon follow.

Questions or comments about the above post can be sent to gordh7700@gmail.com

Please click here to view Prep Work for "FAINT FOOTSTEPS WWII, Pt. 5"

And please click here to view the finished video "FAINT FOOTSTEPS WWII, Pt. 5"

Unattributed Photos GH