Branch Meeting.
33 people sat down with another 23 linked in via Zoom. 56 in total, a record. Loyal Toast, Green Fields? no branch connections but the passing of the wife of General Ridgeway and the death of Arthur (Mac) McCardle ex 1 RTR were acknowledged. A welfare update was given.
Frank Devine (ex-16th/5th Lancers) a guest of Jimmy Thompson was made welcome.
Minutes of the April 2024 branch meeting were read.
There followed a recap of recent activity, ANZAC Day at Weymouth, members were informed that Ron McCarthy became ill at this event and was treated by para medics and taken to hospital. He is now recovering at home.
Dave Larcombe gave a detailed account of Robert Bone’s 90th birthday visit to the Tank Museum at Bovington where a special programme had been prepared just for him.
A special mention was made about the efforts of Chris Lock in making the Ex Tiger-service at Portland such a success. Members were informed about the Minibus problems we encountered for the Slapton Sands trip and the requirement for Dave Larcombe to take his own car. He will claim his fuel costs from Branch funds.
The forthcoming activity was confirmed. Branch members will be attending the veteran’s breakfast in Chippenham, Wiltshire on Sunday 12th May. This is purely an inspection to monitor that Mike (Tankie) Brandwood is behaving himself! 21st May 2024 is the Stephen Ford (KIA HMS Ardent, Falklands conflict) memorial service at Constitution Hill in Poole.
Friday 17th May, the Korea veterans plus the branch Chairman & Secretary will be attending the “Not Forgotten” annual garden Party at Buckingham Palace. Bank Holiday Monday, 27th May, is the annual service at the US D Day Memorial in Weymouth. Weymouth was a major embarkation point for US forces involved in Operation Overlord. It is always held a week early on US Memorial Day as a symbolic gesture of goodwill.
Branch members are attending the “D Day Deception” presentation at the Union Jack Club in London on 30th May 2024. On 6th June 2024 the branch will be involved in both D Day wreath laying services on Poole Quay. The first is at the UK wall plaque followed by another service at the US Coastguard memorial.
Members were reminded that the guest speaker on 4th June 2024 will be Lt Col (Ret) Gareth Davies RTR who will be giving a D Day themed presentation.
Dave Larcombe then put the Treasurers hat on and explained about the number of transactions the branch account has and the need for people paying to in to include a reference. He also gave a nudge to the small number of people who have not yet paid their subscriptions for 2024 and those who are behind on their sweepstake subscriptions.
The Regimental Secretary then made a surprise presentation of an RTR cushion to Korean War veteran Dennis Croft.
The meeting then closed, and the guest speaker was introduced.
Nick Reed is a member of the Isle of Purbeck Sub Aqua Club and gave a superb presentation about the sunken Valentine Duplex Drive (DD) Tanks off Studland in Dorset. The tanks, from the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards were lost during exercise Smash in April 1944 whilst rehearsing for the D Day landings. Two Squadrons of Valentines were launched into the sea, but the tanks were launched too far out in choppy conditions and 7 tanks foundered in the waves. 6 soldiers died, only one body was washed ashore the other five soldiers escaped the tanks but drowned and were lost to the sea.
Project Valentine 75 (75th anniversary 2019) was launched to map, photograph, measure, and record information about the tanks before they are lost forever. Too much information to put on here but a few snippets of info!
The crews were issued re-breather units and Nick believes that these breathing units may have contributed to the deaths as the oxygen would have been toxic at the depths the tanks sank to. Did the soldiers lose conciseness and drown? Or did they discard the re breathers when they got toxic and then drown? We do know that one of those who died was seen on the surface alive and holding onto a floating box. He was never seen again.
The lost tanks it appears were later marks of Valentines which had a larger main armament and breech block. Nick believes that the extra weight may have reduced the water stability of the vehicles and made them more susceptible to sinking in rough conditions. Earlier marks of Valentine with smaller, lighter guns were also involved and managed to get to shore successfully!
They team suffered one injury when a diver was bitten by a conger eel when he put his hands in the turret of a tank.
Tank number 7 foundered but did not sink and was floating towards Boscombe (Bournemouth) so the navy sank it. This is why it is located well away from the others. Only two tanks are relatively intact as the navy destroyed the others due to live ammo being recovered by recreational divers. DD Valentines were replaced by Shermans just prior to D Day but, if enough Shermans had not been converted in time then the Valentines would have been used.
There was so much more but…..
Fear Naught
