Hi Andy, Sorry for my slow response but I have not visited this thread for a while! The LCG(L) or Landing Craft Gun (Large) were LCT Mk4s modified to carry 2 4" naval guns. With their shallow draft they were intended to get close to shore and support the troops with fire from their guns.They seem to have been quite successful in that role. In Normandy, the LCGs and other minor craft (LCFs and naval Trawlers) had a secondary role at night. Each night they would head for the eastern end of the anchorage and anchor up bow to stern in a line north to south. This represented a physical barrier to prevent the Germans infiltrating the anchorage with their explosive motor boats and manned torpedoes. In this role the craft were also quite successful but they paid a heavy price and LCG(L) 764 was one such victim. However, the loss of a minor warship was considered better than the loss of a heavily loaded merchant ship or troop ship. The German manned torpedoes and exploding motor boats were not suicide vessels. The manned torpedoes were 2 torpedoes, one manned which fired the other when a target was sighted. The exploding motor boats were radio controlled from a command boat. Unfortunately I do not have much more information on LCG(L) 764. Being a minor warship her loss did not seem to warrant much interest in the reporting world at the time. Hope this helps a bit Cheers Chris
Hi All, Just to add a bit more to this, I post daily on behalf of Barry at War Museum, with details of losses to the county of Glamorgan in wartime, and being a bit ahead of myself have found the below regarding HMLCF 1: Marine RAYMOND GEORGE POPLE (PLY/X 106598) Royal Marines Age: 21 Hermanville War Cemetery, France; 2. J. 8. Son of George Edward and Doris Merler Pople, of Port Talbot, Glamorgan. Corporal ROWLAND CHARLES ROBBINS (PLY/X 104774) Royal Marines Age: 23 Plymouth Naval Memorial, United Kingdom; Panel 92, Column 1. Son of Edgar Charles and Bertha Maud Robbins, of Flemington, Glamorgan. Leading Stoker CHARLES EDWARD CASWELL (V/SKX 904) Royal Navy Age: 24 Plymouth Naval Memorial, United Kingdom; Panel 89, Column 2. Son of Charles Edwin and Eva Caswell, of Bargoed, Glamorgan; husband of Stella Irene Caswell, of Bargoed. #LestWeForget If I may ask, Ferguson73UK you mentioned 'our local memorial', is that to Plymouth or in Wales? Kind regards, Julian
May I quote you please to add detail when I post on the loss of the men aboard HMLCF? Many thanks, Julian
my uncle was william james chaplin the telegraphist who lost his life on LCG(L)764,it was a heart stopping moment to see a photo of the landing craft he served on.I only wish my father could have seen ,he was Bills kid brother
Hi Folks, have just come across this looking for things about my father whose diary of DDay includes a page about the sinking of LCF1 on 17 August 1944. In it he says 71 officers and men died and he was one of only 21 survivors. His list of survivors includes Marines Booth and Burgess. I'm going to send the diary to the DDay Museum in Portsmouth.
Hello Tatty Head, Welcome to the forum! Could you post scans of your father's diary here, since many forum members or relatives of LCF 1 crew members who would be love reading it do not have easy access to the D Day Museum? Many thanks in advance, Michel
Thank you Michel. I was going to scan some pages with the thread but realised I hadn't a clue how to do it, so if you'd like to talk me through it please? It covers the day before DDay through to the 18th and then there is a page dated 17th August, about the sinking. In all 9 back to back pages from an exercise book, so quite a lot but I could send the first few pages, see what you think. I don't live near Portsmouth either, being way up in North Tyneside, but as I didn't find the diary till after my Dad died I wanted to find somewhere that might make use of it. I didn't come across this forum until after I'd offered it to them. Look forward to some tuition! Barbara
Barbara, If you do not have a scanner, best would be to use the services of a reprography shop who could scan them for you, or some relative or friend who has a scanner. You can post the images on the forum by clicking on the "Upload a File" button. Michel
Fantastic beginning Barbara! Thank you so much for sharing these pages. We would love to see the rest of it. Michel
Another photo of LCG(L) 764 with some of her comrades of 331 Support Flotilla, 2 Support Squadron (click on the photo to go to the IWM website where you can zoom the picture). Left to right: LCG(L)(4) 681, LCG(L)(4) 764, LCF(4) 32 and (most probably) LCG(L)(4) 680 partially visible alongside the quay: INVASION CRAFT REHEARSAL. 24 TO 28 APRIL 1944, OFF THE ISLE OF WIGHT. VARIOUS CRAFT DURING AN INVASION REHEARSAL.. © IWM (A 23764) Michel
Sorry, screwed that up, you have 8 instead of 4. Very hard to see the right page in photos because Apple changes order and writing is so small. Will try to locate 4, 6 and 7. Think they are right ones attached now. More to follow. Barbara
Doing my best! Page 4 and no duplicates, promise. Bit late in the evening to have started, hopefully I will do better with the rest of it. Very sorry to anyone reading it.
Barbara, You're doing fine! The first 9 pages (Introduction plus pages 1 to 8 of the Diary) perfectly uploaded so far. Thank you again! Michel
Hi, Technical problem - because the limit is 2mb the next page won't upload (it is 6.2mb and the following one is 5.3mb). Any suggestions please? Barbara
I don't use Apple, but there should be a function somewhere to downsize images. Try not to downsize them too much so that they remain readable though. Just under 2 MB should be fine.
