Cockleshell Heroes - 9pm BBC2 1st nov 2011

The method of placing the limpet mines as shown in the documentry was incorrect as I thought.Can you imagine that Hasler would have neglected to consider this and fail to effect maximum damage to the shipping in this,his operation.The limpets were placed below the water line using a two metre "placing rod"

Four merchant ships were damaged:

Alabama (5645 tonnes)
Tannenfels (7840 tonnes)
Dresden (8567 tonnes)
Portland (7132 tonnes) oil tanker

Hasler also put limpets on the hull of an Auxiliary Minesweeper but when the limpets exploded on Saturday morning at 0600 hrs,damaging the merchant shipping,the minesweeper was untouched.It was later thought that the limpets had dropped off.

Apparently, there were no written orders for the operation,the management and training was indertaken by Hasler alone.He decided what was to be done and how it was to be done.

When Corporal Sheard and Marine Moffat were left to their own devices,they were about 2.5 kms from the Pointe de Grave lighthouse.The area was intermittently lit up suddenly by the lighthouse beam which was switched on.The volume of water flowing down the Gironde and the affect of the tidal races prevented them from reaching the shore of the Medoc.Instead they were overcome against the force of the water and carried up the coast.Sheard's body was never found but Moffat's body was washed up on the coast of the Vendee close to les Sables d'Olonne,probably 60 miles up the coast.

There is no trace of Moffat's grave.Seems strange that he was accounted as being found on the Vendee coast and has no known grave.He is remembered on the Plymouth Naval Memorial.

 

Just watched Cockleshell Heroes this afternoon on BBC2. A really good film. I noticed Christopher Lee had a very small part in it.

Lesley

 

I saw the paddy ashdown tribute on the BBC last night which i had recorded, and thought it was a brilliant documentary

 

I also enjoyed Ashdown's documentary but have to agree with Harry re the placing of limpet mines - a strange inaccuracy in an otherwise very good programme.

 

I watced Ashdown's programme today and really enjoyed it and as others have mentioned found the error of placing the Limpet mines above the water line a careless mistake in a otherwise excellent programme, for me the meeting of Ashdown and Hasler on a train....... with Ashdown being unaware of who this man was asking to many questions of him as he returned to base while serving in the SBS, was quite remarkable I wonder how much Ashdown kicked himself when he later realised that the man was Blondie Hasler legend of Special Forces and his hero!

 

I only just got round to watching the programme last night. It was excellent.

Leaves me wanting to find out more


Liam

 

Hi Liam, I can highly recommend the book 'Cockleshell Heroes' by C.E. Lucas Phillips that Harry mentioned earlier. I have a few of its pages on my blog that you can read. Here's a link - La Resistance Francaise: Cockleshell Heroes / Operation Frankton / M. Mariuad - Ruffec

Alain.

 

Incidentally, I cannot see Ashdown's intended written account of this operation exceeding the quality and accuracy of that of C.E Lucas Phillips.I would say with all confidence....stick to politics Paddy.

 

I have just found a note which was handed to me earlier in 2010, entitled the "Last of the Cockleshell Heroes" and published in the Pontefract and Castleford Express.It features Marine Norman Colley,the only survivor from the operation, a Badsworth man (Pontefract), he was a reserve and was aboard the submarine Tuna and assisted with the bringing up of the canoes from the torpedoe room to the submarine deck for the team to cast off near to the Gironde estuary.He said he handled a number of letters given to him by members of the team to pass on to their relatives.

Apparently Norman was traced by Quentin Rees in 1997 to get a first hand account of the events surrounding the operation which resulted in Rees penning his account of the operation in 2008,published as Cockleshell Heroes..The Final Witness with a reprint in May 2009.

Rees suggests that four of the Marines are buried in unmarked graves,north west of Bordeaux and states, of the operation, that "the motivation for writing this account was borne from a realisation that there was too much inaccurate nonsense in circulation".

Norman Colley's involvement is mentioned in the Lucas Phillips publication and he features in the Ashdown documentary.

 

Good find, I'll look into it but I believe money is being raised for a memorial near to Bordeaux in memory of the four of the Marines buried there in unmarked graves.
Here is an article which appeared a few days ago concerning James Conway.
BBC News - Cockleshell hero James Conway could get memorial

 

There are over 100 threads that refer to the Cockleshell Heroes and Operation Frankton. This appears to be the best spot.

From Dr Robert Lyman:

Link: BBC Radio 4 - History's Heroes, History's Secret Heroes - Series 4, The Cockleshell Heroes

 

On holiday in June in the Charente Maritime Department north of Bordeaux where the Gironde is about 7 miles across to the Medoc in the Gironde Department we decided to have a day in the Medoc.

The intention was to see if we could view the memorial to the two marines, Sgt Samuel Wallace and Marine Robert Ewart executed in the grounds of the Chateau du Dehez, at Blanquefort situated on the northern outskirts of Bordeaux. The Chateau had been requisitioned by the occupational forces and developed as a Kreigsmarine HQ. Post war the chateau was renamed as Chateau Magnol. From what I had gathered access to the memorial was available but not clear. On arriving there, the chateau proved to be very private, now owned by Barton & Guestier, wine négociants. As we approached the large ornamental gates, their security system picked up the car and the gates powered shut.

There was no information regarding the memorial at the gates, and I presume that any viewing would require permission prior to the visit. On a stinking hot day, we left Chateau Magnol and headed to the Biscay coast arriving at Lancanau for a lunch, a beer and pizza, then on to Montalivet where HM Sub Tuna surfaced to launch the RM kayaks offshore. What is known is that German radar picked up Tuna from the Pointe de Grave but the intelligence was not passed on, it was only when Sgt Wallace and Marine Ewart were forced to wade ashore and be captured near to the Pointe de Grave lighthouse and later their equipment recovered but not their kayak did the Germans think something was afoot. It has been established that although enduring a deep interrogation the marines gave nothing away about Frankton.

Not enough time to explore around Soulac sur Mer or the Point de Grave in order to meet the last ferry for the day which sailed from Le Verdon sur Mer to cross the mouth of the Gironde to Royan. The ferry tariff as I remember had increased quite a lot from previously used. Fourgon (Car) 37 Euros, Passengers 7 Euros for a 20-25 minute trip with the concrete Royan cathedral in the distance.

Two articles may be of interest to some

Carried out research on the wartime role of Chateau Du Dehez

Château du Dehez and the Cockleshell Heroes

The CWGC have also covered Frankton on their website

Operation Frankton: The True Story of the Cockleshell Heroes - CWGC