Dorrian - Storming St Nazaire: The Gripping Story of the Dock-Busting Raid March, 1942

Is this defenceless port the place

That once I came to wreck?

Is nothing manned at my approach,

And no one armed on deck?

No, nothing nows afloat to sink,

Nor on the shore to invade.

These by the coach are teachers.

These in the boat want trade.

And over old unhappy things

Pacific ledgers mount,

Deals must have duplicates, and lives,

That had no copies, count,

And children come with flowers

To place where teachers bid,

Who never heard of Goering,

Or ask what Goebbels did...

O glittering wings, so suddenly

High in the vacant blue,

Stay, till to-day dies normally,

And normal nights ensue!

Never again the premature,

Never again the pain.

And a rose for those who went in first,

And where they fall, remain.

Michael Burn, 1997

As the 20th century draws to an uncertain close with emergencies and minor wars an everyday component of the news, it is almost impossible to conceive of a military reality which would fail to recognize the capabilities of special fighting forces such as the Commandos, the SAS and the SBS.

And yet, little more than half a century ago, at a time when Britain stood in mortal peril, the diversion of talent away from mainstream formations was seen as little less than a disruptive madness by the many who believed that victory was a prize far beyond the grasp of any but the big battalions.

Against a background of such easy prejudice and deprived as they were of materiel, cooperation, even a clear and certain rle, the newly formed Army Commandos struggled to take the fight to the enemy, engineering a series of attacks against the enemy coast of which the Combined Ops raid on the heavily defended port of St Nazaire was by far the most hazardous yet.

Representing, as it did, both the best and worst of all that Britain had to offer at that time the best in respect of the quality and enthusiasm of the young men who could not wait to sail for France; the worst in respect of the muddle and parsimony that saw them face the enemy with no weapon more potent than their absolute determination to win regardless of the cost the story of this particular operation is a poignant memoir both of a great adventure stained by pain and loss, and of an era whose attitudes and aspirations were soon to change forever.

In attempting to make a record of their sacrifice, truthfully and with conviction, I have been fortunate indeed in securing the wholehearted support of the committee and membership of the St Nazaire Society, whose soldier and sailor veterans have displayed considerable patience in the face of my many enquiries. I list the names of all those who contribued, alphabetically, as any attempt to establish an order of precedence must fall foul of the fact that each contributed as best he could. Most were interviewed on tape while others completed questionnaires, submitted written accounts or allowed me to quote from as yet unpublished memoirs. In the interests of brevity, I have excluded decorations from the list.

F.W.M. Arkle; H.W. Arnold; A. Ashcroft; J. Aspden; F.R. Axford; L.H. Ball; R.J. Barron; P.St G. Barry; Cdr M.J. Blake; H. Bracewell; R. Bradley; F. Brown; L.W. Brown; R.F. Brown; C.W.S. Burkimsher; M. Burn; R.H. Butler; F.A. Carr; F.H.C. Catton; E.L.D. Chappell; W.C. Clibborn; R.E. Collinson; D.K. Croft; J. Cudby; G. Davidson; S.B.E. Davis; L. Denison; H.R. Dyer; D.G. Edwards; P.C. Ellingham; Col. W.W. Etches; F. Folkard; J.A. Gardner; A.R. Green; T.G. Hannan; J. Hayhurst; S. Hinks; W.A. Holland; R. Hoyle; W.J. Johnson; A.W. King; J.H. Laurie; W.H. Lawson; F. Lemon; H.C. Lloyd; J. May; T. Milner; R.E. Mitchell; Lt-Col. R.K. Montgomery; H.H. Morgan; N.R. Nock; Dr D. Paton; A.W. Peacock; F.A. Penfold; A. Porter; F.E. Pritchard; G.J. Pryde; Maj-Gen. C.W.B. Purdon; J. Rafferty; W.E. Rainbird; D.C. Randall; E.C.A. Roberts; Dr J.M. Roderick; J.G. Rogers; G. Salisbury; A.C. Searson; Col. T. Sherman; H.J. Shipton; Revd C.A. Simister; F.A. Smith; D.R. Steele, Cdr W.L. Stephens; S.G. Stevenson; E.D. Stogdon; Lt-Cdr W. Wallach; Dr W.H. Watson; J. Webb; G.R. Wheeler; F.W. Wherrell; C.E. Whittle; A.F. Woodiwiss; Dr R.T.C. Worsley; R.E.Wright.

In the case of participants who have not survived to the present day I have been helped considerably by family members whose contributions include such invaluable documents as Major Coplands detailed account of his activities at St Nazaire, and Lt-Col. Newmans comprehensive report written while still a POW. Of particular importance were the many documents relating to the organization and execution of the raid collected by Cdr Ryder and made available to me by his son, the Revd Canon Lisle Ryder. Mrs Elmslie Henderson was kind enough to provide me with a body of material relating to Lt Nigel Tibbits RN; and Mrs Caroline Carr gave me free access to the archive which she created in memory of her great uncle, Able Seaman William Savage, VC. The full list of family contributors is as follows: Mr and Mrs P. Andrews; Mrs Cecilie Birney; Mrs B. and Mr T.W. Boyd; Mrs E. Copland; Mrs P. Curtis; Mr W.McM. Ferguson; Ms M. Harrison; Mrs L. Holman; Mr J. Maclagan; Mrs J. Westcott and others of Col. Newmans family; the Revd Canon L. Ryder; Mrs C. Carr; Mrs A.P. Inman; Mrs E. Henderson.

As the raid had a significant impact upon the lives of the inhabitants of St Nazaire I have sought to include a number of reminiscences collected by organizations based in and around the port. For their permission to make use of these I am indebted to Mme Michle Mah, Vice President of the Association Prhistorique et Historique de la Rgion Nazairienne, for making available to me the story of Alain Bizard, and to M. Thomas, Secretary of the Memoire et Savoir Nazariens, for arranging the use of material contained in