Personal Information

Royal Navy

Operation Infatuate II Basil volunteered for the Royal Navy in late 1940. In January 1941 he was dispatched to Norfolk Virginia in the United States, and there assigned to an LCI, and shortly after left in a convoy of 12 LCIs across the Atlantic ending up after thirty days, in Djidjelli, North Africa. There was a base there and they were employed repairing and servicing many types of Landing Craft, and eventually assisting in the landings in Sicily and Italy. Returning to England in late 1943, Basil was assigned to LCH 269 and they led the Support Squadron Eastern Flank (SSEF) on to the Normandy landings at Sword Area. In September 1944 they returned to the UK and the ship went in for major rework to eventually becoming LCH 269. In October 1944 their Skipper Lt Holdsworth RN was changed to Lt Cdr K Sellar, known as "monkey Sellar" an ex rugby player, and to their surprise a very high rank for such a lowly Landing Craft. Late October 1944 they left Poole in the UK and tied up in Oostende, they had not a faintest notion of where they were going. The morning of Nov 1st they were off the coast of Walcheren Island.