London Branch Coastal Forces Veterans have sadly learned of the death of long-standing member, and last ever London Branch Chairman, Eddie Dibley. Eddie ‛crossed the bar’ peacefully, at home, on 20 April, 2024, aged 98. He had originally retired from the post of Secretary of London Branch in 2014, but took on the role of Branch Chairman, ably assisted by his daughter Julie, on the retirement of Ken Gadsdon. Eddie was awarded the Légion d’Honneur by the French Government in July 2022, having represented Coastal Forces during the 75th Anniversary of D-Day in 2019.
Able Seaman (Radar) Eddie Dibley served on MTB 757, part of the 66th MTB Flotilla which comprised MTBs 731, 733, 737, 747, 750, 752, 757 and 760. These boats had their torpedo tubes removed in the late summer of 1944 and their decks fitted with racks of depth charges, to function in an anti-submarine role. At Le Havre they had been called upon to destroy sea mines laid by the Germans in the approaches to the port.
Len Reynolds in Dog Boats at War describes the situation: “...the Germans had sown the approaches liberally with a new type of pressure mines — named oyster mines — which took on the character of either an acoustic or a magnetic mine according to the pressure of water displaced by a ship passing over them at more than 10 knots...the 66th were asked to attempt a method of steaming fast over the minefield and dropping a pattern of depth charges.”
Eddie recalled how ahead of the planned operation, the boat disembarked several of its crew at Portsmouth, so as to only carry a skeleton crew over the minefields. His own account of those events may be read by following the link provided.
Lest we forget
At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them
This month sees the anniversary of the loss of MTB 671, sunk off Pointe de Barfleur, east of Cherbourg by a flotilla of three German Mõwe class torpedo boats. She was one of three boats from the 55th MTB Flotilla that were lying in wait for the German patrol, when the group came under a sustained attack. 671 was a Fairmile 'D' motor torpedo boat, one of the largest and heavily-armed of the Coastal Forces boats, with a crew of twenty-seven, all but two of which were lost in the action in the Channel. The only two survivors, Sub-Lieutenant Colin Morley, and Able Seaman Alfred Day spent several hours in the water, before being rescued by a Royal Navy frigate sent to look for survivors.
If I Only Had Known — Ken Forrester's account of the loss of MTB 671
According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza as of 17 April, 2024, at least 33,899 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip since 7 October, 2023, and the attack by Hamas in which 1,162 Israeli civilians, members of the security forces, and foreigners have been identified as killed, including at least 33 children. Around 70% of Palestinians killed are reported to be women and children, with children accounting for some 13,800+ deaths to date. A further 76,664 Palestinians have been reported injured, including 1000+ children who have had one or both legs amputated. 17,000 children are classed as unaccompanied or separated from their parents.
In addition, nearly 1.7 million displaced people are now sheltering across emergency shelters (UNRWA and public shelters), informal sites or in close vicinity to UNRWA shelters and distribution sites and within host communities, whilst some 70,000+ housing units have been destroyed, and a further 290,000+ damaged.
2,200,000 are now at risk of famine, with 1,100,000 at Phase 5 which aid agencies consider to be catastrophic risk, and a further 854,000 at Phase 4, which is considered an emergency.
Amid growing concerns for the safety of Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip, South Africa has successsfully brought a case against the state of Israel in the International Court of Justice in the Hague.
In the light of concerns raised by South Africa, regarding possible breaches by the Israeli state of their obligations under international law, including potential genocidal comments made by Israeli state officials, some of which are reproduced below, and by an Order dated 26 January 2024, the International Court of Justice has indicated provisional measures in the case concerning Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel)
Nakba? Expel them all…If the Egyptians care so much for them - they are welcome to have them wrapped in cellophane tied with a green ribbon
There should be two goals for this victory: One, there is no more Muslim land in the land of Israel… After we make it the land of Israel, Gaza should be left as a monument, like Sodom
There is one and only (one) solution, which is to completely destroy Gaza before invading it. I mean destruction like what happened in Dresden and Hiroshima, without nuclear weapons…Gaza should be razed and Israel’s rule should be restored to the place. This is our country
We are fighting human animals, and we are acting accordingly…We will eliminate everything - they will regret it
It’s an entire nation out there that is responsible. It’s not true this rhetoric about civilians not aware not involved. It’s absolutely not true…and we will fight until we break their backbone
…imposing a complete siege on Gaza. No electricity, no food, no water, no fuel. Everything is closed.
There will be no Arabs in the Gaza strip. They will go to Turkey, to Scotland, to Britain…we'll use different methods. One of them is not to give them any humanitarian aid.
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