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Classic Battlefield Tours, Alton (2025)

22/04/2025

Horatio Gates

Horatio Lloyd Gates (July 26, 1727 – April 10, 1806) was a British-born American army officer who served as a general in the Continental Army during the early years of the Revolutionary War. He took credit for the American victory in the Battles of Saratoga (1777) – a matter of contemporary and historical controversy – and was blamed for the defeat at the Battle of Camden in 1780. Gates has been described as "one of the Revolution's most controversial military figures" because of his role in the Conway Cabal, which attempted to discredit and replace General George Washington; the battle at Saratoga; and his actions during and after his defeat at Camden.

Born in the town of Maldon in Essex, Gates served in the British Army during the War of the Austrian Succession and the French and Indian War. Frustrated by his inability to advance in the army, Gates sold his commission and established a small plantation in Virginia. On Washington's recommendation, the Continental Congress made Gates the Adjutant General of the Continental Army in 1775. He was assigned command of Fort Ticonderoga in 1776 and command of the Northern Department in 1777. Shortly after Gates took charge of the Northern Department, the Continental Army defeated the British at the crucial Battles of Saratoga. After the battles, some members of Congress considered replacing Washington with Gates, but Washington ultimately retained his position as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army.

Gates took command of the Southern Department in 1780, but was removed from command later that year after the disastrous American defeat at Camden. Gates's military reputation was destroyed by the battle, and he did not hold another command for the remainder of the war. Gates retired to his Virginia estate after the war, but eventually decided to free his slaves and move to New York. He was elected to a single term in the New York State Legislature and died in 1806.

21/04/2025

M1 helmet

The M1 helmet is a combat helmet that was used by the United States Armed Forces from 1941 to 1986. Designed to replace the M1917 helmet, a British design used during World War I, the M1 helmet is known for having been used as the primary American combat headgear during World War II, with similarly extensive use in the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Owing to its extensive use throughout World War II and the Cold War, the M1 helmet has become an icon of the U.S. military, with its design inspiring copies and derivative designs used by other militaries around the world.

At the entry of the United States into World War I in 1917, the U.S. military did not have a combat helmet; initially, American Expeditionary Forces personnel were issued British Mk l helmets, while those integrated with French units were issued French M15 Adrian helmets. American production quickly began of an American variant of the Mk I, the M1917 helmet, with some 2,700,000 units produced by the end of the war. At that point, the shortcomings of the M1917, which lacked balance and protection of the head from lateral fire, resulted in a project to produce a better helmet that would also have a distinctively American appearance.

Under the direction of Brigadier General Courtney Hodges, who took the M1917 shell as the basis of the new prototype, trimmed off the brim, and added a visor and skirt-like extensions to protect the back and sides of the wearer's head. Rejecting the conventional systems of cradles, the new helmet was given a Riddell-type liner and suspension system, based on the contemporary style of football helmet, with an adjustable strap for the nape of the neck to prevent the helmet from rocking. The resulting prototype was designated the TS-3, and the McCord Radiator Company manufactured the first examples from Hadfield steel. In tests, they were found to be able to resist a .45 ACP pistol bullet fired at point-blank range, exceeding the initial specification. The TS-3 was given official approval on June 6, 1941, and was designated "Helmet, Steel, M1". Full-scale production commenced almost immediately.

In 1986, the M1 helmet, by then greatly outdated for the changing needs of modern warfare, was succeeded in U.S. military service by the PASGT helmet, another similarly iconic and influential combat helmet design. Some M1 helmets and their derivatives remain in service with several national militaries in the 21st century, although most have been relegated to being part of certain ceremonial uniforms, such as those of honor guards.

19/04/2025

Rheinwiesenlager

The Rheinwiesenlager was a group of 19 concentration camps built in the Allied-occupied part of Germany by the U.S. Army to hold captured German soldiers at the close of the Second World War. Officially named Prisoner of War Temporary Enclosures (PWTE), they held between one and almost two million surrendered Wehrmacht personnel from April until September 1945.

Prisoners held in the camps were designated disarmed enemy forces, not prisoners of war. This decision was made in March 1945 by Dwight D. Eisenhower: by not classifying the hundreds of thousands of captured troops as POWs, the logistical problems associated with accommodating so many prisoners of war mandated by the Geneva Convention governing their treatment were negated.

In late March 1945, as Allied forces struck into the heart of Germany after crossing the Rhine at Remagen, the number of German prisoners being processed caused the British to stop accepting any more prisoners into their camps. This forced the U.S. Army to take immediate action and establish the Rheinwiesenlager in the western part of Germany.

The camps were also established to stop any German insurgency following the surrender of N**i Germany on 8 May 1945. The Allied leadership were worried that die-hard N**i units might try to mount an effective guerrilla campaign against the occupation.

In the beginning, there were plans to transport the prisoners of war to Britain, where they would remain until capitulation, because there they could be better provided for. But with such large numbers of prisoners, it seemed more logical to keep them in Germany.

There was a similar plan for the construction of all the camps. Open farmland near a village with a railroad line was enclosed with barbed wire and divided into 10 to 20 camps, each housing 5,000 to 10,000 men. Surrounding buildings were used as the administration, kitchen, and hospital. The prisoners of war, forced to surrender their equipment, had to dig holes in the earth by hand in which to sleep.

Due to the number of prisoners, the Americans transferred internal control of the camps over to the Germans. All administration, such as doctors, cooks, and the workforce, was undertaken by the prisoners. Some of the armed guards were former troops from the Wehrmacht and received extra rations for preventing escapes and keeping order in the camps. In June 1946, these military police would be the last German soldiers to officially surrender their arms.

Within weeks of the camps being established, some prisoner releases were started. Professional groups, such as farmers, drivers, and miners, were urgently required to assist in the reconstruction of German infrastructure.

Official United States statistics conclude there were just over 3,000 deaths in the Rheinwiesenlager, while German figures state them to be 4,537.

By the end of September 1945, nearly all the Rheinwiesenlager camps had been closed.

18/04/2025

Battle of Alton tour

Yesterday, on a fine sunny day, 15 people met at the Swan Hotel in Alton, which dates back to 1499, for a one-day tour of the Battle of Alton during the English Civil War. After coffee and tea, the guide Warwick Louth sets the scene for this battle and explains why Alton was so important to both sides.

Imagining it was a cold, snowy day on the 13th December 1643, we walk out onto the High Street and up near Market Square, where the Parliamentarian cavalry charges up the narrow street and is repelled three times.

Then, moving on to Amery Park to see where the Parliamentarians advance up the hill towards St. Lawrence's Church and Amery Farm.

At Amery Farm, Warwick explained that the Royalist snipers shot down on the Parliamentarian advance from the top windows and were only dislodged when a fire broke out, which drove them from the building.

The battle's conclusion was at St. Lawrence's Church, where 600 royalist soldiers fortified the church and made a desperate last stand. Colonel Richardus Boles, the commander of the Royalists' forces, was killed, along with most of his remaining men. The Parliamentarians won a clear victory, losing only a few men and taking many prisoners.

We returned to the Swan Hotel for an excellent lunch of food, drink, and conversation.

The next chapter in our English Civil War one-day tours will be the Storming of Wi******er in 1642, which was an extraordinary moment in the English Civil War. It marked the close of the first campaign season and year of the war, in December 1642, with a victory for Parliament. But it came with a shocking level of iconoclastic fury.

The date is 10th April 2026 and will be guided by Warwick Louth.

For further details, do sign up for our newsletter at www.classicbattlefieldtours.com

17/04/2025

Purchase of commissions in the British Army

Between the 17th and 19th centuries, officers' commissions in infantry and cavalry units of the English and British armies could be purchased. This avoided the need to wait to be promoted for merit or seniority, and was the usual way to obtain a rank in both armies. The practice began in 1683 during the reign of Charles II of England, and continued to exist until it was abolished on 1 November 1871 as part of the Cardwell Reforms. Formally, the purchase price of a commission was a cash bond for good behaviour, liable to be forfeited if the officer in question was found guilty of cowardice, desertion, or gross misconduct.

Only commissions in cavalry and infantry regiments could be purchased and therefore only those up to the rank of colonel. Commissions in the Royal Engineers and the Royal Artillery were awarded to those who graduated from a course at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich , and subsequent promotion was by seniority. Also, the Royal Navy never practised the sale of commissions, with advancement in officer ranks being solely by merit or seniority, at least in theory (in practice, the requirement for new officers to purchase expensive uniforms and study materials restricted naval commissions to sons of the middle and upper classes).[citation needed]

The official values of commissions varied by branch:

1837 (2023 equivalent) price of commissions

Rank Infantry Cavalry Life Guards Foot Guards

Cornet/Ensign £450 (£52k) £840 (£96k) £1,260 (£145k) £1,200 (£138k)

Lieutenant £700 (£80k) £1,190 (£137k) £1,785 (£205k) £2,050 (£235k)

Captain £1,800 (£207k) £3,225 (£370k) £3,500 (£402k) £4,800 (£551k)

Major £3,200 (£367k) £4,575 (£525k) £5,350 (£614k) £8,300 (£953k)

Colonel £4,500 (£516k) £6,175 (£709k) £7,250 (£832k) £9,000 (£1,033k)

To purchase a promotion, an officer only had to pay the difference in price between his existing rank and the desired rank.

The malpractices associated with the purchase of commissions reached their height in the long peace between the Napoleonic Wars and the Crimean War, when James Brudenell, Lord Cardigan, paid £35,000 (equivalent to £4,110,000 in 2023) for the lieutenant-colonelcy of the stylish 11th Hussars. It became obvious in Crimea that the purchase system often resulted in incompetence, which resulted in the Charge of the Light Brigade, led by Cardigan. An inquiry (the Commission on Purchase) was established in 1855, and commented unfavourably on the institution. The practice of purchase of commissions was finally abolished as part of the 1871 Cardwell reforms, which made many changes to the structure and procedures of the Army.

16/04/2025

Alexander Buller Turner VC

Following on from yesterday's post, we look at how Victor Buller Turner's elder brother won his VC in the First World War.

He was commissioned into the Special Reserve of Officers, Royal Berkshire Regiment, 3rd (Reserve) Battalion, on 11 September 1914, five weeks after the outbreak of the First World War. He was subsequently transferred to the 1st Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment. The battalion, a Regular Army unit, part of the 6th Brigade of the 2nd Division, was serving in trenches of the Western Front.

He was 22 years old and a second lieutenant in the 3rd Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment (Princess Charlotte of Wales's), British Army, attached to the 1st Battalion during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC:

On 28 September 1915 at Fosse 8, near Vermelles, France, when the regimental bombers could make no headway, Second Lieutenant Turner volunteered to lead a new bombing attack. He made his way down the communication trench practically alone, throwing bombs incessantly with such dash and determination that he drove off the Germans about 150 yards without a check. His action enabled the reserves to advance with very little loss and subsequently covered the flank of his regiment in its retirement, thus probably averting the loss of some hundreds of men. Second Lieutenant Turner died three days later of the wounds received in this action.
He was shot in the abdomen at close range during the action for which he was awarded the VC. He was reported to have died at No. 1 Casualty Clearing Station, Chocques on 1 October, and he was buried at the Military Cemetery Chocques.

He had a family connection with General Sir Redvers Buller VC.

His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment (Salisbury) Museum, Salisbury, Wiltshire.

15/04/2025

Victor Buller Turner VC at the defence of Outpost Snipe

To finish the story of the defence of Outpost Snipe, Lieutenant-Colonel Victor Buller Turner won the VC at this battle.

Turner was promoted to temporary Lieutenant-Colonel in 1942 while serving in the Middle East, before the action in which he was awarded the VC.

On 27 October 1942, Lieutenant-Colonel Turner was commanding a battalion of the Rifle Brigade. After overcoming a German position, the battalion fought off desperate counter-attacks by 90 tanks, destroying or immobilising more than 50 of them. During the action, one of the 6-pounder guns was left with only one officer and a sergeant, so Colonel Turner joined them as loader, and between them, they destroyed another five tanks. Not until the last tank had been repulsed did he consent to having a wound in his head attended to.

The citation for his award was published in the London Gazette on 20 November 1942 and reads as follows:

Major (temporary Lieutenant-Colonel) Victor Buller Turner (17630), The Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own) (Thatcham, Berks).
For most conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty on the 27th October, 1942, in the Western Desert.

Lieutenant-Colonel Turner led a Battalion of the Rifle Brigade at night for 4,000 yards through difficult country to their objective, where 40 German prisoners were captured. He then organised the captured position for all-round defence; in this position, he and his Battalion were continuously attacked from 5.30 a.m. to 7 p.m., unsupported and so isolated that replenishment of ammunition was impossible owing to the concentration and accuracy of the enemy fire.

During this time, the Battalion was attacked by not less than 90 German tanks, which advanced in successive waves. All of these were repulsed with a loss to the enemy of 35 tanks, which were in flames, and not less than 20 more which had been immobilised.

Throughout the action, Lieutenant-Colonel Turner never ceased to go to each part of the front as it was threatened. Wherever the fire was heaviest, there he was to be found. In one case, finding a solitary six-pounder gun in action (the others being casualties) and manned only by another officer and a Sergeant, he acted as loader and with these two destroyed 5 enemy tanks. While doing this, he was wounded in the head, but he refused all aid until the last tank was destroyed.

His personal gallantry and complete disregard of danger as he moved about encouraging his Battalion to resist to the last resulted in the infliction of a severe defeat on the enemy tanks. He set an example of leadership and bravery which inspired his whole Battalion and which will remain an inspiration to the Brigade.

Turner's Victoria Cross is displayed at the Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum in Wi******er, England.

His older brother, Alexander Turner, received a posthumous VC during the First World War.

14/04/2025

Defence of Outpost Snipe

The Defence of Outpost Snipe in Egypt was part of the Second Battle of El Alamein of the Western Desert campaign during the Second World War. On the night of 26/27 October 1942, the 2nd Battalion of the Rifle Brigade, with thirteen 6-pounder anti-tank guns and the Royal Welch Fusiliers Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery, with six more 6-pounders, was ordered to occupy a desert feature known as Snipe, a small depression in the landscape 1.5 mi (2.4 km) south-west of Kidney Ridge that was suitable for an outpost. Once consolidated, it could be used as a jumping-off point for an advance by the 24th Armoured Brigade.

From 26 to 27 October, the 2nd Rifle Brigade defeated numerous Axis armoured counter-attacks and withstood constant artillery bombardments and machine-gun fire, while knocking out 52–57 Axis armoured vehicles, with intermittent support from the tanks and artillery of the 1st Armoured Division. The defence of Outpost Snipe managed to spoil the biggest Axis counter-attack against the positions captured by the Eighth Army during Operation Lightfoot; the battalion suffered 72 casualties. The fighting at Outpost Snipe led Rommel to write that an armoured attack, on ground which the defenders had been able to prepare, was unlikely to succeed.

The 2nd Rifle Brigade showed that with powerful anti-tank guns, dug in on well-chosen positions, British infantry could inflict disproportionate losses on tanks, knocking out German tanks at 2,000 yd (1.1 mi; 1.8 km). Co-operation between the Rifle Brigade gunners and the tank gunners of the 24th Armoured Brigade on 27 October had been excellent, but the attempt of the 1st Armoured Division to provide artillery support backfired, due to the chronic inability of the British commanders to agree where their units were (even after the location exercise with flares). Rommel had ordered a counter-attack by the Panzerarmee reserve to restore the original German positions on a 6 mi (10 km) front from El Wishka in the south to Point 29 in the north, which had been lost during Operation Lightfoot. Outpost Snipe was 1,000 yd (910 m) behind the German front line, across the route of the right flank of the counter-attack of 27 October; Rommel wrote later of the "murderous fire", which "struck into our ranks" and stopped the biggest Axis counter-attack against ### Corps; an armoured attack on ground where the defender had been able to prepare, was unlikely to succeed.

The 2nd Rifle Brigade suffered 72 casualties, but a month later, a committee of investigation concluded that the battalion had managed to knock out 52 to 57 Axis vehicles, of which 22 German and 10 Italian tanks had been destroyed, along with five self-propelled guns. Axis human losses were unknown but believed to be more than the Rifle Brigade losses.

13/04/2025

The History of Beer in England

Brewing in what is now England was probably well established when the Romans arrived in 54 BC, and indeed continued under them.

In Roman Britain, domestic and retail brewing must have been widespread: remains indicating the existence of Roman-era malting or brewing operations have been found from Somerset to Northumberland, and South Wales to Colchester. In the third and fourth centuries AD, Roman hypocaust technology, for supplying central heating to homes, was adapted in Britain to build permanent corn dryers/maltings, and the remains of these double-floored buildings, with underground flues, are found in Roman towns as well as on Roman farms.

British brewing is generally thought to have been part of a wider Celtic tradition. Since this was well before the introduction of hops, other flavourings such as honey, meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) and mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) may have been used.

Beer was one of the most common drinks during the Middle Ages. It was consumed daily by all social classes in the northern and eastern parts of Europe, where grape cultivation was difficult or impossible. Beer provided a considerable amount of the daily calories in the northern regions. In England, the per capita consumption was 275–300 liters (60–66 gallons) a year by the Late Middle Ages, and beer was drunk with every meal.

In the Middle Ages, ale would have been brewed on the premises from which it was sold. Alewives would put out an ale-wand to show when their beer was ready. The mediaeval authorities were more interested in ensuring adequate quality and strength of the beer than discouraging drinking. Gradually, men became involved in brewing and organised themselves into guilds such as the Brewers Guild in London. As brewing became more organised and reliable, many inns and taverns ceased brewing for themselves and bought beer from these early commercial breweries.

An ale-conner, sometimes "aleconner", was an officer appointed yearly at the court-leet of ancient English communities to ensure the goodness and wholesomeness of bread, ale, and beer. There were many different names for this position, which varied from place to place: "ale-tasters", gustatores cervisiae, "ale-founders", and "ale-conners". Ale-conners were often trusted to ensure that the beer was sold at a fair price. Historically, four ale-conners were chosen annually by the Common Hall of the City.

In the 15th century, an unhopped beer would have been known as an ale, while the use of hops would make it a beer. Hopped beer was imported to England from the Netherlands as early as 1400 in Wi******er, and hops were being planted in England by 1428. At the time, ale and beer brewing were carried out separately, no brewer being allowed to produce both.

A survey in 1577 of drinking establishments in England and Wales for taxation purposes recorded 14,202 alehouses, 1,631 inns, and 329 taverns, representing one pub for every 187 people.

12/04/2025

The German Mosquito aircraft: Focke-Wulf Ta 154 Moskito

The Focke-Wulf Ta 154 Moskito was a fast twin-engined night fighter aircraft designed by the German aeronautical engineer Kurt Tank and produced by Focke-Wulf. It was unofficially named Moskito due to its similarities with the de Havilland Mosquito (which was also largely made of wood) that was already in service with the Royal Air Force.

The Ta 154 commenced development in 1942 and was worked on during much of the latter half of the Second World War. It was designed to replace variants of the Messerschmitt Bf 110 and Junkers Ju 88 and function as a specialised night fighter. As per a stipulation issued by the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM), wood comprised over half of the material needed to build the Ta 154. A special phenolic resin adhesive called Tego film was used to bond sections together. It was originally designated Ta 211 due to the intended Jumo 211R engine, although it was subsequently decided to adopt the more powerful Jumo 213 powerplant instead. Following a review of Focke-Wulf's submission, a development contract was issued to the company in late 1942.

On 1 July 1943, the prototype Ta 154 V1 performed its maiden flight; it was piloted by Kurt Tank. One of the early prototypes undertook competitive flight testing against both the Heinkel He 219 and the Junkers Ju 388, besting both of these rival aircraft. During March 1944, even though the first eight pre-production aircraft were yet to be completed, the Jägerstab decreed that 37 Ta 154s ought to be completed by May 1944 and that 250 aircraft were to be produced each month by November 1944. This schedule proved highly unrealistic in light of various technical and logistical issues, with key parts (such as engines) not being available in sufficient quantity. Perhaps most crucially, the only factory that produced Tego-Film, in Wuppertal, was bombed by the RAF, while replacement bonding agents proved to be inferior and a source of catastrophic mid-flight structural failures.

During September 1944, amid a complete production stoppage, the RLM opted to terminate the Ta 154 programme. Only a few production standard aircraft were completed, and these proved to possess less impressive performance than the prototypes. Several pre-production aircraft were also converted for operational use. Several Ta 154s were flown by Nachtjagdgeschwader 3 (Night Fighter Wing 3) while a handful are believed to have also been used as training aircraft for jet pilots.

11/04/2025

Fog Investigation and Dispersal Operation

Fog Investigation and Dispersal Operation (FIDO) was a system used for dispersing fog and pea soup fog (dense smog) from an airfield so that aircraft could land safely. The device was developed by Arthur Hartley for British RAF bomber stations, allowing the landing of aircraft returning from raids over Germany in poor visibility by burning fuel in rows on either side of the runway.

The device consisted of two pipelines situated along both sides of the runway and through which a fuel (usually the petrol from the airfield's own fuel dump) was pumped along and then out through burner jets positioned at intervals along the pipelines. The vapours were lit from a series of burners, producing walls of flame. The FIDO installation usually stored its fuel in four circular upright tanks built at the edge of the airfield with a low brick bund wall in case of leakage. The tanks were usually encased in ordinary brickwork as protection from bomb splinters or cannon fire.

When fog prevented returning Allied aircraft from locating and seeing their runways to land, they would be diverted to FIDO-equipped aerodromes. RAF night bombers, which were damaged on their missions, were also diverted to FIDO airfields due to the need to make certain they could land when they arrived. When FIDO was needed, the fuel pumps were started to pour flammable liquid into the pipe system, and a Jeep with a flaming brand lashed to its rear drove fast down both sides of the runway to ignite the fuel at the outlets in the pipes. The burners were sometimes ignited by men on bicycles or by runners on foot. The result was a row of flame along the side of the runway that would warm the air. The heat from the flames evaporated suspended fog droplets so that there would be a clearing in the fog directly over the runway. This allowed the pilot to see the ground as he attempted to put his aircraft down. Once landed, the planes would be moved off and dispersed to hard stands. The next day, the planes would be repaired if needed, refueled, and flown back to their home base.

10/04/2025

Bob Gunton in the Vietnam War

Robert Patrick Gunton Jr. (born November 15, 1945) is an American character actor of stage and screen. He is known for playing strict authoritarian characters, including Warden Samuel Norton in the 1994 prison drama The Shawshank Redemption.

He served in the United States Army (1969–71) as a radio telephone operator with the 2nd Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, and was at the Battle of Fire Support Base Ripcord, South Vietnam, during the 23-day siege.

He and a comrade were awarded the Bronze Star for returning to the base to retrieve important but forgotten radios in the evacuation's final moments, so that they would not fall into the hands of the People's Army of Vietnam forces about to capture the base. Due to this, he was one of the last people to evacuate. During the battle, he lost one of his dog tags, but it was returned to him over 40 years later in 2018.

09/04/2025

James J Magennis VC

James Joseph Magennis, VC (27 October 1919 – 12 February 1986) was a Belfast-born sailor and recipient of the Victoria Cross. He was the only native of Northern Ireland to receive the Victoria Cross in the Second World War.

In July 1945, Magennis, acting as the leading seaman, served as the diver on the midget submarine HMS XE3, under the command of Lieutenant Ian Edward Fraser, as part of Operation Struggle. They were tasked with sinking the 10,000-ton Takao, the first of the Takao-class cruisers. She was berthed in the Straits of Johor, Singapore, acting as an anti-aircraft battery. On 30 July, XE3 was towed to the area by the submarine Stygian. She slipped her tow at 23:00 for the 40-mile (64 km) journey through hazardous wrecks, minefields, and listening posts to reach the Takao. After arriving at the Takao at 13:00 on 31 July, Magennis slipped out of the wet-and-dry chamber and attached limpet mines to the Takao under particularly difficult circumstances. He had to chip away at barnacles on the bottom of the cruiser for 30 minutes before being able to attach the limpets.

During this time, Magennis' breathing apparatus was leaking, and he returned to the submarine after completion of his task very exhausted. On withdrawing, Fraser found that one of the limpet carriers, which was being jettisoned, would not release itself. Magennis immediately volunteered to free it, commenting: "I'll be all right as soon as I've got my wind, Sir." This he did, after seven minutes of nerve-racking work with a heavy spanner. On completion, Magennis returned to XE3 for the second time, allowing the four-man midget submarine to make its escape out to open sea to meet the waiting Stygian. Fraser was also awarded the Victoria Cross for his part in the attack, whilst Lieutenant William J. L. Smith, who was at the controls of XE3 during the attack, received the Distinguished Service Order. Engineer Third Class Charles Alfred Reed, who was at the wheel, received the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal.

The picture shows Magennis (left) with Lieutenant Ian Fraser, 1945

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