ii THE ZEEBRUGGE RAID ANNIVERSARY SUPPLEMENT, NAVY NEWS, APRIL 2008
● ‘Magnifi cent and the soul of war’... (left) Royal Marines and bluejackets storm the Mole at Zeebrugge with HMS Vindictive alongside as depicted by a diorama at the Royal Marines Museum
what to do and where to go.” Leave was still cancelled. broth was served to each man before The noise grew louder, but the Richard Policke recalled. Tonight, marina Continued from page i
their “undertaking of real danger”
Many of his comrades were slightly Communication with the outside they began to fall in on Vindictive’s artificial fog continued to cloak the there were no ranks, no officers and
would be. Only a select band had
more wary. AB Wainwright chewed world was forbidden. They were upper deck. approaching force – that is until men, only gunners.
been informed of the mission, and
over “the sheer audacity of tackling a cooped up on the pre-dreadnought The marines loaded their rifles and the wind, and fortune, changed
Sa
Roger Keyes left them in no doubt
place like Zeebrugge under the muzzles HMS Hindustan, turned into a fixed bayonets. “Our nerves were directions. The suicidal charge expected of the
be
as to its danger. The storming parties
of the world-famed Blankenberghe floating barracks until the assault was taut – almost to breaking point,” he coastal motor boats was turning out to
an
on the Mole would give the Hun “a
Battery. The magnitude of the scheme unleashed. recalled. The men talked in whispers,
‘THEY’VE SEEN US’
be just that. German guns at the end of
a
good hammering”, he explained to
overwhelmed us.” The men played football, practised barely audible above the noise of the Mole had not been neutralised by
sh
officers assembled on March 2. Keyes
Royal Marine James Feeney and their drill, removed toe plates and heels Vindictive’s propellers driving the old
MURDEROUS HUN FIRE
Vindictive, nor did the elaborate smoke
fo
was, Ronald Boddie remembered,
his mates contemplated the task ahead from their boots to give them better ship through the North Sea. screen offer any protection. Speed and
bu
“less sanguine” about the men in the
of them on the Mole. “The general grip on the concrete base of the Mole.
FEARFUL CASUALTIES
skill were the only allies of the small,
oc
blockships.
opinion here at the moment is that it They attended Sunday prayers where Vizefeuerwerker (deputy ordnance fast craft as they weaved about in the
Two fates awaited them: death or a
will be either completely successful or their chaplain talked about the fate of technician) Schröder made his rounds
Ronald Boddie brewed a cup of warm
dark. Every one of Annesley’s handful
w
German prison camp, although “every
we shall be all wiped out,” he wrote. the dead. All these activities and more of the Friedrichsort coastal battery as
soup in a small wooden shack on
of crew was injured; Edward Turk
ro
endeavour,” the vice admiral assured
did little to ease the tension. he did every night. was struck in the face, his left eye
th
them, would be made to rescue these
A FALSE START
The four 28cm guns pointed out to
Thetis’ deck the men labelled the
wounded by German shell fire. Yet his
bl
volunteers. Any officer could drop out A NEW DAWN RISES
sea, guarding the eastern approaches
ward room, then donned his duffel
boat continued to run – and to defy the
st
of the operation, Keyes continued;
to Zeebrugge harbour as they always
coat, grabbed his rucksack containing
‘HAVE PATIENCE, MEN’
Hun – thanks to the combined efforts
di
there would be no black mark against
did. And as always, it was a quiet
a brandy flask, lifejacket, pistol and
‘ST GEORGE FOR ENGLAND’
of all of his sailors.
th
their name. No man stepped forward.
night on Flanders’ coast. Just after
whistle and stepped out on deck. A
With the preparations complete, Roger
an
Apprised of their mission, the
midnight – still 11pm on the twenty-
star shell gave light to the darkness,
Keyes waited for tide, moon and wind TWISTING THE DRAGON’S TAIL
of
officers now sat down to plan the
second for the British – Schröder
followed by another, then another.
ON THE MOLE
of
to conspire in his favour. April 1918
minutiae of the raid. William Bury,
The sight of the flares perturbed the
began badly. Winds were strong, the
Chief Stoker Alfred Sago, a 41-year-
returned to his dugout. Barely had
G
Vindictive’s engineer officer, crafted
marines crammed like sardines aboard
MARINES DECIMATED
Channel was choppy. But on Thursday
old East Anglian arrived at HMS
he sat down than the bunker shook.
th
a detailed model of the Mole and
HMS Vindictive. “They’ve seen us,”
11, the former weakened, the latter
Pembroke in Chatham on Monday
An air raid, he thought. He quickly
w
harbour from plasticine. Aerial
one Royal nudged his comrade. They ‘WE ARE ALL EQUAL NOW’
calmed somewhat and Keyes gave the
April 22 1918. It was his seventh
corrected himself. A bombardment.
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photographs were handed out. The
had – and there were still 300 or so
order to sail. In the afternoon and early
draft to the Kentish naval base in his
There was the dull rumble of gunfire
men studied every detail. They were
yards to go before Vindictive grappled
St George’s Day was barely 60
evening, ships weighed anchor and
22 years’ service. It would be his last.
at sea, followed by the crash of shells
D
asked to sketch specific sections.
with the Mole.
seconds old as HMS Vindictive
slipped their moorings and headed for
And his shortest. He joined HMS
landing ashore. The guns of Terror and
so
By the time the raid came, Royal
The flare was followed almost
crashed against the Mole, several
the Belgian coast.
Vindictive immediately.
Erebus had opened fire.
fo
Marines platoon sergeant Harry
The impact of the shells tossed
immediately by an almighty crash
hundred yards nearer shore than she
as
Shortly before midnight, the guns of
Wright was convinced “the officers
as the first shell smashed into
should have done, peppered by enemy
monitors Erebus and Terror opened up
Monday April 22 was also the first
men out of their bunks in the dugouts
th
and NCOs could have walked from
Vindictive’s upper deck. The marines
fire. Her captain, Alfred Carpenter,
against targets in Zeebrugge. A twin-
new date with a favourable high
which served the guns. Huge fountains
one end of the Mole to the other
were packed together “as thick as
struggled to control his ship which
engined Handley Page heavy bomber
tide. The weather in Dover was not
of earth rose above the meadow to the
an
blindfolded”.
bees”. The slaughter wrought by the
bucked and rolled violently. He had
dropped several sticks of 112lb bombs
especially good, but it was rather
rear, showering the area with soil. But
Br
Wright was a Royal Marine through-
German guns was indescribable. Pte
lost perhaps half his ship’s company
over Zeebrugge. German searchlights
better along the Flanders coast. At
the battery itself remained resolutely
an
and-through. He had more than a
Bill Scorey was thrown across the ship
and storming party already. All but
tried to catch the lumbering giant in
10.45am Keyes’ yeoman hoisted the
intact.
th
decade’s experience to call upon, from
by the impact of an enemy shell, his
two of his boarding ramps had been
de
their beams. They failed, but engine
signal flags: NASCENT. The raid was
skirmishes in Africa to the battle of
tin helmet shattered, his rifle smashed.
shot away. His elaborate flamethrower
trouble dogged the aircraft. It plunged
on.
There were still several minutes to
la
matériel on the Western Front. Now his
He was one of the lucky ones; his
had been disabled.
into the North Sea off Ostend.
James Feeney packed his bags,
go before the task group pounced on
10 Platoon would be the first ashore at
Zeebrugge.
comrades were blown to bits. “The
His anchors struggled to dig into
he
As the bomber plummeted, so the
stowed his hammock, grabbed his
Zeebrugge, charging 200 yards down
It fell to a swarm of small boats
few minutes between the first shell
the seabed. When one did, the cruiser
D
wind too dropped, then picked up
mess tin and all the bread, sugar and
the Mole to seize a strongpoint while
– motor launches and coastal motor
and when we landed were the worst
careered wildly until Carpenter
Cr
again – but in the opposite direction.
tea he could find in the mess and filed
his Devonian comrades charged in the
boats – to wrap the attacking force in
of the whole business,” flamethrower
brought her alongside the Mole again.
So
Now it was blowing out to sea.
aboard Vindictive with his comrades.
opposite direction to knock out a four-
a blanket of artificial fog. Some would
carrier William Gough remembered.
The anchor at least worked; the
in
With barely an hour to go to the
“We are doubtful that it will come
gun emplacement.
add to general chaos and confusion at
“Our casualties were fearful.” Marine
grappling hooks did not. They simply
hi
target, with all the preliminaries in
off, but we all hope it will,” he noted
Wright carried around 60lb of
Zeebrugge by lobbing mortars on to
Ernie Clist counted a good 30 or 40
would not grasp the concrete and hold
sa
kit: a SMLE rifle with 60 rounds of
place, with all the men fired up, Roger
in his diary.
the Mole or launching torpedoes at
comrades laid flat on the deck, dead
Vindictive firmly in place.
gr
ammunition and Mills bombs – the
Keyes was faced with an agonising Roger Keyes strolled down to
German shipping inside the harbour.
or wounded.
Only HMS Daffodil saved the day.
w
pineapple-shaped grenades which had
decision: to charge the Mole without the harbour in Dover with his wife.
In 55ft CMB 22B, Lt John Annesley
“Our ranks,” Harry Wright
With every ounce of pressure squeezed
in
become the mainstay of the British
his sheath of smoke, or return to “Tomorrow is St George’s Day,” she
cast off from HMS Iphigenia, which
bitterly observed, “got thinner every
out of her engines, the hurriedly-
hi
infantryman. He wore a steel helmet,
England’s shores. reminded him as he prepared to join
had towed the motor boat across the
moment.”
converted ferry pushed the cruiser
gas mask and a lifejacket beneath
The wirelesses crackled. The his command ship, the modern, fast
Channel. In the engine room, chief
Vindictive’s exposed bridge had
against the Mole and struggled to hold
Cl
his tunics. If it came to hand-to-hand
signalling lamps flashed briefly in destroyer HMS Warwick. “It is sure to
motor mechanic Edward Turk, a mere
been surrounded by breast-high
her there.
la
combat, he would wield a ‘stunning
the night: N U R S L I N G – return be the best day for our enterprise. St
19, watched as the twin-screw petrol
mattresses to soften the impact of
The two remaining gangways
N
mallet’; officers were rather more
to base. George can be trusted to bring good
engines first whined, then hummed,
shrapnel. There was nothing they
crashed on to the Mole wall. For 15
A
refined; they brandished revolvers and
As their admiral had feared, the fortune to England.”
then roared and the launch began to
could do in the face of a direct hit,
minutes, Vindictive had born the brunt
to
strode with walking sticks weighted
men were downhearted as the force The vice admiral agreed. As HMS
hurtle towards the port well in excess however. Royal Marine Capt Arthur
of the enemy’s wrath. “We are just
ha
with lead at one end.
arrived back in British ports the Warwick steamed into the dusk of a
of 30kts. Chater urged his two superiors, Lt
going over the top,” one marine cried.
A Lewis machine-gun crew was
next morning. Keyes realised they spring night, leading a fleet of more
Annesley’s orders were brief, Col Bertram Elliot and Maj Alexander
“We are all equal now.”
Br
attached to every platoon, as was a
needed rousing. He strode aboard the than 50 warships, her signallers flashed
unambiguous and almost suicidal: Cordner, to keep their heads down.
Harry Wright and his platoon
ea
flamethrower. There were dedicated
Vindictive, gathered every man on the a pithy message to HMS Vindictive:
close to within 50 yards of the tip A veteran of Antwerp and Gallipoli,
scrambled over dead bodies and the
aw
platoons of demolition teams, sailors
quarterdeck, and mounted a capstan to S A I N T G E O R G E F O R
of the Mole and lay a smoke screen. Chater knew the hideous effects of
mangled upper deck, then along the
w
armed with gun cotton, fuses and
address them. E N G L A N D.
Once accomplished CMB 22B would modern firepower. His superiors
precarious walkway, before leaping on
detonators. There was a signal
The men were cold, almost hostile, The lamps on Vindictive flickered
retire, then return to the harbour a ignored his advice. Suddenly, the
to the Mole wall which was raked with
st
platoon, and a team of heavy machine-
their eyes fixed upon him. He had through the growing gloom: M A Y
few minutes later and throw up a colonel and the major dropped to the
machine-gun fire.
ca
gunners.
promised them they would partake in a W E G I V E T H E D R A G O N S second screen to hide the arrival of deck. Chater grabbed both bodies and
The marines hurriedly lowered their
hi
The men drilled, kept fit, were
great enterprise “not a heroic disaster”. T A I L A D A M N E D G O O D the blockships. tried to speak to them, but Elliot and
assault ladders and dropped the 20 or
w
subjected to talks and lectures. Marines
But the wind had changed direction. T W I S T. On deck, one of Annesley’s men Cordner were dead.
so feet on to the floor of the Mole. Of
th
from Plymouth fixed white triangular
The Hun, too, knew something was And perhaps they would. The wind twisted the nozzles on gas cylinders
the 45 men in Harry Wright’s platoon,
ge
patches to their shoulders; a white
brewing. “Had we attempted to land was favourable. It was still favourable which fed into a strange funnel-shaped Vindictive shielded Iris from the brunt
there were now just 12 left.
circle identified their Portsmouth
last night, it may easily have proved a at nightfall. Around 10 pm, the rum device. The chemical concoction of the enemy’s fire – as did the high
Still they stuck to their task. Terror
comrades; men from Chatham wore a
disaster,” he told the gathered sailors was handed out. There would be no mixed and a pungent, thick fog began
had given way to anger. They were
A
Mole wall. As the converted ferry
white diamond. The bayonet was their
and marines. The Royal Navy would double measures; what was left when to swirl around the motor boat. The
determined to avenge the deaths of so
sailed past the old cruiser, Royal
friend, rifles, machine-guns and Mills
return to Zeebrugge, however, the each man had downed his tot was rest of the fleet of small craft did
many of their comrades. Hatred etched
Marine L/Cpl George Calverley
bombs were weapons
admiral assured them. “Have patience, emptied down the scupper. likewise.
on their faces, rifles gripped in
watched flames leap out of the funnel
of last resort.
Some men talked, some The defenders could not
their hands, they charged the
men. I can promise you a successful and flamethrowers belch sheaths of
As far as Harry
played cards, some were lost see anything. The cloud of
200 yards along the pier as
operation.” With that, Roger Keyes fire along the Mole. This, thought
Wright was
in quiet contemplation, and the smokescreen and a light
planned, prepared to thrust the
departed. The men gave a rousing Calverley, was what Dante’s Inferno
concerned, some, like James Feeney,
drizzle combined to create
cold steel of their bayonets
cheer. must have been like.
the plan- grabbed a fitful sleep. “I
an impenetrable wall in the
into the first German
It would be three weeks before tide
ning for hope it won’t be my last
darkness. But they could
they could find. But the
and moon aligned once more in the The German guns were relentless,
the opera- short one on this planet,”
hear something.
Germans had gone. The
Royal Navy’s favour. It was too long merciless. “Every man was serving
tion was he recorded in his journal.
Even above the crack
emplacement Wright’s
to wait. The tide would be favourable the guns, dripping with sweat, covered
meticulous. As the force closed in
of guns, the crash of shells
platoon had been ordered
in ten days. The moon would not. It in powder marks – everybody from the
“Every man on the Belgian coast, the
impacting, there was the
to storm was empty.
would be full. battery commander to the youngest
knew exactly The marines kicked their heels. bugles sounded. Hot chicken
constant drone of engines.
sailor,” Artilleriemaat (gunner’s mate)
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