- SURNAME
Foreman
- FORENAME
Harry Coffin Lynas
- UNIT
R.N. S Commando
- RANK
Petty Officer
- NUMBER
P/UDX 1241
- AWARD
Distinguished Service Medal
- PLACE
Normandy 1944
- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
first names in one account "Henry Colin" (error)
Notes from his son Stephen Foreman
Our fathers’ life in service began while he was still only a teenager. At the age of 17 he joined the Royal Navy Reserve as a “Boy 1st Class” and becoming an “Ord. Seaman” just before the outbreak of war in 1939.
Before war actually broke out he joined the Royal Navy and was dispatched to the shore establishment “HMS Victory IV (Saladin)”. On the 10th May 1940 he embarked on “HMS Javelin” (Pennant Number F61 [Later changed to G61], J Class Destroyer), within days he saw action in the Norwegian operations in “Mo i Rana, Norway” to support the landing of Allied troops. After Norway, HMS Javelin was on escort duty until the Dunkirk evacuations (Operation Dynamo). I remember one of the rare recollections our father would have spoke of about “Pulling men covered in oil out of the water... and of seeing men waiting shoulder deep in water, stretching out in long lines waiting to be evacuated”. After Dunkirk HMS Javelin was on other escort duties which included the initial stages of operation “Menace” which was the landing of the French Foreign Legion and Free French in Dakar. On the 28th November 1940 HMS Javelin along with HM Destroyers Jackal, Jupiter, Jersey and Kashmir sailed from Plymouth to intercept German Destroyers in the English Channel, on the 29th November 1940 the British group sighted and engaged the German ships Karl Gastner, Hans Lody and Richard Beitzen. During the battle HMS Javelin was hit by enemy torpedoes in the forward and aft, killing 46 of the crews company. The extensive damage required HMS Javelin to be taken to Plymouth for repair. Our father often said of the late Lord Louis Mountbatten “he was a gentleman”.
Between 19th December 1940 and 19th April 1943 our father served on HMS Cottesmore (L78 Type I Hunt Class Escort Destroyer). During this period HMS Cottesmore saw service in the North Sea, Irish Sea, NW Approaches and the English Channel amongst other areas. In this period of his service he saw action with e-boat attacks and the engagement of a German convoy in which HMS Cottesmore sunk two enemy trawlers. In October 1942 HMS Cottesmore was deployed to track and hunt the German raider “Komet”, which was sunk by MTB 236.
From the 20th April 1943 to 05th June 1944 our father was in training in the newly formed Commandoes. He would eventually be allocated to the RNBC (S), Royal Navy BeachHead Commando “Sugar” unit. The RNBC was one of a number of highly specialized and trained Commando units created to deal with specific tasks. Effectively these BeachHead units were to get the troops and equipment ashore dealing with beach obstacles and to secure the beachhead. This was a lesson that was learnt at cost in operation “Jubilee” on the Dieppe raid of 1942. Our father was trained in HMS Armadillo which was a shore establishment in Achnacarry, Scotland. Here with many other brave and determined men our father was trained and drilled.
As the date of D-Day approached he was moved to Southern England and much nearer the time to Portsmouth to join “J Force” as part of Operation Neptune. Our father would as part of the RNBC “S” (Sugar) landing on Juno Beach (Canadian) near Bernieres-Sur-Mer, Normandy. The beach here stretches for miles and has a long slow incline from the sea to the sea wall, this character of the beach had profound consequences. Our father was in charge of an L.C.A (Landing Craft Assault) which was a small craft made of wood and with limited amour. It had a shallow draft and could carry up to 31 men and equipment and could travel at approximately 7 knots. Due to the slow sloping beach the plan was to launch the landing craft at low tide so they would not be wrecked on the beach obstacles, however due to heavy weather the landings were delayed and as a result the LCA
“Forwarded strongly recommending the award of a decoration to this P.O.”
“Commodore Geoffrey Nigel Oliver Naval Commander Force ‘J’”
He returned to Achnacarry in the later stages of his life, the photo of him parading with his were landing right amongst these obstacles. These obstacles were not just simple bollards, these were treacherous devices that were often mined. As you we see shortly our fathers LCA was wrecked on one such obstacle and he endeavored to rescue not just his men who while at sea and on the beach he was responsible for, but also the vital equipment with which they were to engage the enemy with.
When our father was quite old, I asked him to describe why he was awarded the DSM (Distinguished Service Medal), here was his account, which was as usual understated.
“My landing craft was wrecked by an underwater obstacle, once I got everyone to safety I started getting the equipment of. However, a commanding officer had ordered that some Assault Soldiers should do this. I explained that he would be sending them to their deaths as they had no knowledge of seamanship, some could not swim and that the wreck was on a mined obstacle. The officer threatened to court martial me, however a more senior officer heard the conversation and told the other officer to stand down. Once I reached the wreck I got hold of the cable holding the mine in place, I waited for the 7th wave as it was usually a larger wave and on that wave I pushed the LCA over the cable, at the same time throwing myself clear of the device.”
Interestingly my father gave no account of the fact that this all occurred while he was under fire as I discovered when I accessed the National Archives.
Our father was mentioned in dispatches (London Gazette 14/11/1944).
Little of our fathers’ war experiences are really known, most of the above has been pieced together from records and to my shame half remembered conversations, as so many like his kind, they never bragged or boasted, and most recollection was probably kept for old comrades.
The citation our father reads follows:
“Recommendation for award of D.S.M”, “Operational Award”
“This Petty Officer, showing complete disregard of personal danger after the L.C.A he was in had been sunk by an underwater obstruction and whist under fairly heavy enemy sniping, helped a number of the party who could not swim ashore. Helped rally them and rescue Beach Signs and Equipment from the craft. He was wounded by anti-personnel bombs whilst helping craft on the beach. Throughout the operation he has worked untiringly and has been an inspiration to all. Captain Colin Maud, RN”surviving comrades shows his obvious pride in what they and their like achieved.
CITATION:
This Petty Officer, showing complete disregard of personal danger after the L.C.A he was in had been sunk by an underwater obstruction and whist under fairly heavy enemy sniping, helped a number of the party who could not swim ashore. Helped rally them and rescue Beach Signs and Equipment from the craft. He was wounded by anti-personnel bombs whilst helping craft on the beach. Throughout the operation he has worked untiringly and has been an inspiration to all. Captain Colin Maud, RN”surviving comrades shows his obvious pride in what they and their like achieved.
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