Levant Schooner Flotilla

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Ian F

New Member
Levant Schooner Flotilla
My Uncle, Walter James Fozzard, joined the RN in 1941 at the age of 30. Not a career Navy man, he found himself given the rating of Cook and later Leading Cook. Despite this humble rank he had some exciting times, and was soon in the Eastern Med. based nominally at HMS Mosquito with Special Forces. We know he served on Levant Schooner LS9 in charge of the galley, and during this time was given a commando knife by Earl Jellicoe. He was invalided out of the Med for some time and subsequently served on LST160 (Landing Ship, Tanks) in the Bay of Bengal against the Japanese. WW2 ended about this time with the surrender of the Japanese, and Walter was released from the Navy early in 1946, and took up his normal civvy life back in South London. He received the British Empire Medal for services whilst at HMS Mosquito. Walter also received the Africa Star, the Italy Star and the Burma Star. Attached are a few items and photographs which may be of interest.
Ian Fozzard
Inverkeithing
Fife
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TARTAN23

Member
Hi Ian,
Very interesting about your Uncle and his time with The Levant Schooner Flotilla'. I have the book 'Dust Upon the Sea, and there is a photograph of Walter standing just outside the Galley onboard L.S.9, there are also other images of LS9 including one with Jellicoe sitting on board, which may have been the time Walter was given the FS Knife?
The book is long out of print and not easy to locate,and can be a bit pricey, but maybe a copy is out there and it is a very good account of the Lavant Schooner Flotilla. Thanks for posting the images.
Dust Upon the Sea by Benyon-Tinker (1947) Hodder & Stoughton.

Kind regards,

David
 
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Ian F

New Member
Thanks for the reply David. I've pieced together Walter's history in the RN and now have most of the big pieces in place - details are another matter however! I am doing this just for the family, not for publication, and now have about a dozen pages in total. I did manage to get a copy of "Dust Upon the Sea" but am now looking for a copy of a magazine article published in the late '40's which has an article on the Levant Schooners and a large photo of Walter reading a letter from home at the galley door on LSF9. The magazine I believe is "Parade" magazine (not sure which of the many magazines bearing this name though?) and I would be very grateful to any readers of this thread who might be able to supply a copy (or the original!). I do have more material of course, and attached is a photo of the knife given to Walter by Earl Jellicoe.
Thank you for your interest,
best wishes
Ian F.
 

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killy

New Member
Hi Ian,

Thanks for posting details of your uncle's wartime activities.

I have the book "War in the Islands" by Adrian Seligman. The book is about undercover operations in the Aegean 1942-44 as recalled by members of the Levant Schooner Flotilla, Greek Sacred Squadron and Aegean Raiding Forces.

There are numerous mentions of LS9, but I could not find any mention of your uncle.

Best wishes,

Ian
 
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W&M

New Member
Scapa1916 said:
I have only just come across this thread and would very much like to talk directly to you about your uncle. My dad was George Jellicoe.
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Scapa1916, I to have just found this thread and my Grandfather also served in the LSF would be happy to discuss further
 
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W&M

New Member
Scapa1916 said:
I have only just come across this thread and would very much like to talk directly to you about your uncle. My dad was George Jellicoe.
Click to expand...
Scapa1916, I to have just found this thread and my Grandfather also served in the LSF would be happy to discuss further
 
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Ian F

New Member
I have just come back to this forum after quite a lengthy absence. I can send you the finished document describing my Uncle's wartime experiences if you wish? There is little about Jellicoe, except that he was on LS9 for a period when my Uncle was providing the food for the officers and men there.
 
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FalconAlgiers

New Member
Ian F said:
I have just come back to this forum after quite a lengthy absence. I can send you the finished document describing my Uncle's wartime experiences if you wish? There is little about Jellicoe, except that he was on LS9 for a period when my Uncle was providing the food for the officers and men there.
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Hi Ian, I'm researching the LSF - with a current focus on LS2, Lieutenant Alex McLEOD and the rescue of an evading RAF crew in late 1943. I'd be very interested and grateful to have sight of a copy of your finished document! Colin
 
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Ian F

New Member
FalconAlgiers said:
Hi Ian, I'm researching the LSF - with a current focus on LS2, Lieutenant Alex McLEOD and the rescue of an evading RAF crew in late 1943. I'd be very interested and grateful to have sight of a copy of your finished document! Colin
Click to expand...
Hi Colin, just came across this, have I replied already? I think probably not? I can send you a copy, but probably not by email as it is a large file. I could use drop box if you use that system, or post a copy of the document on CD.
Let me know - my personal email is ianfozzard@aol.com

Best regards
Ian F
 
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colinc

New Member
I have a photo taken by my father [an SIS officer] of Adrian Seligman in civvies in Istanbul in March 1942 which seems to predate the LSF. does anyone have an idea of what the connection with SIS might have been, my father was only there as part of a tour of the ME as a 'visiting firemen'. As a complication my father had an 'uncle-in-law' called Seligman but I can't find a family connection. The conundrum is complicated by the fact that my father's tasks lay in France, and then the whole of Western Europe by D-Day so taking a couple of months 'out' is very strange. It's not as if the French Resistance was not then active!
 
F

FalconAlgiers

New Member
Hi,

Perhaps the connection (or some leads and context) can be found within the story told by Adrian Seligman in his 1947 book 'No Stars to Guide'?

From the dust cover: "In the desperate autumn of 1942 a small naval party was sent to the Dardanelles to pilot five Russian ships that were attempting to escape through the enemy blockade of the Aegean to Syria. In the party was Adrian Seligman who tells this extraordinary story in 'No Stars to Guide'. The names have been altered and in certain respects the sequence of events has been changed, but their adventures are authentic...".

From Wikipedia: "At the onset of WWII Seligman was a sub-lieutenant in the Royal Navy Reserve. Initially Seligman worked in minesweeping operations and commanded a destroyer. In 1941 Seligman and other reserve officers conducted a special operations mission to bring five ships from Russia to Syria through the German blockade at the Dardanelles. In this mission, Seligman commanded a camouflaged oil tanker called Olinda. From 1942 to 1944 Seligman commanded the levant Schooner Flotilla, a special operations group in the Aegean Sea."

I've yet to read it myself thoroughly, so I can't help you further. But I'll keep your question in mind.

Best regards,

Colin
 
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John Lee

New Member
I hope that I am not joining this party too late. I recently had a book published "A Grateful Nation Soon Forgot" from which I learned of an heroic RNVR Sub. Lieut. Martin Solomon who distinguished himself on raids throughout the Agean often together with Dane, Anders Lassen VC., MC** under Lord George Jellicoe's command. I am now writing about Martin Solomon and have bought many books that I am working through that mention him but as he was SOE SIS he acted as anonymously as possible. I am also hampered by the fact that WWII service histories are not to be released for 100 years. Not much help to a researcher! Today, 11th October 2023 my copy of Benyon Tinker's Dust Upon the Sea arrived after months of waiting. It is brilliant for connecting LFS numbered caiques to people but is short on details of their raids. The other books I have are: Adrian Seligman "No Stars to Guide" 1947 (very flowery and written like a novel); Adrian Seligman "War in the Islands" 1996 (very informative but like his other books has no index); John Lodwick "Raiders from the Sea 1947 with foreward by Lord Jellicoe; Richard Capell War "Simiomata" a Greek Notebook 1944-1945 (War Correspondent) 1946?; Artemis Cooper "Patrick Leigh Fermor" 20212; Geoffrey Elliott "A Forgotten Man" John Lodwick 2017; JEA Father of Geoffrey Appleyard "The Story of Apple" 1947; Henry Maude "Scobie, Hero of Greece" The British Campaign 1944 - 1945. 1975; Lew Lind "Flowers of Rethymon" Escape from Greece 1991; David Saul "SBS Silent Warriors" 2021; Noel Baker MP "Greece The Whole Story" (only 64 pages) 1946; Julia Jones "Uncommon Courage" The Yachtsmen Volunteers of WWII 2022; Mike Langley "Anders Lassen of the SAS VC, MC ?; Thomas Harder "Special Forces Hero" Anders Lassen VC, MC** (Incredibly well researched and with index and ref to sources) mentions his close relationship with Martin Solomon 2021; Benyon Tinker "Dust upon the Sea" 1947.

Does anyone have information about Martin Solomon. He had his own team who had mapped the coast of all of the Agean islands and for this reason joined with Lassen and a force of raiders to sabotage German installations and supplies as well as killing or capturing many. Solomon is reported to have gone to Atlit (Palestine) where the British under their anti-semitic Home Secretary in 1945 refused to release Jewish refugees and assisted in their release. Many were survivors of the Holocaust. Needless to say Martin Solomon was Jewish but also a great British subject. After demob he had a business at Pye of Cambridge but with itchy feet he volunteered for Korea. In January 1956 he married Vida Wasteson Bendix a Spanish Norwegian singer / dancer but three months later was found dead in his bed at the Crillon Hotel in Madrid in suspicious circumstances. He was only 41. He was undoubtedly an MI6 agent and I wonder if this had something to do with his death. As you can see I have a lot of research to do but also lots of leads to work on.

Sorry for the length of this. Question to IF. I live at Leigh-on-Sea in Essex. We had a local dentist named Fozzard. As it is an unusual name I wonder if there is any connection.

John Lee
 
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