The Wartime Memories Project - The Second War

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259204 Able Sea. Ernest Ralph Barwick Royal Navy HMS Copra Ernest Barwick joined the Royal Navy 7th of May 1941 aged 20. From his service record, he appears to have spent most of the war between HMS Pembroke, HMS Quebec and HMS Copra, which I understand to be training bases for commandos/special forces. I do have a photo of my father driving a landing craft. He told me a few stories of his time in the Mediterranean around the Adriatic near Corfu. It seems he suffered some of the worst storms and rough seas he had ever experienced in these waters. There was also a story of being involved in the Sicily landings, particularly Operation Ladbrook. This was evidently one of the worst cases of friendly fire and my father told me of rescuing parachutists from the water thinking they were German only to find it was our own commandos. It appears the American pilots released the gliders too early and ran away when the invasion fleet opened fire on them at night. No one had told the fleet that the planes with gliders were coming so they were thinking they were Germans attacking the fleet. 1200 paratroopers were killed. A more detailed source for this record can be found in a book by Geoffrey Regan, Blue on Blue A history of Friendly Fire dated 1995 Paul Barwick Add to this record.  Related Content: HMS Copra HMS Pembroke HMS Quebec Operation Husky - Sicily Can you help us to add to our records? Add a record to our website. The names and stories on this website have been submitted by their relatives and friends. If your relations are not listed please add their names so that others can read about them Did you or your relatives live through the Second World War? Do you have any photos, newspaper clippings, postcards or letters from that period? Have you researched the names on your local or war memorial? Were you or your relative evacuated? Did an air raid affect your area? If so please let us know. Help us to build a database of information on those who served both at home and abroad so that future generations may learn of their sacrifice. Contact us. Celebrate your own Family History Celebrate by honouring members of your family who served in the Secomd World War both in the forces and at home. We love to hear about the soldiers, but also remember the many who served in support roles, nurses, doctors, land army, muntions workers etc. Please use our Family History resources to find out more about your relatives. Then please send in a short article, with a photo if possible, so that they can be remembered on these pages.

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