43 Finally, local Dartmothian,
Barry Morris has donated his unique and important collection of local memorabilia dating back to the 1800s. Barry has been collecting postcards, photo- graphs, letters, programmes and other records of local life since the 1970s and it makes an important addition to the collection which other Dartmothians will find invalua- ble in understanding and remembering their town. During 2025, we are looking forward to an exciting
Barry Morris
new exhibition – Dartmouth’s Secret War: the story of the 15th Flotilla. Tis will include a new film, a repro- duction wheelhouse of a Motor Gun Boat (MGB), mannequins and storyboards explaining their achievement. Te Secret Operations Exec-
Tey landed on various remote parts of the Brittany
coast with the aid of first class navigators unaided by any modern equipment such as GPS, satnav or even radar. Te fast Motor Gun Boats would race across the Channel on moonless nights, switch to silent engines as they approached the coast, and launch their surf boats to row the spy ashore and collect the airmen escaping from occupied France. In Dartmouth their headquarters was a luxury yacht, Kiloran with the pad- dle steamer, Westward Ho, being used as a depot ship. Te Free French were also based in Kingswear in the
MGB Fairmile D from Wikipedia
Royal Dart Hotel, which was called HMS Cicala. It was sometimes necessary to collect the Free French on the run from the coast of Brittany. Tere were two Wreneries
utive (SOE) was set up at a cru- cial time in the Second World War. One of its primary objects was to harry the Germans on the coast of occupied France, support the Resistance by dropping off spies and ammunition and picking up downed airmen and returning spies. Te 15th Flotilla acted under cover of darkness, with local people think- ing that they were part of our Coastal Defence Forces.
in Dartmouth, and the Wrens played a major support role, fer- rying personnel via small boats to and fro in the river and acting as drivers on the roads, cleaning ammunition and maintaining the Coastal Forces boats. Tis will be a fitting
way to recognise the contribution of the brave English and French young men of the 15th Flotilla and the Free French, as well as to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of WW2. Look out for it opening in February 2025.•
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