Motor Torpedo Boat 755

Fred A Brettell sailed this MTB, possibly out of Lowestoft. His son, Colin, would appreciate any information surrounding his fathers life on board please. c.brettell-at-auckland.ac.nz. Change -at- for @ to reply to Colin directly.

Stewart Sutton wrote this in the WW2 Section of the BBC, People's War. "Then I was posted to Lowestoft to fight the German (E) Boats . These were better than our motor torpedo boats equipped with more powerful engines , faster and heavy Bofo guns so we were batting on a sticky wicket . The base was manned by young Officers and men more like a RAF FIGHTER station than a NAVAL BASE It was very full of fun plenty of parties to attend and cheap drinks to add to the fun". The full article is here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/68/a1156268.shtml.

I believe that the Lowestoft MTB Flotilla was the 53rd MTB flotilla. Headquarters was HMS Mantis.

Footnote: Sir Peter Scott, famous naturalist, was a Commander of the S309 Gunboat during WW2.
July 15th 04: just obtained a first edition copy of Peter's book "The Battle of the Narrow Seas" published in 1945.

"That when war comes to a country there is only one course for its people to take, and that is to fight as hard as they can until it is won.. . or lost. That it is necessary for the sacrifice, the unselfish and continuing effort and the heroism of deliberate courage to be recorded so that it cannot ever be forgotten. That the strain, discomfort and boredom which are the three predominant factors in modern warfare cannot be brought into their true perspective in a book of this kind, or it would be so long and dull that nobody would read it. That there is no glory to be had out of war that cannot be had out of some greater and more creative enterprise. That nothing will ever compensate us for the men we have lost, not even the way so many of them died. They were ready to die because they wanted to save their children and their children’s children from future wars. The least and the most that any of us can do is to devote ourselves to finding a complete and lasting peace, and then to maintaining it with all our energy." Peter Scott.

Further Information:

The Project Director
The Coastal Forces Heritage Trust
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HM Naval Base (PP66)
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United Kingdom

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