Operation Tiger Memorial, Slapton Sands disaster 1944 Victoria Gardens, Portland WW2

Memorial Service for Operation Tiger, Slapton Sands disaster 1944 Victoria Gardens, Portland. WW2. Wreath laying, Bugle playing The Last Post. Ships sirens, hooters sound in the nearby Portland Harbour. The incidental music is by Weymouth Concert Brass (a previous recording).
This is one of the speeches which I couldn't hear: By Chris Lock:
We are gathered here today to honour & remember the 649 or so US sailors & soldiers who lost their lives whilst involved in the DDay - Utah beach practice landings named Exercise Tiger whilst aboard Convoy T4 which included 8 US Landing Ship Tanks, escorted by a solitary British Corvette HMS Azealia.
The tragedy took place 12 - 16 miles off Portland Bill 80 years ago during the early hours of April 28th 1944.
9 fast German E boats armed with torpedo's attacked the convoy quickly sinking LST's 507 & 531 causing great loss of life. LST 239 was also torpedoed & badly damaged, suffering more dead & wounded but stayed afloat. LST 511 was mistakenly hit by so called friendly fire, fired from her sister ship LST 496 resulting in even more men being wounded.
Surviving LST's 511, 496, 499 & 58 quickly sought shelter & moored up as instructed in Chesil Cove. Due to flat calm sea conditions, this offered the opportunity to unload recovered dead & wounded onto small landing craft which the LST's carried & transfer onto the beach before being transported to the Portland Military Hospital located in the Naval dock yard. It is worth noting these men would have passed along the very road alongside this beautiful park where you stand today. The relevent LST war diaries & post attack official reports reveal survivors received their debrief & triage within a large red brick building nearby to Portland Castle. I believe this could possibly be the very same building which is currently being used by the Castletown DDay Centre.
LST 515 travelled around the island & entered the Portland Naval Dock yard where she unloaded many more recovered dead to join more dead who over several days were being washed up onto Chesil beach in Chesil cove.
Those requiring further medical care were sent to military hospitals elsewhere whilst the dead were transported to Brookwood Cemetery in Surrey. Here they would be joined by those who had lost their lives on LST 239 which on conclusion of the attack had been escorted by HMS Azealia to Dartmouth.
On conclusion of the war, those being requested by the NOK would be reinterred in the US. All others would eventually be reinterred within the US National Cemetery at Cambridge.
Those who went down with their ships to this day remain on eternal watch in Portland's home waters. It is just & correct that we honour & remember them all today.
I have named this résumé 'Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day'.
This being in tribute & recognition of the incredible dark humour that we humans are able to call upon when faced with near certain death or adversity.
Please allow me to explain:
Eye witness account: William Holland, survivor of the doomed LST 531 reported that whilst sharing a life raft with a dead man as dawn broke, he listened in disbelief as another group of survivors in the distance were singing, 'Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day'......
Typical of we US people he wrote later in his memoirs.
In 1985 during a survivors reunion held at the Continental Hotel in Chicago, 'Oklahoma' which included 'Oh what a beautiful morning Oh what a beautiful day' was deliberately placed onto the hotel gramophone, As it played out, Wendall Hopper flashbacked to the moment he had witnessed that spontaneous outbreak of singing against such a backdrop of death & destruction during that morning of April 28th 1944.
For 41 years he had heard it whilst travelling down the Illinois & Mississippi rivers, the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic & of course in the English Channel. For 41 years he had been unable to listen to this song without breaking into smiles & tears. Now he and all present during that particular reunion did likewise but this time they smiled & cried together as one!!
Lest they forget.
Sources
Declassified Exercise Convoy T4 LST's, Commanders & ships war diary reports.
Channel Firing by Nigel Lewis.
Chris Lock BEM
Royal Tank Regiment Association
Bournemouth Poole & District Branch.

[@chrislock208]

Brilliant video Stuart. Well done & thank you!! 👍💪🍻