Thanks to the work of John Henry Phillips, (and the memories of survivor Patrick Thomas) we know that HM LCH 185 (formerly LCI 185) was sunk by an acoustic mine off Sword Beach, near Lion-sur-Mer on Sunday 25th June 1944 with the loss of around 35 lives.
The full crew list went down with the ship, but these are the men believed to have been on board when it was sunk. Alexander Anderson Age 19 James A.Armstrong Age 25 Buried Dieppe Canadian War Cemetery Jack Barringer Age 29 Buried Ranville War Cemetery Alan Raymond Barrs Age 19 Albert Ernest Beers Age 21 Robert Albert Bell Age 23 William Bellenger William Barclay Bremner Age 22 John Robert Bruce Brothers Age 19 George Albert Casselden Age 26 Cyril Walter Clapham Age 22 Geoffrey Dunkerley Age 24 Arthur Greaves Dunn Age 20 Eric Fletcher Age 24 Verna Ford Henry William Jeffrey Age 19 Caruth Main Alan Haigh Maxwell Age 20 Matthew McIver Charles John Munro Age 19 John William Nicholson Age 24 George Albert Paige Age 19 Ronald Charles Patterson Age 19 Dennis William Piper Age 26 John James Rimmer Age 20 Buried Hermanville War Cemetery David Saunders 31/07/1942 (age 20) James Gordon Shepherd Age 30 Kenneth Simpson Age 19 Norman William John Smith Age 20 Robert Henley Tucker Age 35 Frank Groome Waddington Age 31 Robert Wears Arthur Henry Whiston Phillip John Winstanley Age 19 Edward Yates Age 18 Buried Fecamp Communal Cemetery While not all of these men served on 185 when it was an LHI in 1943, some of them may have and if you are related to any of them you may find photographs of them on this site. I'd be most happy to hear from any relatives who can identify people in the pictures.
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On the longest day I reflect on the day in November when we stand for a minutes silence after reciting : ‘At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember’ Who do you think about when you hear these words? I think of my Great Uncle David Saunders. I think of him often. I have a couple of pictures of him as a child on my kitchen wall so that every day I can reflect upon his life - a life cut short - and its significance. More than thirty years ago I fell heir to his legacy, taking charge of the letters and photographs which were all that remained of him. Over the years I have tried on many occasions to fill in the gaps of the life of this man I never met. Next year will be the centenary of his birth (31st July 1923) and with a combination of chance and improved technology, I am now able to curate his legacy to an acceptable standard. The full story will never be known, but enough pieces of the jigsaw are now in place for a picture to be built up. David left two photograph albums from 1943, while on HM LCI 185. There are photographs of his shipmates, and of the campaigns during that year. There may be other relatives who could identify their ancestors in these pictures. It is so sad that so many men are lost, some forgotten no doubt. It feels to me that their lives were sold cheaply. As time goes on I shall publish the photographs and the letters on this website. These serve as a legacy to David Saunders but also to all those who served alongside him. |