A Change of Location

Heroes Remember

A Change of Location

Transcript

We sat in port and we hadn't been training any troops and it was getting sort of dull. And we felt there was, there had to be something, and of course every morning somebody would start a new rumour, where we're going. And we honestly thought we were going into Southern France. And then there came a buzz that the fleet was going to sail into Tripoli, cut her down the middle, half were going into Burma and the other half were going to France. So, wanting to get down to Burma because it sounded quite exciting I said to skipper, "You know if half the fleet goes to Burma, I'd like to be in the half that goes to Burma." And he said "You'd really like that would you George? You'd really like that?" I said "Yeah, I would." And he said "Well look," he said "they want a stoker and they want him next week." And he said "I can't tell you where it is, but" he said "you'd find it interesting." So two days later I got a notice I'm drafted. Put my gear ashore at Sousse in Tunisia, they had a naval base there and next morning Royal Air Force crash boat pulls up to the dock. I'd been assigned to the HMS Marnix. And this crash boat, this shows you the time, this crash boat, a Royal Air Force crash boat, I'd never seen one before. Beautiful boat. And they threw my gear aboard and the skipper of the crash boat got his signals and we pulled out of there and God what a wonderful trip. This thing just, you know compared to a landing craft this thing just took off. And we went right down to Iran, and well it didn't take that long. We pulled into Iran and there's this huge ship on the dock and it was the HMS Marnix. It was the former Dutch liner called the Marnix van St. Aldegonde. And she was, had been a beautiful ship in her day. But she'd been rehabilitated, not rehabilitated, she'd been refurbished to be a troop ship. And she had all the landing craft, the assault craft hanging on the port and starboard sides. And so for the next three days I practised in the engine room of one of these assault craft around the harbour, to get used to the engines, the gears and so on.

Description

Back in Tunisia, the crews of the landing crafts wait for their next assignment. Mr. McLean is anxious to be doing something constructive and offers his services elsewhere.

George Henry Foster McLean

Mr. McLean's father came to Canada from Scotland. He was a cooper by trade and was a member of the Royal Navy during the First World War. Mr. McLean was born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan and has two brothers and two sisters. He was second born, with one older sister born in Scotland. He received his education in the Vancouver school system. He enlisted in the Royal Canadian Navy just after his 16th birthday. He then spent five months in militia training before receiving a call-up to active service effective in May, 1942. Mr. McLean served in North Africa, Malta, Italy and was part of the D-Day raid at Omaha Beach.

Meta Data

Medium:: Video
Owner:: Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:: 03:00
Person Interviewed:: George Henry Foster McLean
War, Conflict or Mission:: Second World War
Location/Theatre:: North Africa
Branch:: Navy
Rank:: Leading Hand

Related Videos

The War Begins - Too Young To Enlist

Mr. McLean talks about his reaction when Canada declared war on Germany in September, 1939. He goes on to talk about enlisting in the Royal Canadian Navy shortly after his 16th birthday, lying about his age to do so.

Training and First Posting To Landing Craft

After basic training in British Columbia and more advanced instruction in Toronto and Halifax, Mr. McLean, with a group of about 30 others, headed for Detroit, Michigan in the Fall of 1942 for some special training. The training equipped them for their first posting aboard landing craft.

Across the Atlantic and the First Fatality

The convoy of landing craft leaves Norfolk, Virginia. An early fatality awaits the vessels on the other side of the Atlantic.

A Gruesome Job for a Youngster

At anchor at a Tunisian port, a German Air Force bombing run takes a tragic toll on a nearby tank landing craft, killing everyone on board. Mr. McLean led a group of men from his vessel in the clean-up of the bodies and body parts.

The Sicily Landing

It's July, 1943 and the flotilla of landing craft is on the move expecting to see action soon, but not sure where. They were soon on their way to Sicily with each landing craft carrying 150 soldiers to the beach.

Preparing for Italy

Mr. McLean, now in Iran, has spent time becoming familiar with the engine room of his new vessel. He's soon on his way to a new assignment.

D-Day Duty

Through a series of re-locations, by early 1944, Mr. McLean has been reunited with his landing craft, which had been brought from Iran to Scotland where they were refitted and made ready for the D-Day landing, Operation Overload. When crews and crafts were ready, they were moved to Southampton, England to await the order to sail. That order came on the evening of June 5, 1944, for the D-Day landing on the coast of France the following day. The weather was not good as the hundreds of ships crossed the English Channel.

Date modified:: 2019-06-20