Canal carrying in WW2

[Roger t' Bodger]

A great deal of wartime activity was deemed to be secret including the movement of vital supplies in the run up to D Day.

These two (of 4) photos, taken and published by the Leicester Mercury at the time, show the loading (caption reads 'unloading') of a working pair at Memory Lane Wharf, Belgrave, Leicester. Can anyone give more detail as to type of boats used, the meaning of the flags on the fore-end, where they might be heading?

 

I'm still working towards finishing the history of Leicester's River Soar and any info would be gratefully received.

[Tim Doran]

A great deal of wartime activity was deemed to be secret including the movement of vital supplies in the run up to D Day.

These two (of 4) photos, taken and published by the Leicester Mercury at the time, show the loading (caption reads 'unloading') of a working pair at Memory Lane Wharf, Belgrave, Leicester. Can anyone give more detail as to type of boats used, the meaning of the flags on the fore-end, where they might be heading?

 

I'm still working towards finishing the history of Leicester's River Soar and any info would be gratefully received.

 

 

Just a guess but do the flags suggest that they are military vessels in a convoy similar to convoyes you see on the motorway today.

 

I am sure that there are spelling mistakes in my post

[Steve King]

Can anyone give more detail as to type of boats used?

 

The motor boat (on the outside) appears to be a Small Woolwich type from the GUCCCo fleet, judging from the height of the cabin side and the shape of the fore end. It is in a plain colour scheme with no visible lettering, so could it be a spare or 'change' boat perhaps?

 

The butty appears to be a Northwich, judging by the deck lid, so will be a Small or Middle type, most probably the former.

 

Given that the cratch and stands have been dismantled to load a cargo that could have been accommodated within the space remaining if they had been left in place, and the rollercoaster shape of the top planks on the motor boat, one would have to wonder if these boats are being crewed by service personnel rather than boaters.

 

 

Steve

[jake_crew]

I have a feeling the flags denote"carrying explosives".

[Nightwatch]

I agree with Jake.

 

Good to see the Navy taking charge.

 

Martyn

[Hobbler]

I have a feeling the flags denote"carrying explosives".

 

That was also my first thought but that does not look like any form of ordnance that is being offloaded , it looks more like tents . tarpaulins and ground sheets .

[NB Alnwick]

I have a feeling the flags denote"carrying explosives".

 

Red flags might have indicated this but there were other colours in use too - they may just be an indication that the vessels were under military control.

[Derek R.]

Red flags might have indicated this but there were other colours in use too - they may just be an indication that the vessels were under military control.

 

I think the simplest answer is that red stands for danger (and they probably were red), just as a red disc was displayed on tanker barges carrying flammables. Seem to recall pictures of the gunpowder barges going up the Lee having something similar. And as Alnwick says, the military do like their flags.

 

Bet they didn't bang'em about on those trips.

 

Derek

[Roger t' Bodger]

I hadn't examined this pic but this does give the notion that these were War Department boats but who crewed them?

 

This local sea scout (they are still going at their Belgrave base but much reduced in numbers these days) is posing with a mop for purposes of more misinformation (God! what must it been like to read the Mockery in those days!)

 

Leicester having a broad spectrum of industrial processes, would have been turning out masses of war related gear and in these pictures the cargo appears to be tents, tables, camp beds and blankets, etc, for temporary army bases either here or once the invasion force is abroad. Memory Lane Wharf /Public Wharf has become the Ordnance Depot and barbed wire can be seen in the background, by then the wharf wasn't that busy but the war gave it one last spurt of activity.

 

Who's the chap in the unform and peaked cap standing on the motor's cabin?

 

I would have thought that these chaps loading would have been either the local army reservists/home guard and they must be loading the boats as their body language says they are sliding the items downwards. The Mercury wanted to show these pictures of positive action in the war effort but for the sake of enermy agents, state that the boats are being unloaded to confuse them. There are also flags on the forecabin so I would sumise that these indicate that the boats are on essential war work and should be given priority over other traffic at locks, etc. Its just that I haven't read anything about this aspect of canals in wartime and the only books I've read seem to be about the very small group of women recruits who had nothing to do with this carrying and the general understanding at that time was not to acknowledge this traffic as it was 'secret'.

 

Is Taurus still about?

[PaulG]

I think the simplest answer is that red stands for danger (and they probably were red), just as a red disc was displayed on tanker barges carrying flammables. Seem to recall pictures of the gunpowder barges going up the Lee having something similar. And as Alnwick says, the military do like their flags.

 

Bet they didn't bang'em about on those trips.

 

Derek

 

It's difficult to tell from the B & W photo, but it is probably International Code Flag B, which is red with a "swallow tail". The official meaning is "I am taking on or discharging explosives".

[BuckbyLocks]

I hadn't examined this pic but this does give the notion that these were War Department boats but who crewed them?

 

 

Is Taurus still about?

 

Alan Faulkner in 'George and Mary' says that 'Gemini' and 'Taurus' were on hire to the War Department, which suggests that this pair might indeed be G and T. IIRC Taurus was one of the River Trent Hulks that was sold off in the 80s and then went onto the Soar Gravel traffic. If I have the right boat it had a strange rudder on it. I think it might still be around, but haven't logged it for a while.

 

My copy of 'George and Mary' is now kept in the safe!

[Nightwatch]

Just seen that the guy in the last picture is actually mopping the side rather than tying up.

 

Martyn

[koukouvagia]

A great deal of wartime activity was deemed to be secret including the movement of vital supplies in the run up to D Day.

These two (of 4) photos, taken and published by the Leicester Mercury at the time, show the loading (caption reads 'unloading') of a working pair at Memory Lane Wharf, Belgrave, Leicester. Can anyone give more detail as to type of boats used, the meaning of the flags on the fore-end, where they might be heading?

 

Secret wartime activity on the canals seems like a fruitful topic for research. I’d like to know more about the use of narrowboats to transport munitions, for example. I have been told by Tony Cartwright, who used to steer our butty, Hampton, that it was used to pick up shell cases in Birmingham and deliver them to somewhere near Great Haywood – he seemed rather vague about this – presumably so that they could be filled with explosive.

I’ve never been able to verify this story. Has anyone any information on this, I wonder?

 

I’ve tried to make our pair look as authentic as possible. Perhaps I should fly an “explosives on board” flag in the interests of greater historic accuracy.

[magpie patrick]

Secret wartime activity on the canals seems like a fruitful topic for research. I’d like to know more about the use of narrowboats to transport munitions, for example. I have been told by Tony Cartwright, who used to steer our butty, Hampton, that it was used to pick up shell cases in Birmingham and deliver them to somewhere near Great Haywood – he seemed rather vague about this – presumably so that they could be filled with explosive.

I’ve never been able to verify this story. Has anyone any information on this, I wonder?

 

I’ve tried to make our pair look as authentic as possible. Perhaps I should fly an “explosives on board” flag in the interests of greater historic accuracy.

 

Depends how strong your home brew is

 

"Near Great Haywood" just above Hoo Mill Lock is an abandoned military camp with barrel roofed shelters. I've been told (but can't verify this) that they were turfed over in the war and were used as munitions stores. Having seen something very similar in the dunes near Porthcawl, where I used to live, this seems entirely plausible. Destination for shell cases?

[Derek R.]

Middle Northwich Taurus, Bm 1594 GU gauging 12519. I see there are flags at the back too - tied to the cabin and engine room bulkheads.

So, buses got sticky tape on the windows, and Taurus got a metal plate!!

 

I wonder if the rolled up items (tents?) were being laid over ammunitions to prevent any stray shrapnel or shells from causing an explosion.

 

Interesting shots - Derek

[magpie patrick]

Middle Northwich Taurus, Bm 1594 GU gauging 12519. I see there are flags at the back too - tied to the cabin and engine room bulkheads.

So, buses got sticky tape on the windows, and Taurus got a metal plate!!

 

I wonder if the rolled up items (tents?) were being laid over ammunitions to prevent any stray shrapnel or shells from causing an explosion.

 

Interesting shots - Derek

 

Immediate reaction is "nah" we weren't that good at propaganda. Apparently we took POWs to Bridgend and failed to remove the maps in the railway carriages, thus helping one of the biggest (unsuccessful) prison breaks of WW2.

 

Given the accuracy of the local press these days, and throughout my life, I'd say most of the misleading comments are journalistic incompetence

[Roger t' Bodger]

I hadn't examined this pic but this does give the notion that these were War Department boats but who crewed them?

 

 

Is Taurus still about?

 

Alan Faulkner in 'George and Mary' says that 'Gemini' and 'Taurus' were on hire to the War Department, which suggests that this pair might indeed be G and T. IIRC Taurus was one of the River Trent Hulks that was sold off in the 80s and then went onto the Soar Gravel traffic. If I have the right boat it had a strange rudder on it. I think it might still be around, but haven't logged it for a while.

 

My copy of 'George and Mary' is now kept in the safe!

 

 

I'll have a look at those recent Three Fellow Carrying Ltd videos that I've recently edited http://www.vimeo.com/user1364250/videos

perhaps it can be confirmed from Siberian Soar & Threefellows Fragments

[Hawksey]

The flags at the stern are Red Ensign's. You can just make out the Union flag in the corner. That would indicate the Merchant Navy would be in charge. Looks to me the two chaps near the stern in the first picture are in Merchant Navy uniforms to.

I think PaulG is correct in that the other flag would be a Code Flag B.

Maybe the Merchant Navy would have more info or records?

[CanalWalker]

Britannia Rules the Cut: The Royal Navy's Canal Fleet (Paperback)

by Andy Wood

ISBN 9781906205263

 

might be of interest.

[Pluto]

Britannia Rules the Cut: The Royal Navy's Canal Fleet (Paperback)

by Andy Wood

ISBN 9781906205263

 

might be of interest.

It's about the recruiting boats used by the navy in the 1970s. I did write an article on Wartime Waterways for Vol 5 of Waterways Journal, still available from the Boat Museum Society. It is a little L&LC biased, but I can't see anything wrong with that, and it does cover other canals as well!

[Timleech]

My father was in the Auxiliary Fire Service based in Rugby during WWII. The two incidents he told us about were attending a major fire at Hillmorton (now Rugby) Radio Station, and loading fire pumps into Narrow Boats to be taken into Coventry.

 

Tim

[billh]

During WW2, a large quantity of Naval Rum arrived in barrels aboard a ship ( ships?) at , I think, Bristol docks. At the time there was a desperate shortage of warehousing on the docks for secure storage until such times as the rum could be distributed to the Fleet. Some bright spark realised that there were many old , empty canal warehouses around the country, so it was arranged to ship the rum to these warehouses by narrowboat.

FMC were heavily involved with this and pairs of boats were used over a period of several weeks.

The warehouse at Portland Basin on the Ashton Canal was one that was used and the toll register at Fairfield locks showed a brief boom in traffic with many Joshers passing through. A short time later,most(!) of this cargo was loaded again and boated away to unknown destinations,the canal having made a major contribution to the war effort. The Ashton Canal also helped by supplying vast quantities of water to the chemical industries in Clayton , concerned with the manufacture of "explosives" and to the English Steel works for armaments.

Bill