Labeline Posted 20 November , 2017 Author Share Posted 20 November , 2017 (edited) Have to admit to being disgusted at the lack of any form of remembrance for this raid which resulted in the deaths of so many men whose heroism was recognised at the time in the VC ballot. It is a slight on their memory. My cousins and I have already booked accommodation in Zeebrugge and will be there, on the Mole on Monday 23rd April , officially supported or not, to honour our Great Uncle who died there......not in Dover...or in Portsmouth.......on St George’s Day 1918. Hopefully we will meet up with other relatives of these forgotten men to celebrate and remember their heroism and sacrifice. Edited 20 November , 2017 by Labeline Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horatio2 Posted 21 November , 2017 Share Posted 21 November , 2017 23 hours ago, Labeline said: Have to admit to being disgusted at the lack of any form of remembrance ... It is a slight on their memory. Completely OTT remarks. I understand that significant Centenary celebrations are in hand for Zeebrugge, Deal, Liverpool and Portsmouth. I expect details will be published in due course. They are and will be remembered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Labeline Posted 22 November , 2017 Author Share Posted 22 November , 2017 On 21/11/2017 at 14:23, horatio2 said: Completely OTT remarks. I understand that significant Centenary celebrations are in hand for Zeebrugge, Deal, Liverpool and Portsmouth. I expect details will be published in due course. They are and will be remembered. Horatio2 You may well think that my comments are OTT but for those of us who have been asking for over a year what was happening only to be ignored, fobbed off or met with silence, they don’t feel OTT. Portsmouth and Deal are, last time I looked, were not in Zeebrugge where over 200 men died, including my Great Uncle. As it happens, since that post someone has kindly been asking questions and we now know that some events are planned but whether we have been told soon enough to alter our plans is yet to be determined. “ In due course” doesn’t help when trying to book flights and ferries from around the World and accommodation in Zeebrugge itself. You may feel that a vague promise of some future information is satisfactory, my family do not. Something should have been announced long ago so that people could make arrangements. It appears that there are still no plans for any commemoration in Zeebrugge on the day which is when we wanted to be there. My comments stand. We were and remain disgusted that announcing the intended commemorations have been left far too late and I know many families will feel the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regulus 1 Posted 22 November , 2017 Share Posted 22 November , 2017 Good evening, I understand the frustration on the communication, and even this week I did get an answer from the Brugge Tourist Office confirming something was to happen, but they did not know what exactly. Some people seem to have received less vague answers, but without real details. And I agree it is all much to late. Hotels at Zeebrugge are already fully booked. So alternatives are Blankenberge, which is very close or Knokke and even Brugge... I did get, from the provincial military command of West-Flanders, earlier today, finally, some information about what will happen at Zeebrugge, here it is : Saturday 21st will see a very large version of the classic Remembrance that is heldevery year on that day. Family members of the veterans will be invited I was told, but this organisation is probably up to Mr Nic Van der Marliere who represents the Flemish government in the UK. I think questions on that matter can be mailed to GR@flandershouse.co.uk The ceremony usually is at 1100 at the Zeebrugge Memorial at the corner of the old (and new) Mole. From what I've heard it would be an hour earlier and start at 1000. In the afternoon there will be a ceremony at Blankenberge for Bradford VC. No details yet. Sunday the 22nd will be as usual, that means there will be a service in the morning at 0930, followed by a ceremony on the cemetery and one at the Admiral Keyes square. There will be Belgian, British and German military delegations. And also ships from these countries at Zeebrugge. The 23rd this small fleet will sail to Dover for the Commemorations there on Saint-George's Day. BTW, I am in no way involved in these ceremonies or the organisation. Johan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Labeline Posted 23 November , 2017 Author Share Posted 23 November , 2017 Johan. Thank you and I have already joined your Facebook Group. Unfortunately for us it’s all a bit too late. In the absence of earlier information we assumed the centenary would be commemorated on the Monday, the actual centenary so booked for two nights commencing 22nd. We have tried to extend our booking without success so we will be doing our own thing. We wanted to be on the Mole on the day so that we could pay our respects. Criticising relatives complaining of a lack of information is unacceptable hence my response to horatio2. We have been trying to plan for this once in a lifetime event for two years or more. We will at least get to see the fleet leave for Dover.......hopefully. Thank you for your efforts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dabtoe Posted 23 November , 2017 Share Posted 23 November , 2017 A Dover historian website link to the Zeebrugge raid:- https://doverhistorian.com/2013/10/28/dover-patrol-and-the-zeebrugge-raid/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrenPen Posted 21 February , 2018 Share Posted 21 February , 2018 22 minutes ago, sdparker said: Found this press release on Dover District Council website regarding Zeebrugge Raid centenary commemorative event. https://www.dover.gov.uk/News/Press-Releases/2017/Zeebrugge-Bell-Returns-To-Dover-Ahead-Of-2018-Centenary.aspx Hope this helps, waiting to hear full details from the council events team. Will share when I know more, Regards Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrenPen Posted 21 February , 2018 Share Posted 21 February , 2018 Link to the Facebook group, for those that would like to join it:https://www.facebook.com/groups/1675042429261761/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NigelS Posted 23 February , 2018 Share Posted 23 February , 2018 Chanced on details of a conference to be held at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard (Friday 20th - Saturday 21st April '18) on the National Museum of the Royal Navy website : Zeebrugge: The Centenary Conference NigelS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 24 February , 2018 Share Posted 24 February , 2018 They've been keeping that quiet!! (nobody tells me anything grumble whinge) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm12hl Posted 24 February , 2018 Share Posted 24 February , 2018 I am a late joiner to this thread, so forgive me if I repeat something that has already been covered. First, a fantastic photo was posted earlier of a wrecked vessel on the shore with a query as to whether it was taken at Zeebrugge or Ostend. There can be little doubt that it is Zeebrugge as you can not only see the viaduct connecting the mole to the shore in the background, but the gap in it caused by the explosion of the submarine C.3. I initially thought that the wreck in the foreground was a C.M.B., but none was lost in the raid, so it must be one of the two lost motor launched - ML.110 or ML.424. Second, I have a personal interest in the Raid itself as a resident of my village (Thames Ditton in East Surrey), Captain Charles Phelps Tuckey, Royal Marines was killed on the Mole during the withdrawal of the landing party. He is buried in Zeebrugge Town Cemetery. If anybody is interested in more information about him, do let me know. Malcolm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerchantOldSalt Posted 24 February , 2018 Share Posted 24 February , 2018 (edited) Grey C and Malcolm The photo is of a 55 foot Coastal Motor Boat next to the eastern pier at Oostende, not Zeebrugge,, there are two or three more photos of this incident in the Imperial War Museum Collections and they agree it is Oostende. The attached photo of Zeebrugge Mole and the remains of the railway viaduct and submarine C3 is quite unlike the photo of the pier/mole you suggest is Zeebrugge. The aerial photo of HMS Vindictive sunk as a block ship, 10.5.1918, is alongside the lighthouse seen in the photo of the CMB aground, the absence of the Vindictive in that photo implies that it was taken before the second Oostende Raid, I am by no means swept up on CMB losses but might suggest it is CMB33A which went aground and was captured on 12.4.1918 after coming under fire from German coastal batteries. Hopefully other forum members can help. Tony Edited 24 February , 2018 by MerchantOldSalt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
28juni14 Posted 24 February , 2018 Share Posted 24 February , 2018 Hello GreyC !! Indeed, your attached photo is of CMB 33A, commanded by Lt. Robert Angus and crewed by 5 other ratings. On April 12th, this Coastal Motor Boat was subjected to shore battery fire off Ostende and received a direct hit aft. The boat subsequently drifted to shore where it was examined by German sailors. Confidential (secret} papers regarding the impending Zeebrügge raid were aboard and recovered by the Germans. All crew members perished in the short action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm12hl Posted 24 February , 2018 Share Posted 24 February , 2018 Very happy to have been corrected - I should have checked CMB losses more carefully - CMB 33A was lost on the aborted 12 April attempt at the Zeebrugge/Oostende raid. I haven't seen the original documents, but Hepper's British Warship Losses, which does draw on them, says that she had run aground before she was shelled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdparker Posted 25 February , 2018 Share Posted 25 February , 2018 Latest info from Dover District Council The Dover Town Council are organising the annual commemorations of the Zeebrugge Raid (St. George’s Day 1918), on Monday 23rd April 2018. For this year the Centenary of the Commemorations. There will be a Service & Wreath laying at St James’s Cemetery, Dover from 10.15am, followed by a Parade through the Town of Dover from11.30am, led by the Band of the Royal Marines, with completion, the Service at the Zeebrugge Bell (Town Hall) from midday Deal local historians have organised several Royal Marines trails around the town, which I think are already available, but don't know where the contact point is yet. will add later Regards Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dabtoe Posted 4 March , 2018 Share Posted 4 March , 2018 HI Hope this helps Commemorate the historic Zeebrugge raid with our centenary conference on the weekend of the 100th anniversary. Explore a variety of events surrounding the raid and on the morning of 23rd April 1918 itself, with a particular focus on the planning of the raid, its consequences and the challenges of the unforeseen situations that arise in covert raids. From the The Flanders Flotilla and their influence on shipping in the English Channel to Keyes, Bacon and the planning of the ...operations on the Belgian ports - there's something for everyone. Tickets are now available online. Learn more about our conference here: https://goo.gl/vSUDRi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrenPen Posted 6 March , 2018 Share Posted 6 March , 2018 That link didn't work for me, but this did https://www.facebook.com/NatMuseumRN/videos/2148137201877973/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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