Page 5

[*R
17/6
Ack 17/6/58*]

Eaglethorpe House
Warmington
Peterborough
Northants
16 June 1958

Dear Miss Isaacs,

Thank you for your letter of 13 June. I have
filled in the questionnaire to the best of my ability, but as
you say, much of it does not apply. I have therefore written a
brief account of the day's events, which you will find below,
and which I hope will be of some use to you.

Shortly after D-day, I wrote an account of it
for a naval magazine circulating privately. I still have the
proofs and could let you have a sight of them, if you would
undertake not to mention the name of the magazine, in anything
of mine you decide to publish.

Yours sincerely
RWD Thomson

_________________________________________

The Ninth Minesweeping Flotilla, consisting of 16 ships
viz 8 Fleet Minesweepers, 1 Destroyer, 4 Danlayers and 3 Motor
Launches, sailed from St. Helens Roads at 1300 on 5 June in
order to sweep a channel clear of mines for the troopships to
use. Great navigational accuracy was required to ensure that the
channel led exactly to that part of the French Coast where the
soldiers would land, and buoys had to be laid to work each
side of the channel. Each buoy was fitted with a light to enable
it to be seen in the darkness, and with a large flag to enable it to be
easily seen in daylight.
Soon after 0300 on 6 June, the channel had been
swept clear of mines, and every one of the 81 buoys was known
to be exactly in position. No opposition of any sort was met from
enemy sea or air forces, but one ship had an engine put out
of action and her sweep destroyed when a mine detonated in it.
There was also a period from approximately 0030 to 0200 when
several ships were in peril from waves, but all came safely through
As soon as the invasion fleet arrived we set to work to
widen the swept channel and continued doing so until just