Fred's story, as told by Wantage historian Trevor Hancock

WITH it being November and Remembrance time, my story this month, is about a Wantage man who served in the Royal Navy in WWII.

He was Fred Harris, born on February 10, 1925, the son of Edward Harris and his wife Blanche Edith (née Rolls). In 1939, the family were living at 48 Springfield Road, Wantage, and Fred had seven siblings, amongst whom were Sylvia and her brother Richard.

Fred Harris joined the Royal Navy when he reached 18 in 1943. His occupation at this time, described in his enlistment papers, was 'paint sprayer'.

From June 1943 until June 1944, Ordinary Seaman Harris was based in Scotland, at Castle Toward, Dunoon Argyll. This was the No 2 Combined Training Centre which trained officers and crews to operate major landing craft in preparation for amphibious landings on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. He was one of the crew of the landing craft used by the centre. The training included the skills and procedures of loading tanks, vehicles and personnel, followed by the disembarkation of men and machines in mock landings on 'assault' beaches in the area.

On Fred Harris's service record, he is shown as being attached to LCT 2188 on July 1, 1944. LCT (Landing Craft Tank) 2188 was part of the 110th LCT Flotilla based most probably at Southampton, and was involved with what was known as the 'Overlord Ferry Service' taking tanks, supplies and men over to the JUNO area of the D Day landing beaches. This was part of Operation Neptune, the naval aspect of the invasion of Normandy in 1944. After the initial invasion on June 6, 1944 the allied armies needed constant supply of men and material. This was bought across the English Channel throughout June – August 1944, using the Mulberry Harbour at Arromarche, and also landing craft which could get supplies directly where they were needed.

The next major operation that LCT 2188 was involved with was Operation Eclipse in May 1945.

One aspect of this military operation, was, after Nazi Germany's surrender on May 4, 1945, to ensure the disarmament of the German forces and to bring in supplies of food and other material to the civilian population, especially in the Netherlands. LCT2188 was assigned to what was known as Jaffa Force to help. The Allied ground forces were the 3rd Medium Regiment Royal Artillery who had arrived in the Netherlands and were picked up by LCT'S including LCT 2188 at Den Bank and sent on May 26, 1945, to disarm the German garrisons on the islands of Vlieland, Terschelling and Ameland. The photos here show LCT2188 and Fred Harris at the time.

By March 1946, Fred was serving at HMS Rosneath, located in the area of the Rosneath Peninsula, Argyll and Bute in Scotland. During WWII it has been an American naval base but in June 1945, it had reverted to being a Royal Navy establishment. It's not known exactly what Fred Harris was doing here, however, I was told many years ago, that he was a member of the site fire brigade. What is known however is that on March 16, 1946, Fred Harris was involved in a car accident on or near to HMS Rosneath, and subsequently died in the establishment's sick bay.

He now lies in a Commonwealth War Grave in Chain Hill Cemetery.