Today marks the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the beginning of the liberation of western Europe during the Second World War and the largest amphibious military operation in history. 

Sidmouth and the Sid Vale should be proud of their role.

First, troops, ships and aircraft left south Devon for action in Normandy; second, among the many Sidmothians who served in this campaign, four local lads lost their lives during the battle for Normandy and, third, HMS Sidmouth played a vital role in sweeping a channel for ships carrying troops and equipment to the beaches.

Sidmouth’s experience during the Second World War is described in the Sid Vale Association’s book Sidmouth: The War Years (SVA 2021). 

Rationing, accommodating evacuees and servicemen and women under training, and waiting anxiously for news of family members serving overseas or on the seas, dominated home life; the beaches were out-of-bounds. 

From April 1 until July 1944, a 10-mile wide coastal exclusion belt was created – a no-go area for non-residents and the use of cameras, binoculars and telescopes banned; preparations for D-Day were underway. 

The above book records how Anthony Lister, living in Clifton Place on the seafront, ‘remembers vividly seeing the entire bay fill from end to end with ships, warships and merchant ships, the closest were about 2-3 miles offshore. 

The next day [June 6] they were all gone.’ 

In the early hours, the sky above Sidmouth was filled with US troop-carriers taking the 101st Airborne Division (‘Easy company’ in the Band of Brothers) from Upottery/Smeatharpe Airfield to their parachute drop for their important mission of securing beach exits, to be followed by strings of gliders later that day. 

Among those landing by sea were ‘the fighting O’Briens’, two Sidmouth brothers, Jimmy and Lennox. 

They landed in France on June 10 and, as engineers, were busy constructing mulberry harbours and bridges right through to Holland.

 They were both professional boxers; a sporting tradition continued by Jimmy’s sons, Peter and Terry, both captains of Sidmouth Rugby Club.

On this 80th anniversary, the Sid Vale remembers four men who gave their lives during the Battle for Normandy.  They were:

Ronald William Joyce: 

Age 22. Born in Sidford. Private, 2nd Battalion Devonshire Regiment. Died June 13, 1944 at La Belle Epine, west of Caen Buried at the CWGC cemetery, Hotton-les-Bagues. Son of Frank and Janet Joyce of Brook Lane, Sidford. Commemorated at Sidbury.

Richard Henry Selley:

Age 33.  Born Helston, Cornwall. Sergeant, Durham Light infantry. Died June 19, 1944 to the west of Caen. Buried at Tilly-sur-Seules cemetery. Son of Arthur and Emily Selley of Radway, Sidmouth. Husband of Muriel Selley of Manstone Avenue, Sidmouth. Commemorated at Sidmouth.

Austin Francis Dore:

Age 21. Born Northwood, Middlesex. Lieutenant, 1st Battalion the Rifle Brigade. Died July 20, 1944 during Operation Goodwood in the battle for Caen. No known grave. Commemorated on the Bayeux Memorial. Son of John and Faith Dore of Redwood Road, Sidmouth. Previously, Austin was a scholar at Ampleforth College. Commemorated at Salcombe Regis.

Eric Lloyd Locker: 

Age 23. Born Sidford. Private, 12th (Airborne) Battalion, Devonshire Regiment. Died August 19, 1944 near Fiquefleur, east of Honfleur. Buried at Fatouville-Grestain (Carbec) churchyard. Son of Samuel and Nellie Lockyer of Brook Lane, Sidford. Commemorated at Sidbury.

HMS Sidmouth was an ocean-going minesweeper, built by Henry Robb in Leith and launched on March 15, 1941.

The ship’s badge, presented to the Town, is displayed in Sidmouth Museum.

It was known that the Germans had laid extensive defensive minefields stretching from Boulogne to Cherbourg, and channels had to be cleared through these fields for passage of ships on 6 June 1944. 

7,000 ships sailed for France during these two months. 

HMS Sidmouth led the 9th Minesweeping Flotilla, sweeping for Force J -- largely Canadian troops due to land on Juno beach. 

Two passages had to be swept, one for 12 knot convoys and one for 5 knot convoys: this was achieved by 0330 on D-day.

Although shore batteries could range to eight miles, sweeping continued to five miles from the beaches. 

Accurate navigation, in the dark with tides running, was all important and helped by newly developed equipment installed in Sidmouth. 

An interview with HMS Sidmouth’s navigating officer, Lieutenant Richard Michell, was recorded by the BBC in 1972  ̶  part of this 16 minute audio can be heard in Sidmouth Museum. 

War Records state: “Minesweeping workloads during the months of June and July 1944 were absolutely vital to the success of the beach landings in terms of men and materiel. 

“That relatively few warships, transport or landing craft were seriously damaged or lost due to conventional mines is fitting testament to the organisation and work of the plucky crews of these valiant, but unheralded little ships, who assured that approach routes, bombarding ship and landing craft anchorages were as free as possible of mines.” 

HMS Sidmouth had three outstanding commanding officers. 

Henry Rust DSO, who subsequently lost his life in the Artic Convoys; Commander Richard Jennings, twice Mentioned in Dispatches, twice awarded the DSC as well as the DSO, and Roger Thomson, in command on D-Day and awarded the DSC ‘for gallantry, skill, determination and undaunting devotion to duty during the landing of Allied Forces on the coast of Normandy’.  

In January 1950, her work done, HMS Sidmouth was sold and scrapped at Charlestown, Fife, just across the Firth where she was built nine years before.

Sidmouth citizens did their best to look after ‘their ship’ – knitting clothes and stocking the ship’s library. 

As can be read in Sidmouth: The War Years, during ‘Warship Week’ in 1942, the town’s fundraising target was £120,000 - £166,535 was achieved, equivalent to £8 million today.