Posted on
Brian Goodison-Blanks's Blog
There is always a history behind the items brought in
for auction and in some cases there is a fascinating story of the person to whom they
belong.
Donald Craig's WWII Medal Group and
ephemera relating to his service and capture during Operation Title
Donald Craig was born
in Wadebridge, Cornwall in 1913 and emigrated to Canada with his family around 1920.
In 1933 he returned to England and joined the Royal Engineers seeing action in the
Atlantic and Palestine. As a qualified diver in 1941 he transferred to the Special
Service Brigade (Special Boat Service) and in 1942 was part of Operation Title using
manned torpedo 'chariots' to attack the German battleship Tirpitz in Asenfjord,Norway. After
the chariots were lost during a storm on the 31st October, the raid against Tirpitz
was called off. The fishing boat Arthur which was used to tow the chariots was then
scuttled at Breidvik and nine of the team members reached Sweden. One member
was captured by the Germans and later shot as a spy. Operation Title was the inspiration
behind the film 'Above Us the Waves' and the later Operation Source X-craft midget
submarine attacks on the Tirpitz. After the war Donald Craig was commissioned
to the RNVR MFU Training taking command of HMS Varbel (MA19/252).
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This article was
originally published
on
Brian Goodison-Blanks's Blog
on
Fri, 09 Aug 2019 15:19:37 GMT.
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Author
 | Brian Goodison-Blanks BA(Hons)
Brian Goodison-Blanks is the Head of the Maritime and Sporting Department at Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood. Originally from London, Brian Goodison-Blanks was educated in the South East and Hampshire obtaining an Honours degree in Archaeology, American Studies and Japanese culture from King Alfred’s College, Winchester. Following a short spell working for Canterbury and Colchester Archaeological Trusts as well as The Ambel Project in Aragon, Northern Spain, he joined a well-respected local auction house in 1995 as a trainee general valuer, rising to Auction Room Manager. In 2004 Brian joined Hampton & Littlewood with special responsibility for re-introducing the specialist Maritime Sale to the South West after a 15 Year absence. Brian’s interest in country sports has also led him to introduce the annual Sporting sale.
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