He considered himself lucky, many were not.Īfter about four hours stranded on the beach, its crew were able to undertake temporary repairs and get the vessel floated off the beach, limping back to Newhaven where the craft was hoisted out of the water for repairs. Frank said that he did so and made the journey to the bow and back to the bridge “faster than Usain Bolt”!įrank spoke of his abiding memories of D-Day being the thunderous noise and even more so the sight of the bodies of young men rolling in the surf, lads whom he had been speaking with only minutes before. To overcome this the craft’s skipper sent Frank to take a message to the officer at the bow of the craft, instructing him to put two ropes across to the shore that the soldiers could use to help them stand and get safely ashore. If they fell down and went under, the weight of equipment they were carrying made it impossible for them to get up without help. Under heavy machine gun fire they landed in about four feet of rough water. While badly injured soldiers remained on the craft, their comrades stormed ashore via LCI(L)380’s side ramps. On D-Day that same vessel carried 200 men of II Battalion King’s Shropshire Light Infantry from Newhaven to Sword Beach at Ouistreham, landing on Queen Red Sector at 7.25am.Īs it approached the beach, it received a direct hit which set fire to the No 2 troop space and also holed the craft on the water line.
At 150 feet long and 25 feet across and with a flat bottom, it bobbed around the Atlantic like a cork in a bucket. He was sent to America to collect LCI(L)380 and sail it back to the UK ahead of the Normandy landings. He was trained at HMS Collingwood and after exams was assigned to the Combined Operations Division and Landing Craft (Infantry). “The men and women of today’s Royal Navy treasure the bonds they have with those who served in World War 2 and Frank’s remarkable longevity was testament to a life well-lived serving his country.”įrank Baugh worked in the coal industry before joining the Royal Navy in June 1942. “I am immensely saddened that in Frank’s passing we have lost the last sailor to see the White Ensign flown by the Beachmaster on Sword Beach, a remarkable link to our Royal Navy amphibious heritage,” the First Sea Lord said.
There were seven Standard Bearers in attendance with Able Seaman Elliott Holt from HMS Collingwood – Frank’s alma mater – leading the coffin party, carrying the White Ensign from Sword Beach into Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Doncaster.įrank’s friend, Warrant Officer 1 Baz Firth from the RN Leadership Academy, read a tribute from First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Ben Key as well as the eulogy. The former landing craft signaller was laid to rest in his native Yorkshire, severing another living link with our greatest generation and the dwindling band of brothers who experienced the hell of June 6 1944. Sand from the Normandy beach where he put troops ashore on D-Day was placed on the coffin in the last act of Frank Baugh’s remarkable life.
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