Douglas Belcher

This story and photos are shared by the Trust with kind permission from Mat Carpenter, Great Nephew of Douglas Belcher

Douglas Belcher was one of five children. They lived at 69 Ffitzbridge Road, Merton where they kept chickens and goats during the war.

Douglas as a young boy

 

He married Joan and they moved to Worcester Park. They had one daughter, Susan. We have one photo of her, taken during the coronation in 1953, but we have since lost touch with her.

Douglas was serving in 522 Flotilla, Royal Navy.

Men of 522 Flotilla. Douglas Belcher stands 2nd row down, 4th from the left with the rakish hat!

 

His flotilla was part of Convoy O4, which was transporting the troops landing on Omaha Beach. The flotilla comprised 6 boats – Prince Charles, Prince Baudoin, Prince Leopold, SS Ben-my-Chree, SS Maud (backup crews and landing craft) and SS Amsterdam. SS Amsterdam carried the 6 craft of Flotilla 522, LCA668, LCA858, LCA860, LCA861, LCA862 and supply landing craft LCA 914. Amsterdam's landing craft were fitted with rocket propelled grappling lines and ladders whilst at anchor in the bay.

On the 1st June troops of the American 2nd Rangers, D and part of E company, embarked on the landing craft and were taken to SS Amsterdam in Weymouth Bay. The Rangers are likely familiar with the ship as they completed their training with the crew from 23rd April.

I have been researching the details of what happened to Douglas on D-Day. I believe he was serving on LCA 858 which landed a few minutes after the initial landing at 0705 as it had been taking on so much water.  Three men were wounded by machine gun/anti aircraft fire (guns described as both in the Rangers' reports).  This coincide with Nan's comments that Douglas was hit by an anti-aircraft gun.  This is therefore the most likely landing craft he is on, as accounts of action here appear good.

Reports, timed 0926, differ – one says all landing craft left the beach around this time and were picked up by Prince Charles, Baudouin and Leopold. Other reports suggest only LCA858 managed to unbeach and returned to Amsterdam. Either way, Douglas was back in the UK when he died of his wounds, on the 7th apparently, and was buried on the 8th. There is also a report that three of the crew of LCA858 were injured from AA fire fire to the East.

He died 6 days after his 21st birthday. My grandmother, now deceased, and Joan travelled to Weymouth to collect his body.  Due to travel restrictions along the coast they had to get special permission to travel there.  Following many years of silence my grandmother described the view from her train journey out of London as "extraordinary", the sheer number of personnel and machines in the south of England was unbelievable. Not an empty field or hedgerow apparently. When she got there she remembers seeing German prisoners of war in cages on the quayside. They attended his funeral on the 8th June and he was laid to rest at the Naval Cemetery at Portland. His grave overlooks the area where the O4 group were held from the 1st until the 5th of June before sailing to Normandy.

British Normandy Memorial - Additional Information

SS Amsterdam was converted into a Hospital Ship after D-Day. On July 7th she struck a mine off Juno beach and sank with the loss of many lives, including the only two women to be commemorated on the memorial, Sister Mollie Evershed and Sister Anyta Field.