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By *Members of Beaufort County's legislative delegation say they're intrigued with the idea of creating a coastal caucus, a voting block charged with looking out for the common interests of coastal areas
6. Surivors and those who came to their aid, were warned not to talk about the disaster. The survivors, and there were only 149 of them, and 23 dead were brought ashore for identification, together with those who went to their aid, all were sternly warned not to talk to anyone about this disaster. This seemed a strange reaction by the authorities, what was the problem? was there some reason for such a reaction, and what appears to be a cover up? 72% of the crew had gone missing! These were made up of:
Telegrams despatched. Burials.
Four families claimed the bodies of their loved one to be taken home for a private burial, they were:
The Royal Navy held a funeral service in the Greenock Cemetery where six more victims of the Dasher explosion were laid to rest, and they were:
There was one more funeral service for William Macdonald, an Air Mechanic. He was unfortunate by being blown through a hole in the ship's side for a distance of 400 yards, he was picked out of the water by Motor Launch 528, and landed at HMS Fortitude, he languished in the Sick Bay there for 13 days, his burns too extensive to move him to the Ballochmyle Hospital. His parents travelled from the North of Scotland to maintain a vigil at his bedside, but he finally lost his battle and died. He was buried with his 12 former shipmates in Ardrossan Cemetery. Lack of information for the survivors. Security reigned over the whole sorry affair, but WHY? The Man that never was. Operation Mincemeat. The body was said to have been a tramp who had died from taking rat poison, and it was put into cold storage in Hackney mortuary. The body should appear to be that of an Officer who had drowned. How to deliver this body? A Royal Navy submarine was the perfect answer. It could surface close to land, and then the late Major Martin could be lowered from the open deck of the submarine into the water, consistent with his accidental drowning. It was decided that the best location was at Huelva in Southern Spain, British Intelligence were aware that a German agent operated there. With the right tide calculation, Major Martin's body could be washed up to be found by the Spaniards, who would inform the German agent of their find, with a briefcase locked to his wrist, hopefully its contents soon on its way to Berlin. The body would need to be suitably dressed, wearing a Mae West life jacket, around his neck was a silver cross on a silver chain. An identity disc was attached to his braces, it carried the engraving: Major W Martin, RM. R/C. It was important that this body was taken for a Roman Catholic, as it was considered unlikely that the Spanish authorities would carry out a proper post mortem upon a Roman Catholic. Hopefully, only a medical examination would take place before the body received a burial. In his possession was some loose change, a bunch of keys, a box of matches, cigarettes, letters from his father and his solicitor. To fabricate his private life, an Admiralty secretary posing as his financee, wrote two very personal letters to Major Martin. The final touch was a letter from Lloyd's Bank of 731 Lombard Street, London, asking for prompt payment of a 79 Pound overdraft, and in his wallet was a bill from the Navy and Military Club. Obviously a graet deal of thought had gone into setting up this huge deception. Within the chained brief case were the Top Secret papers indicating the invasion would take place on Greek Islands. To back them up were three very important letters, two supposedly from Lord Louis Mountbatten, one addressed to General Eisenhower, the other to the Admiral of the Fleet. The final letter was from Lieutenant General Nye to General Alexander, who was Eisenhower's deputy. Personal papers identified the body as Major William Martin, Royal Marines, Military Serial Number 148228. Age 36. Commanding Officer of HM Submarine Seraph summoned to London. Lieutenant Jewell met with Lieutenant Ewan Montagu on the 31st. of March 1943, the day 12 of Dasher's crew were buried at Argrossan, and by chance Major Martin's Combined Operations Headquarter's pass was stamped " Not Valid after 31 March 1943." At this meeting, Jewell was ordered to sail his submarine from Blythe, on the north east coast of England, to the Holy Loch in the Clyde, but 8 miles from where Dasher had sunk. The body of the Major in a special container was reported on its way northwards in an unmarked truck, to be collected by Jewell in his boat Seraph. Why sail Seraph from the east coast around Pentland Firth, down the west coast to the Clyde? Why was it necessary to sail Seraph up the Scottish east coast, around the top of Scotland, and down the west coast to the Clyde to collect a body en route by truck from London? It would have made much more sense to drive the body straight to Blythe where Seraph was berthed. Body Swap. But why? Unless it had been decided to replace the tramp's body with one from the Dasher tragedy. Did the truck from London bear an empty container, which was now destined to be used for a body ex Dasher? Why else would Lieutenant Jewell with his submarine Seraph be flogging up the east coast of Scotland, around the north of Scotland and then turn south and make for the Clyde? The latest research by the authors, John Steele and Noreen Steele of the book " The Secrets of HMS Dasher." Published by Argyll Publishers of Argyll, in a Third Edition of 2002, would seem to confirm that this is what did take place back in 1943. Seraph drops a body off Huelva Beach. Seraph proceeded to Gibraltar.
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