Military Canoes

Kyt · Mar 16, 2009

Local start and finish to research on war canoes (From This is The West Country)

RESEARCH into a piece of forgotten Second World War history began and ended in the Taunton area.

Author Quentin Rees started his fascination with the obscure story of the ‘cockle’ when he bought a £150 Commando canoe in Wiveliscombe.

He has now written the definitive account of the navy’s smallest fighting fleet following an exhaustive search for material across the UK.

‘The Cockleshell Canoes: British Military Canoes of World War 2’ contains facts, figures and 137 vintage photos.

It outlines the contribution of the ‘Cockleshell Heores’ in their tiny cockle craft, made famous by a daring raid by ten Commandos on Bordeaux Harbour in December 1942.

The result saw five enemy ships badly damages after the Marines attached limpet mines to them, although only two of the Commandos survived.

Mr Rees said: “It gives me a huge tingle of satisfaction to know I’ve produced a whole section of British maritime history which has remained virtually unknown till now.”

The publisher is now doing a second print run after the first impression sold out soon after it was published before Christmas.

Mr Rees has been touring the country promoting the book.

Almost at the end of his research, he tracked down a relative of one of the officers who designed the first catamaran canoe – Commander William Blaine Luard, whose son lives near Wellington.

“With over 3,000 canoes being produced, the exploits of military canoes which played such an important role during WW2 is revealed in all its brilliance for the very first time.”

*The Cockleshell Canoes by Quentin Rees is published by Amberley Press, priced £19.99.
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The Cockleshell Canoes: British Military Canoes of World War Two: Amazon.co.uk: Quentin Rees: Books

Antipodean Andy · Mar 16, 2009

Second print run. Well done that man!

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