Description
Object description
Three albums of photographs and negatives related to the service of Lieutenant Commander William George Elmy Denny Rawlingson, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR). The collection covers Rawlingson's service from 1939 on board HMS SIR JOHN LISTER a minesweeping trawler in the Western Approaches and off the coast of Ireland, training at HMS KING ALFRED, to his service on board LST 427. Whilst aboard LST 427 Rawlingson was involved in and photographed operations and amphibious landings around Tripoli in 1943 after Operations TORCH, Operation HUSKY (the Allied invasion of Sicily, 9 July - 17 August 1943), Operation AVALANCHE (the Allied invasion of Italy, 3-16 September 1943) at Salerno, Operation SHINGLE (the Allied amphibious landing at Anzio, January 1944), and Operation NEPTUNE (the Allied landings in Normandy/D-Day, 6 June 1944).
The D-Day photographs date from 6th June 1944 to D+15 and cover:
D-Day - ships in the channel and the Sword Area, including gliders of the 6th Airborne Division heading towards the River Orne, a British bomber crashed into the channel after releasing a glider.
D+1 - Sword area, Ouistreham, Queen Red Beach, including wrecks of the first wave of landing craft, British 3rd Infantry Division unloading onto Rhino ferries, a DUKW coming up the ramp into LST 427 with casualties.
D+2 - the artifical harbour being formed in Sword Area.
D+3 and D+4 - German prisoners being transported to Gosport Hard.
D+5 - Jig Green Beach, Gold Area, Anselles-sur-mer, unloading at low tide.
D+10 - Omaha Area, Gooseberry harbour being formed by sunken block ships, inside the Phoenix, , discharging troops and vehicles onto the floating Whale pierhead.
D+15 - Juno Area, 'the Great Gale'. Casualties embarking and photographs of the casulaties in the tank deck. From original caption: 'nearly 500 casualties, the largest single load taken off the beaches in one lift.'
The collection also includes a set of 'Good Housekeeping' style photographs taken in the galley of LST 427 and informal group photographs of the ships' crew including; Lieutenant K M Mitchel RNVR (first Lieutenant), Lieutenant J R Lee RNVR (Navigator), Lieutenant Commander W G E D Rawlingson RNVR, Chief Petty Officer R T Foyle (Coxswain), Second Lieutenant Kenny RNVR, Lieutenant(E) J L Mansfield RNVR, Second Lieutenant R Noble RNVR, Petty Officer C V Gibbons RN, Lieutenant(E) P Mullen RNVE (Chief Engineer).
Physical description
Two black negative wallets with popper fastening (H8cm x W12cm) each labelled 'War 1939-Sicily' and 'War Salerno-Normandy' - some annotations in the wallet. One large black cloth bound album (H32cm x W42cm) with 'Photographs' embossed on the front cover - prints mounted (adhesive) onto black card leaves with white handwritten captions throughout. Assorted black and white loose prints some with official stamps and handwritten captions on the reverse. One small newspaper cutting tucked loosely inside the album. One modern, written postcard of the Normandy coast. All accompanied by three pages of types captions.