HMS NEMO (bit of a long shot)

[j foynes]

Dear Sheena

I've now seen the photo. I have one taken against the same background, taken at B'sea in late 1940 or early 1941, which appears to show the officer who is seated in your photo middle-front. I see he is the only RNVR Lieutenant-Commander, as opposed to lieutenant or sub-lt.
So he has to be Lt-Cdr Charles Corke, who commanded the "raiding craft" (American-built Lend Lease fast river launches) of the 7th Flotilla, based with NEMO between October 1940 and July 1942. The other officers are very likely those of the rest of his flotilla (there were up to 16 in all). I have ruled out the more senior B'sea officers, as they were RN, RNR or RN retired, and also those of the B'sea ML Staff, who were based at the Manor House off Church Road and who all appear in a photo I have.

Corke did not acquire his full complement till Spring 1941, so the photo must date between then and July 42.
At that date the officers and boats left for Newhaven, and took part in the Dieppe Raid. Corke himself, on board another landing craft, was killed during that operation and is commemorated by a plaque at the Colne Yacht Club.
I have met or corresponded with several people who knew him.

Julian

[HLouise]

Dear Sheena,

I am a volunteer at Brightlingsea museum, and we are trying to find out a bit more about the NEMO base.  The string generated here is very interesting, and the photo.

Can I ask your permission please to use/display a copy of the photo in the museum at Brightlingsea?  Is there a photographers stamp on the back of the photo?

Here is a link to the Brightlingsea Museum facebook page for your interest https://www.facebook.com/pages/Brightlingsea-Museum/229681147042987

Can I also ask the name of your Aunt? It would be very interesting to know her connection with NEMO.

I will show the picture also to my godfather, I believe he came to Brightlingsea with the Navy, very likely to NEMO.

thank you for posting , best wishes
Helena
Brightlingsea Museum

Hi,
I have a photo which was given to me years ago by an aged, now deceased great Aunt. It is of a group of 16 men in uniform. It has the following written on it:
"2nd World War, BL.SEA Naval officers HMS NEMO". and on the back "1940 at 6 Regent Street".
"BL.SEA" is Brightlingsea in Essex and I believe HMS NEMO was based there on some kind of support duty but not sure what.
The reason I'm posting is because these men are nothing to do with my family at all (I suspect the aged aunt may have had a 'fling' with one of them!) and I would love to be able to share it with anyone who may have a relative on there. I havn't got it scanned at present so can't post it but if anyone believes they may have had an ancestor on board the HMS NEMO during WW2 please give me a shout and I'll see what I can do. I have hung on to it for all these years because I know how much I treasure my old family photos and I hate to think there could be someone out there who would feel the same about this one.

Sheena

[sheena58]

Sorry, I've not been on here for a while,

Thanks Julian,
It's really good to find out more information even though it is a rather sad story.

Helena, I've sent you a private message.

[Ajsv002]

Hi, I'm new to this site but found it fascinating. The photo of the officers on HMS Nemo  contains my grandfather 2nd right at the front. He served on it in 1941 as the 7th Coastal Flotilla.

[sheena58]

Hello, and welcome to RootsChat. It's an amazing and rather addictive site!

It's fascinating to find someone who is actually related to one of the men in the picture. It would be interesting to know a little bit about your grandfather. Was he a local man?
I'm not sure if you live anywhere near Brightlingsea, but the museum there has a display about HMS Nemo which is very interesting and the staff are really helpful. Well worth a visit if you can. 

Sheena

[ANNJOHNSON]

Hi

Like the other posters on here, I'm trying to unravel my late father's war record.  One of the entries states that he was on HMS Nemo for the period 26 September 1941 to 12 January 1942 (a period of some 3.5 months).  What would he have been doing in Brightlingsea? Would it have been some kind of training or working in home waters? Dad with in the Royal Navy, and although records show "Stoker 1st Class" we have since found out and obtained confirmation that he was in Combined Operations for for whole of the hostilites 1939-45.  If anyone can throw any light on my query, I'd be most grateful.

Here's hoping
Ann 

[philip arnold]

My uncle Lt Cdr C L Corke RNVR is the officer seated middle front row in the photo to which you  refer and may be the one who had a fling with your Aunt (he was a bachelor!) Tragically he was killed in the Dieppe Raid in August 1942 but I have seen his memorial plaque in the Yacht Club at Brightlingsea

Best regards
Philip

[rod sharp]

Hi,
If anyone can give me any more info re the Nemo 2 I would be very grateful. My Father (Reg Lawes - he had worked over 40 years on the beach and his father over 50) was in partnership with Newt King for many years and subsequently took the whole ownership of the boat over. He much later sold it to Dick Harmon who also had a boat on Clacton Beach ( The Viking Saga) I moved away from Clacton some years later and have been trying to trace its history after then. As a child i did spend much time with my father on the beach with the boat. If anyone is interested I may be able to give a little more background history along with some personal photos etc. I have only just come to this site so hence no postings previously.
Thanks very much
Jerry Lawes

I know you posted this some time ago, but I have only just come across it. I used to visit Clacton every summer with my parents back in the 50's and we always stayed with Mrs Theobald who lived opposite Newt king and his wife on St Osyth Road. We got to know Mr King very well and his son Jack, and often my brother and I would get free rides on the Nemo. In fact one of the few family fotos I have of my late brother is of him and me steering the Nemo in the open cockpit. There was great rivalry for us kids between the Nemo and The Viking Saga and I remember your father well.
I seem to remember that in the early fifties, Jack King had his own boat, a smaller one than his father's called the Jill.
I have very happy memories of those days and in fact have a large print on my bedroom wall (by courtesy of Frith and Co) of the Nemo with Clacton pier in the background with the steel stella.
My other memories are of the Queen of the Channel calling in at the pier to take trippers to France, and of the maroons going off and the lifeboat being launched, usually at least once each holiday.
I noted that the Viking took part in the Queen's golden jubilee sail past on the Thames. it's amazing she's still going-the boat that is, as well as her majesty.

[womble40]

I have just discovered this post, is it still going? My father was with HMS Nemo in 1940, he told me that it was actually the "Anchor Hotel plus the bus shelter alongside it". Attached is an old postcard of it from before the war. (I also have four other photos of Brightlingsea from that time.)