Page 96 - Sylvia Malt - Side by Side

FRANK ERNEST FARLEY, Able Seaman, Royal Navy -
Served with HM LST-331
1905 - 10th November 1945

Born in Bromley in 1905, Frank married Doris Carter in 1932 and the couple set
up home in North Cray. At the outbreak of war he was assigned to the Royal
Navy. His last posting was with HM LST-331.

A former United States vessel, the tank-landing ship was originally USS LST-
th
331 and launched on 11 March 1943. During World War II, USS LST-331 was
assigned to the Europe-Africa-Middle East Theatre of War, and participated in
the following campaigns:

Tunisian operations 1-9th July 1943;
Sicilian occupation 9-15th July 1943;
Salerno landing 9-21st September 1943;
Invasion of Normandy 6-25th June 1944 where it was assigned to 'Omaha'
beach', the code name for the coast of Normandy where the United States
troops landed.

"From Commanding Officer LST-331 (Omaha Beach)......
"Another recommendation is that LST's be beached for drying out about two
hours before low water instead of four hours before low water as was the case
here. It is believed that this would give about two hours time to unload which
should be sufficient. This would result in LST being a target on beach for four
hours instead of seven."

The United States' ship was then de-commissioned and transferred to the
United Kingdom and was commissioned into the Royal Navy at Southampton,
England on the 20th November 1944 and refitted on the Clyde River as part of
"W" Task Force. Frank Farley became one of its UK crew members when it set
sale for an extremely hazardous and eventful mission during the last few
months of the war.

The crew of His Majesty's LST-331 worked down the Arakan coast of Burma
as part of the task force, led by Lord Mountbatten, and between 25th April and
6th May 1945 participated in the re-capture of Rangoon, Burma. They then
proceeded to Malaya and the eventual invasion at Morib and Port Swettenham.

After these momentous and historic achievements, the ship then went on to
Singapore and Bangkok helping with the very sensitive relief work repatriating
traumatised and considerably emaciated ex-POW's of the Japanese, both
civilians and military.

On 10th November 1945, Able Seaman Frank Ernest Farley was reported
missing, presumed killed. Nothing more is known about the circumstances in
which he died, but as it was well past the official end of fighting, it could have
just been a tragic accident.

In Memoriam: Frank Farley is remembered on the Portsmouth Naval
Memorial.

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