HMS IOLANTHE or Jack’s Navy ~ the story of the Broads Wartime Flotilla Part 7 ~ Winding down

The final part of the lost story of the joint military unit who controlled Broadland waters during World War Two. Eventually the crew of HMS IOLANTHE were dispersed and Jack thinks that either the army or most likely the Home Guard took over the duties. There were other patrol boat units stationed at Potter Heigham, Acle (Commander Ward) Brundall (Commander Bellamy Nights) and Filby. About six months after D Day (Codenamed Operation Neptune) on 6th June 1944, the river patrols were stood down and all the boats moored on the broads were returned to their owners, though mostly in a derelict condition. Harry Blake and an insurance assessor did the rounds to sort out compensation which the Navy were duty bound to pay and which came to quite a considerable sum of money. Nitrate photographs by Darwall, R H (Lt), belonging to IWM Collection ~ Second World War Admiralty Official: A Series. ©️ Nigel and Sara Royall