CI appeal for Portsmouth monument to Coastal Forces

Islanders are being asked to help fundraise for a sculpture to remember the small boat forces who operated in the Channel in WW2.

The Coastal Forces and Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) took part in attacks on German shipping and commando raids during World War Two.

Crowdfunding begins on 8 May and aims to raise £100,000 over the Liberation weekend, with every pound match-funded by the charity's sponsors, the Coastal Forces Heritage Trust.

The sculpture - by Amy Goodman - will be positioned in the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and is due to be unveiled in May 2027.

Alexander Fearn from Jersey is involved with the project and says it will remember all the crews, but especially a Guernsey man - Lieutenant Commander Robert Hitchins - who was their most decorated officer.

"Most of the actions that took place around the Channel Islands are mainly untold.  This year we will be revealing some new information about boats that were part of the Liberation convoy.

"(The sculpture will depict) Hitchens, who was one of the commanders of one of the smaller Coastal Forces boats, together with a WRN which represents the role that women played in support of these small boats."

Hichens lived in Havelet House in Guernsey (now the Hotel de Havelet) as a  boy in the 1920s, and became a skilled sailor with an intimate knowledge of the  Channel Islands’ waters and tides - an advantage that later proved invaluable in operations. 

The signaller is based on Leading Seaman Seymour Pike DSM, a young sailor who played a crucial role in the  daring St Nazaire Raid, while the WRNS figure is modelled on Eve Branson, a Signaller in WW2.

The online campaign will run 8-11 May to coincide with the islands' Liberation commemorations.  It is asking Channel Islanders to reflect on the contribution these crews made to defending the English Channel.

The appeal is being supported by Jersey's Lieutenant Governor Sir Jerry Kyd:

“Conducting extremely risky missions Coastal Forces displayed impressive daring and  resolve throughout the Second World War.

“In their small craft, the immense courage of young officers and men harried  the enemy off occupied France and the Channel Islands with alacrity and  determination, often in darkness and perilous seas.

"Their well-recorded successes in combat testify to their fighting spirit, seamanship and ‘Esprit de Coeur’.

"This monument will serve as a very fitting tribute to all those who served at sea with such distinction in Coastal Forces in the Second World War.’