Memorial David Moffat & George Sheard

This memorial was unveiled at the cemetery of Le Bois-Plage-en-Ré on 1 November 2007. It commemorates Marines David Moffatt and George Sheard. Moffat's body was found on Gros Jancs beach and was buried by the Germans somewhere in the dunes. Sheard went missing at sea. Text on the plaque:

"These two British Royal Marines were part of the commando unit aboard the kayak Conger that attacked German blockade runners in the port of Bordeaux-Bassens on 12 December 1942... Launched... on the evening of 7 December 1942, they capsized after passing Pointe de Grave... Corporal Sheard RM was reported missing. The body of his teammate David Moffatt was found on 17 December 1942 near the German strongpoint "Fanny" located facing the ocean, at the Gros Joncs lock."

Operation Frankton
The Cockleshell Heroes carried out Operation Frankton in December 1942, targeting German ships in Bordeaux. Trained at Lumps Fort in Portsmouth, they paddled 60 miles in collapsible kayaks to lay limpet mines.

Of the ten commandos, two were drowned, six were captured and executed, and only Major Hasler and Marine Sparks escaped. Despite heavy losses, the raid sank two ships and damaged four, disrupting enemy supply lines. Winston Churchill later credited it with shortening the Second World War by six months.

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Source

• Text: TracesofWar
• Photos: TracesofWar
• Chemins de mémoire de l’opération Frankton