Matt Minshall has completed a walk for charity to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the raid on the Saint Nazaire docks.  Operation Chariot was an attack on the docks at St Nazaire in German-occupied France.  It was a feat of cunning and daring that helped to shape the war at sea. It is now known as “The Greatest Raid of All”.

Matt spent 25 years in the British Army during which time he served in Germany, Belize, Zimbabwe, Oman, Iraq/Kuwait, Northern Ireland and Sierra Leone.  He is still active as a consultant and writer, and lives in France. This is his story…

My maternal grandfather was just 17 years old when he went to war in 1916 as a piper with the London Scottish.  He also served in the Second World War.  Having been buried by a German shell in 1917 he was deeply claustrophobic and would not go into an air raid shelter during the Blitz in London when he was working at the War Office.  In the 1950s he was still having screaming nightmares from the trenches, and his divorce from my grandmother may have been because of this.  My paternal grandfather was at the Somme.  My brief experience of him was that he seemed emotionless; and he would not speak to my father for years at a time for trivial reasons.  My father spent some time in France observing U-Boat bases, and with Tito’s Partisans in Yugoslavia; he was sometimes irrational and bad tempered.  The effects of war do not just affect the individual but also families, friends and the whole of society.

Whatever your feelings about war it is a part of the world in which we live.  It is happening now and will happen again.  We must be ready for it.  We must prepare our armed forces and their families for the inevitable conflicts and for the aftermath.


HMS Campbeltown wedged in the dock gates.

Shell shock, as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was first identified, has been acknowledged for well over a Century.  Yet recently a Falkland’s veteran spoke of how embarrassing it had been for him to admit he had a problem and to seek help.  PTSD is a form of mental health disorder and is a wound as much as all others.

I spent nearly 25 years in the British Army during and saw conflict in the Middle East, Africa, and in Northern Ireland; and I am proud to be an Ambassador and fund raiser for PTSD Resolution.  During the Covid lockdown I looked at fund-raising ideas.  I decided to harness a concept which have been used often before, which is to mark an event of bravery or sacrifice.   I now live not far from Saint Nazaire which on 28 March 1942 saw a Commando Raid which arguably shortened the Second World War by several years.  The Raid has become known as the “Greatest Raid of All” and the details can be found here:

www.operation-chariot.org

The raid was a success but at great cost.  Of the 611 men who undertook the raid, 228 returned to Britain, 169 were killed and 215 became prisoners of war.  To recognise their bravery, 89 members of the raiding party were awarded decorations, including five Victoria Crosses.

We should also remember the others that died and were affected. German casualties included over 360 dead, some of whom were killed after the raid when Campbeltown exploded.  In 2005 I met a former German Officer who had been a naval clearance diver, and his role post Raid had been to bring out the bodies from the dock.  French civilian casualties in Saint Nazaire during the Raid and under the bombing of the U-Boats pens there amounted to well over 500; and the memories remain.  Without the information supplied by Resistance the Raid would have been impossible, and their bravery is noteworthy.  There were repercussions against all those who assisted the Commandos during and after the Raid.  The effects of war do not just affect the direct combatants but also the civilian populations.  

I planned to walk from the Commando Memorial at Saint Nazaire to the War Memorial at Batz-sur-Mer in 2021 but had to postpone due to a knee injury. I was determined to complete it in 2022 for the 80th Anniversary of the Raid and did so with some very kind support from my son, French veterans and the Saint Nazaire Society.  The final walk trail which followed much of the coastal path was almost 40 kilometres and completed it in four stages as shown roughly on this illustration.


click map to enlarge

The aim was as ever to raise money for former servicemen and women in need.  PTSD Resolution was naturally my choice in the UK, and I also encouraged donations for the Union Nationale des Combattants (UNC) in France, of which I am a member.  The UNC is like the Royal British Legion and looks after war wounded, widows and orphans; and they were very supportive throughout.  At the end of the walk the Mayor of Batz-sur-Mer and the regional President of UNC had organised a ceremony of remembrance.



It was good to be able to help two charities simultaneously without conflict of interest.  It was also an opportunity to widen awareness among the next generations of the sacrifice which allows them the freedom they enjoy today.  At a time when war once again threatens in Europe it is worth a reminder of the past of countries which have shared much conflict and for whom there is more that units than divides.  I have decided to make the walk an annual event, and with much enthusiastic support for this will start the planning for next year soon.



So far £1500 has been raised for PTSD Resolution, which is 74% of the goal of £2022. In basic terms the amount kindly donated could save three lives.  There is still time to give to make the goal and save another life…

Matt Minshall is fundraising for PTSD Resolution (justgiving.com)