White Ensign is raised over former HQ of top-secret Second World War unit 80 years on

Relatives of soldiers, sailors and Royal Marines who served in the highly-secretive Combined Operations Pilotage Parties (COPP) gathered at Hayling Island Sailing Club (HISC) for a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of COPP‘s HQ being commissioned.

Portsmouth Royal Navy Command gave permission to fly the White Ensign 80 years to the day that COPP had claimed HISC as its home for the next two-and-a- half years.

Among the guests to watch the raising of the flag at the quarterdeck which still stands eight decades later, was former Army Brigadier Robbie Scott-Bowden. His father Logan had been the first COPPist to go ashore on a Normandy beach on New Year‘s Eve, in 1943, surveying the beach in preparation for D-Day six months later.

Mr Scott-Bowden, from Lymington, said: ‘It‘s great to remember 80 years to the day, the formation of this Special Forces unit. It was only right the Royal Navy, HISC and the memorial team should arrange this wonderful event to commemorate their great sacrifice and bravery.’

Gill Scott, from Drayton – whose father Leading Seaman Les Hunt was a member of COPP 6 – was very proud to see her dad‘s bravery remembered.

She said: ‘Although I found out some of what my father did during the war when I was a teenager, the real story about what COPP did has only really emerged over the later years. I am really, really proud to see the COPP story being told 80 years later, and to still be able to learn more about what my father did. It‘s been a very emotional experience, but also a great experience.’

Commander Mike Maher took the salute alongside retired Rear Admiral John Tolhurst, from the Hayling COPP Heroes Memorial group.

HMS Nelson junior rating Kyle Christie raised the White Ensign – assisted by HISC member Ian Grant – after fellow junior rating Connor Warne piped the still for morning colours.