Charles Thomas


I was saddened to hear of the death of Charles Thomas, ex-Mayor of Swansea. I met Charles last November at the Remembrance Service at the Swansea Cenotaph. After the service we spoke, and he told me of two things that he thought he might be the last living person to have known about. Firstly, about the mysterious French submarine, Creole, that arrived under the cover of darkness to Swansea Docks from La Pallice during June 1940, and disappeared within 24 hours. Also about PLUTO (Pipe-Lines Under The Ocean). A 45 mile length of pipeline laid across the Bristol Channel, in December 1942, one end here in Queen’s Dock, Swansea and the other at Watermouth near Ilfracombe, Devon. The task was carried out by the cable laying ship London, under the command of Commander Treby-Heale.
 Copyright – The Bay Magazine – October 2018

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