About the Research & Sources

The Exercise Tiger Trust is committed to preserving and documenting the history of Exercise Tiger, the Allied training exercise conducted off the Devon coast in April 1944 in preparation for the D-Day landings.

The Trust’s research is centred on the men who took part in Exercise Tiger, particularly those who were killed, wounded or survived the German E-boat attack during the early hours of 28 April 1944.

Our objective is to bring together information from military records, contemporary documents, survivor accounts, photographs, personal records and other historical sources so that the events of Exercise Tiger can be studied from as many documented perspectives as possible.

The research is also intended to preserve individual identities. Behind the casualty figures were servicemen with names, families, military careers and personal histories. Where surviving evidence permits, the Trust seeks to connect those individual records and make the resulting information accessible to relatives, researchers and the wider public.

Wendy Lawrance and the Exercise Tiger research

Wendy Lawrance is curator and trustee of the Exercise Tiger Trust. Her research into Exercise Tiger led to the publication of Exercise Tiger: The Forgotten Sacrifice of the Silent Few by Fonthill Media.

Her work for the Trust has included extensive research and cross-referencing of casualty information and the development of the Trust’s Roll of Honour and associated historical archive.

The research involves comparing information from different records rather than relying on a single source. This is particularly important when establishing individual details such as names, ranks, service numbers, units, dates of birth, places of residence and circumstances of death.

Where records disagree, the Trust seeks to identify the discrepancy rather than silently selecting one version. Information may therefore be accompanied by qualifications where the surviving evidence does not permit a definitive conclusion.

Types of sources used

Exercise Tiger is an unusually complex historical subject because the surviving evidence comes from a wide range of sources created for different purposes and at different times.

The Trust’s research draws upon, where available and appropriate, the following categories of evidence.

1. Official military records

Official military documentation provides an important foundation for establishing the identities and service histories of those involved.

Relevant records can include:

• casualty records;
• service records;
• unit records;
• official reports;
• military correspondence;
• operational documentation;
• naval and Army records;
• records relating to the landing ships involved;
• wartime administrative documents; and
• post-war records concerning casualties and survivors.

Official records are particularly valuable for establishing factual details such as service numbers, ranks, units and dates.

However, an official document is not automatically complete or error-free. Wartime records were created under operational pressures, and some records were subsequently amended or reconstructed. The Trust therefore considers official documentation alongside other evidence wherever possible.

2. Contemporary reports and investigations

The events surrounding Exercise Tiger resulted in official investigations and reports.

These contemporary sources are important because they were produced close to the time of the events rather than many years later.

They can provide evidence concerning:

• the organisation of the exercise;
• the movements of the vessels involved;
• communications;
• the German E-boat attack;
• casualties;
• rescue operations;
• the actions of individual vessels;
• and the immediate response to the disaster.

Contemporary reports must nevertheless be read in their historical context. Some material was produced for military or administrative purposes, and wartime security considerations affected what could be recorded and circulated.

The Trust therefore treats these documents as evidence to be examined and compared rather than as an unquestionable single narrative.

3. Survivor testimony

Accounts given by survivors provide an essential human perspective on Exercise Tiger.

Survivor recollections can help researchers understand what happened aboard the landing ships, how the attack unfolded, the conditions in the water and the subsequent rescue operation.

They can also preserve details that may not appear in formal military documentation.

At the same time, personal recollections have to be treated carefully. Memories can change over time, particularly when an account is recorded years or decades after an event.

For this reason, the Trust distinguishes between:

what a survivor remembered or reported, and

what can independently be corroborated from contemporary documentation.strong>

A survivor’s testimony remains historically important even where it cannot be independently verified. The existence of uncertainty is recorded rather than concealed.

4. German records

Research into the German side of Exercise Tiger is also important.

The attack was carried out by German E-boats, and German wartime records can provide evidence concerning the movements and activities of the German forces involved.

Where available, German naval records and other contemporary documentation can be compared with Allied accounts to help reconstruct the sequence of events.

Comparing records produced by opposing sides can sometimes reveal where accounts agree, where they differ and where uncertainty remains.

5. The vessels involved

Understanding Exercise Tiger requires research into the individual landing ships and naval vessels involved in the exercise.

The Trust therefore records information relating to the vessels, including their identities, movements and involvement in the exercise and attack.

Where appropriate, vessel information is cross-referenced with military documentation and other historical sources.

The movement of the vessels is particularly significant because reconstructing their relative positions can help researchers examine accounts of the attack, rescue attempts and subsequent events.

The Exercise Tiger Roll of Honour

One of the principal research projects associated with the Trust is its Exercise Tiger Roll of Honour.

The Roll of Honour is intended to preserve the names and identities of those who lost their lives as a result of Exercise Tiger.

Creating an accurate casualty list is more complicated than simply reproducing a single wartime document.

Names can appear differently in different records. Spelling variations, transcription errors, changes in military status and differences between contemporary and later records can all create difficulties.

For that reason, the Trust has undertaken extensive research and cross-referencing of individual records.

Where possible, information concerning an individual is checked against more than one source.

The research may include:

• full name;
• rank;
• service number;
• unit;
• date of birth;
• place of birth or residence;
• date and circumstances of death;
• burial or memorial information;
• family information;
• photographs;
• and other biographical details.

The Trust welcomes additional documentary evidence from relatives and researchers where it can help correct, expand or corroborate an existing record.

Primary sources and secondary sources

The Trust distinguishes between primary and secondary sources.

Primary sources

Primary sources are records originating from the period being studied or from people directly involved in the events.

Examples include:

• wartime military records;
• official reports;
• contemporary correspondence;
• operational records;
• photographs;
• original personal documents;
• contemporary newspaper reports;
• and first-hand testimony.

Secondary sources

Secondary sources are later works that interpret, analyse or reproduce information about Exercise Tiger.

These can include:

• books;
• historical articles;
• documentary programmes;
• websites;
• published memoirs;
• genealogical research;
• and later historical studies.

Secondary sources can be valuable, particularly when they identify original documents or provide information that is difficult to access elsewhere. However, wherever practical, significant claims are checked against primary evidence.

Cross-referencing and verification

Historical research rarely produces a perfect record.

For Exercise Tiger, individual facts may appear in several different sources, sometimes with discrepancies.

The Trust therefore uses a process of cross-referencing.

For example, when researching an individual casualty, a name may be checked against military records, casualty information, memorial records, contemporary documentation and family material.

The purpose is not simply to accumulate sources but to establish how those sources relate to one another.

Where two independent records agree, confidence in the corresponding information is increased.

Where records conflict, the discrepancy is retained as part of the research problem and investigated further.

Where the evidence remains inconclusive, the Trust aims to make that uncertainty clear.

Family and descendant research

Families of Exercise Tiger casualties and survivors have made an important contribution to the preservation of the historical record.

Family members may hold material that never entered an official archive, including:

• letters;
• photographs;
• service documents;
• diaries;
• newspaper cuttings;
• personal effects;
• memoirs;
• correspondence;
• and previously unpublished recollections.

Such material can provide information about an individual’s life before, during and after military service.

The Trust welcomes contact from relatives who have information relating to people involved in Exercise Tiger.

Family material is treated as an important source of evidence, while distinguishing personal recollection from independently documented historical fact.

Photographs and personal records

Photographs can provide valuable evidence about the people involved in Exercise Tiger and can help put names to individuals whose stories might otherwise remain little more than entries in a casualty record.

The Trust seeks to preserve photographs and personal records where appropriate and to associate them with the relevant individual, unit or vessel.

Where the provenance of a photograph or document is known, that information should be recorded alongside the material.

Where provenance is uncertain, it should be described as such rather than presented as established fact.

Dealing with conflicting evidence

One of the challenges of researching Exercise Tiger is that accounts of the disaster are not always identical.

Differences may occur in:

• the number of casualties reported;
• the identification of individuals;
• vessel movements;
• timings;
• descriptions of the attack;
• survivor recollections;
• and interpretations of decisions made during the exercise.

The Trust’s approach is to identify and investigate these differences.

A later account is not automatically preferred over a contemporary account, nor is a contemporary account automatically assumed to be correct simply because it was produced at the time.

The reliability of evidence depends upon factors including:

• who created the record;
• when it was created;
• why it was created;
• what information was available to the author;
• whether the information was first-hand;
• and whether it can be independently corroborated.

This approach is particularly important when examining explanations or theories that developed after the event.

What the Trust does not claim

The Trust does not regard every statement about Exercise Tiger found in books, websites, documentaries or family histories as established fact.

Historical research sometimes involves unresolved questions.

Where the evidence does not allow a firm conclusion, the Trust’s aim is to identify the uncertainty rather than manufacture certainty.

Likewise, the existence of a particular theory about Exercise Tiger does not, by itself, establish that the theory is correct.

Readers are encouraged to examine the underlying evidence and, wherever possible, consult the original documentation.

Continuing research

The historical record of Exercise Tiger is not necessarily complete.

New information can emerge through:

• previously inaccessible archives;
• newly digitised records;
• family collections;
• private correspondence;
• photographs;
• genealogical research;
• discoveries in military archives;
• and contact with descendants of those involved.

The Trust therefore regards its research as an ongoing project.

Corrections and additions to the Roll of Honour and individual biographies are considered when supporting documentary evidence becomes available.

The purpose of this continuing research is not simply to add more information to an existing website. It is to improve the accuracy of the historical record and preserve the identities and experiences of the people involved in Exercise Tiger for future generations.

Research by Wendy Lawrance

Wendy Lawrance’s research into Exercise Tiger resulted in the publication of:

Wendy Lawrance, Exercise Tiger: The Forgotten Sacrifice of the Silent Few. Fonthill Media.

The book examines the Exercise Tiger disaster, its background, the German E-boat attack, the casualties and survivors, and the subsequent historical record.

Wendy’s subsequent work as curator and trustee of the Exercise Tiger Trust has involved continuing research into the individuals involved and the documentary evidence relating to the disaster.

Her earlier work as a writer of First World War literature study guides and as an author and publisher also forms part of her wider experience of historical and literary research.

A note on historical terminology

Exercise Tiger should not be confused with the later D-Day landings themselves.

It was a training exercise conducted in April 1944 to prepare Allied forces for the invasion of Normandy. The German attack occurred while the exercise was underway.

The Trust uses the historical names and terminology found in contemporary documentation wherever possible, while also explaining terms where their meaning may not be immediately clear to modern readers.

Sources and further reading

The Trust’s research should be read alongside primary documents and established historical collections where available.

Key sources and resources include:

• Exercise Tiger Trust — the Trust’s Roll of Honour, historical research, archive and information about the men involved.
• Wendy Lawrance, Exercise Tiger: The Forgotten Sacrifice of the Silent Few — published historical study of Exercise Tiger.
• National Archives and military archival collections — for relevant wartime and post-war documentation.
• American Battle Monuments Commission – for relevant memorial information relating to the members of the U.S. armed forces buried or memorialised at their sites world-wide.
• Commonwealth War Graves Commission — for casualty and memorial information relating to Commonwealth personnel where applicable.
• American military and archival collections — for records relating to the American servicemen involved.
• Naval and maritime archives — for information concerning the vessels and naval forces involved.
• Family archives and privately held collections — for photographs, correspondence, personal documents and recollections.

Where individual records are reproduced or quoted on this website, the Trust should identify the source wherever that information is known.

Help us improve the record

The Exercise Tiger Trust welcomes information that can help improve the historical record.

If you are a relative of someone who took part in Exercise Tiger, or you possess photographs, letters, military documents, diaries or other material relating to the exercise, your information may help us add to or correct the existing record.

Please contact the Exercise Tiger Trust if you believe you have information that could contribute to the Roll of Honour or the wider archive.

Our aim is simple: to preserve the evidence, acknowledge uncertainty where it exists, and ensure that the men of Exercise Tiger are remembered as individuals rather than simply as a statistic.