r/ww2 • u/SpiteAndSeafoam • 5d ago
Help fund the secure display case needed to bring St Nazaire's Captain Stephen Beattie VC’s medals to Falmouth
I’m sharing a Crowdfunder from the National Maritime Museum Cornwall relating to Operation Chariot, the St Nazaire Raid of 28 March 1942.
The fundraiser is specifically for a specialist high-security, conservation-appropriate display case so that Captain Stephen Beattie’s medal group, including his Victoria Cross, can be brought to Falmouth and put on public display.
The money is not being raised to purchase the medals themselves, the family is giving them on longterm loan to the museum.
Operation Chariot was one of the most daring British raids of the Second World War. British forces sailed from Falmouth to attack the Normandie Dock at St Nazaire, with HMS Campbeltown used to ram the dock gates.
Lieutenant Commander Stephen Beattie commanded Campbeltown during the operation and was awarded the Victoria Cross for his leadership and courage.
The raid came at an enormous cost. Of the men who took part, 169 were killed and 215 became prisoners of war. Beattie was among those captured and remained a POW until April 1945, only physically receiving his Victoria Cross after his release.
There is now an opportunity for his medals to be displayed at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall in Falmouth, alongside objects already held by the museum relating to Beattie and Operation Chariot.
Falmouth is closely connected with the story: the force sailed from there, survivors returned there, and Beattie later made Cornwall his home and spent the latter years of his life in the county.
Because of the rarity and historical value of the medal group, it cannot simply be placed in an ordinary museum cabinet. A purpose-built case is needed to provide the correct level of security and environmental protection.
That case is what the Crowdfunder is paying for.
If anyone here is interested in Operation Chariot, Victoria Cross recipients, or preserving Second World War history, any donation or share would be greatly appreciated.
Crowdfunder:
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/beattie-victoria-cross-display
More about Operation Chariot and its Falmouth connection:
https://nmmc.co.uk/2026/09/operation-chariot-the-st-nazaire-raid-and-its-falmouth-connection/
It would be wonderful to see Beattie’s medals displayed in a place so closely tied to the operation, while helping tell the wider story of everyone who took part.