James Conway, a 20-year-old from Edgeley in Stockport, was a replacement for an injured marine on the top-secret Operation Frankton mission of 1942, in which a group of ten men paddled canoes along a darkened river for more than 70 miles.
Their aim was to attach limpet mines to the German ships station in France in 1942, and Conway came close to reaching Bordeaux before becoming one of six marines captured and executed. Although only two of the party survived, Winston Churchill credited the mission with shortening the war by six months.
James Conway during his World War II service
A plaque honours him, accompanied by a poignant memento in the form of the last letter he sent to his mother, as well as letters she exchanged with the French family who gave Conway food and shelter during his attempt to escape through France.
“This was a daring mission by courageous men who knew that the odds were stacked against them,” says Iain Roberts, of Stockport Council.
“There was little chance of them making it back alive. The exhibition commemorates the bravery of James and the other men who proudly served their country and were willing to risk their lives in its defence.”
- Open Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm. Admission free.
