I have read all of the postings relating to the scenes from the rehearsal for Exercise Brandyball carried out in June 1943 by two Troops from No 4 Cdo included in the video entitled "Unmissible Scenes from Commando Training" or something similar. One of the two members of C Troop who drowned was L/Sgt John Chitty. (I do not know the name of the other member who died.) John and my late uncle, Sgt Donald Martin, were friends and my uncle was in the same Goatley boat. Possibly he was a stronger swimmer, and that may be why he survived being thrown into the water though he had a coil of climbing rope around him and a tommy gun, both of which he managed to discard. He always told me that he had strong recollections of being swept into and out of an inlet within the cliff face, before being pulled out of the water by Captain David Style. Although Exercise Brandyball itself was successful, in much calmer conditions the following day, it is clear that the Goatley boats were entirely unsuitable for this purpose.
Both Captain Style and L/Sgt Chitty were at Dieppe, where the former won an MC