From Pat Walker

25.07.2008 : Patrick Walker wrote "I got to know Colin only because he had been in the RNVR with my Father and they both were at Dieppe and later D-Day - and also because he and my Mother had been life-long friends. I shall always remember his rich southwest accent and the fact he was a most likeable man. Very dedicated to his history and his work on Calke Abbey. He did not say too much about his experiences during the war except his time in Combined Operations, but having read the tributes to him I can see he was something of a quiet hero. To have crammed all the various experiences into one career is remarkable to say the least. I know that he and my Father survived all the actions without a scratch physically but always carried many awful mental pictures deep inside. A truly remarkable man and his death was a great shock to me when I found out, because I had only rung to tell him I had come across some photographs of the 703 Flotilla from his wartime days and would he like to see copies of them. A sad loss of a man who helped to change history." Posted on Derby Evening Telegraph tribute site