On the night of the 25th-26th April, the L.S.I.'s of "PRINCE HENRY'S" group took part in an exercise that proved to be more eventful than had been expected. As the L.S.I.'s get under way, an air raid developed. Later in the night when the group was to seaward of the Isle of Wight, E-boats were plotted six miles on the group's starboard bow but were engaged and driven off by destroyers before any attack developed. The exercise was successfully completed.

The full dress rehearsal assault was on the morning of the 4th May, exercise "Fabius". Rumour had it that it might turn out to be no exercise but the real thing. Every preparation was made. This time the enemy was to be invited to take part. Enemy aircraft had-already laid mines in the approaches to the Solent and E-boats had been sniffing along the coast on several nights, once with considerable success. For exercise "Fabius", therefore, the assault forces sailed from their assembly ports in daylight and, in bright moonlight with a calm sea, spent the night on an excursion 25 miles into the Channel southeast of the Isle of Wight, from which they returned by the channels swept by the 31st M/S Flotilla, to beach in daylight on Bracklesham Bay, a long beach between Selsey Bill and Chichester, about 10 miles east of Portsmouth. All three Flotillas took part at operational strength. "PRINCE DAVID" and "PRINCE HENRY" also took part, and their L.C.A.'s landed some of the first assault troops. The enemy did not bite; no attacks were made. "HAIDA" was screening the cruiser U.S.S. "AUGUSTA'S" bombardment on the 4th and with the British destroyers "OBEDIENT" and "ORWELL" covered part of the exercise on the night of 4th-5th May.

One lesson of exercise "Fabius" was bitter. A few troops of the 50th (Northumbrian) Division, Assault Force "G", were drowned when they were being re-embarked into their L.C.I. In a dangerous ground swell which dragged the L.C.I. off the Beach and with it the heavily laden troops who were hanging on to the steadying lines running from the bow ramps to the beach. Similar misfortunes had happened on one or two other occasions at training camps. It was decided that the Force "G" L.C.I. 's should be given L.C.M. 's (minor craft slightly larger than L.C.A.'s) which should ferry their troops the last couple of hundred yards to their assault beach, which had a particularly flat gradient. The 264th Flotilla therefore had this new technique to practice.

While these rehearsals and continuous exercises were good for the crews, the same could not be said for the craft. Extra burdens were placed on the maintenance staffs and the later part of May was quiet to enable all craft to be brought up to A-1 state.

On the 24th May, His Majesty the King inspected assault ships and craft assembled in the Solent. On board Force "G" Flagship, H.M.S. "BULOLO", a party of two officers and seven ratings from the 264th Flotilla were inspected and the Flotilla Officer was presented. The same honor fell to the