St Helens One
Newbie

Hello - not sure if this is the right place to post a question. My Dad said very little about WW2 except (after many years) that he had been in Combined Operations at D-day/Normandy, crewing landing craft. His certificate of service puts him on HMS Copra around that time and I understand that this was not a ship but a base in Scotland. This is confusing because it is often referred to as “HMS”. He is recorded there from May 44 to June 46. Does anyone know whether Copra was a real or proxy base? Would sailors actually be aboard various vessels operating out of different places? I guess there is now little chance of finding out those details. I imagine that there was also a lot of secrecy around those preparations.
Also the certificate has a note in pencil “A + S Group No.57/Oct 44”. I know it’s a long shot but is anyone able to caste a light on the meaning of this note, please?
Thank you
Also the certificate has a note in pencil “A + S Group No.57/Oct 44”. I know it’s a long shot but is anyone able to caste a light on the meaning of this note, please?
Thank you