Details

Details

Details

Details

Details

Details

Details

Details

Details

Details

ANNE MARIE
16th
Belgian drifter
Lt.Car.
N.V.Thew
R.N.
26th May
1523
See under Pierre & Marie
Left Portemouth, escorting the
27th May
1028
Left Days for Dunkiris, lending the
Las. the PvV's Riyn1 paffodil and
the 8,0's Ste_Andrew
we and the dr. Viny.
1220
orr Bucy, ordered to return to
Downs with Kyno.
1440
Ordered to return to Portsmouth with
Kims
28th May
0333
Instructed Kyno to anchor in St.
Holen's roads.
0704
Bailed for Dunkirk via Q.2.8.80 and 60.
1005
Signted floating French mine. Bunk it
and proceeded.
1125
Observed 40 to 50 planes in aerial
combat over Dunkirk.
1220
Socured alongside dr. Worcester inside
ward MORIN
2317
Proceeded via Y route with 533 troops
on board.
1400
dre. Sabre and Hontrose 2) miles shead
proceeding to Dover, bombed by 15
Heinkels.
1408/
Attacked by 4 aircraft. Slight
1415
damage.
1730
off Dover. Montrose and Sabre in
dompany.
1950
Disembarked 534 troops.
29th May
0645
The Tab Lieutenant, Lieut. R. de Law
Brooke, R.N., assumed command.
0714
Proceeded via Y route to La Ponne,
Woresster and Visty in company.
1045
Anchored La Panne. Embarked troops
with 1/B and whaler and the ACORD
1525
Proceeded by Y route to Dover with 340
troops.
1555
Attacked by Heinkel H/L bomber.
1645
Attacked by Heinkel dive bomber.
1905
Arrived Dover. Disembarked 550 troope.
30th May
0326
Proceeded via X route to Dunkirk, with
36 large cases of Army mape.
0000
Encountered thick fog.
0741
Anchored ore STAY and lended one
Royal Marine Start officer.
Embarked 620 troops brought off by
small oraft or every kind.
1105
Transferred army Mapa to a M/Y.
Proceeded to Dover by X route,
1430
Dover. Disanbarked 886 troops. (3)
1440
Lt. Thew resumed command.
1623
To Dunkirk by X route.
1915
Secured alongoide East nier, Dunkirk.
dr. Winchelaca embarking ahead.
(2) This apparently was the end of Kyno's participation in
(1) Ellerman wilson Line Ltd.
Dynamo,
(3) D.R.
61

Details

FRIDAY, 31ST MAY
CHAP. VIII
Later on 2nd June, on instructions from the N.O.I.C., the original crew took
charge of the Marsayru, but she did not, apparently, make a second trip to Dun-
kirk. Her skipper (G. D. Olivier) received the D.S.M. for his services, and her
engineer (C. Coggins) a mention in despatches.
The Cockle Bawley boats
Of the small craft that went over on this day, Admiral Ramsay speaks in
the following terms of the Cockle Bawley boats²:
"The conduct of the crews of these cockle boats was exemplary. They were all
volunteers who were rushed over to Dunkirk in one day, probably none of them
had been under gunfire before and certainly none of them under Naval discipline.
These boats were Thames estuary fishing boats which never left the estuary, and
only one of their crews had been further afield than Ramsgate before. In spite
of this fact perfect formation was maintained throughout the day and night under
the control of a Sub-Lieutenant R.N.V.R.³ in command of the Unit, and all orders
were carried out with great diligence even under actual shell fire and aircraft
attack."
One of these cockle boats, the Renown, was blown up by a mine while returning
to England disabled and in tow of the drifter Ben and Lucy. Her skipper,
W. H. Noakes, and his crew⁴ were killed. The Ben and Lucy had been towing
the drifter Feasible (disabled by a shell hit), 3 life-boats and the cockle boat
Letitia. At 0115 on the 1st June the Renown, by then disabled, attached
herself to this tow, but an hour later she was blown to pieces and a hail of wood
and splinters came down on the Letitia's deck. The Letitia's skipper (A. J.
Dench) says, In the pitch dark we could see nothing, and after the explosion
we hard nothing and we could do nothing, except pull in the tow rope, which
was just as we passed it to the Renown about 3 hour before.
French and Belgian ships arrive
Early on the 31st it became known that the Belgian Government were anxious
that several small Belgian fishing craft lying at Brixham should take part in
the evacuation and steps were taken to arrange this.
At 1335 the French destroyer Léopard routed from the Downs to Dunkirk
two French trawlers5, three French motor fishing vessels⁶, and ten Belgian
trawlers⁷.
The Belgian trawlers were under the orders of Pilote Malet; the remainder
of the ships under Lieutenant de vaisseau Drogou.
Other Allied ships that sailed for Dunkirk on this day were the French cargo
ships Ingénieur Cachin and Margaux, the trawlers Pierre et Marie, Emma and
Duperre, and the patrol vessel Diligente; the Belgian trawlers Lydie Suzanne
and Yvonne, and the drifters Gerard-Léon (H.64), Anne Marie and Thérèse
Compas. On her return journey the Pierre et Marie picked up 3 English sailors
from a drifting motor boat.
I The Marsayru's skipper says that throughout 31st May, and the days and nights that
followed (its all a complete jumble in my mind) we were
under constant fire
but
the
ship was not hit by anything." It seems, however, that Mr. Olivier was only in the evacu-
ation for 5 hours, i.e. from 1600 to 2100, 31st May.
2 Defender, Endeavour, Letitia, Reliance, Renown and Resolute.
3 S/Lt. M. H. B. Solomon, R.N.V.R.
4 L. V. Osborne, Mate, and F. W. Osborne, Engineer.
5 Chasse-Marée and Angèle Marie.
6 Margaux (D.692), Jeune France (Di.1213) and Du Guesclin (D.G.910).
7 Indépendence (0.308), Victor-Erna (H.63), Louise-Irène (H.80), Pharailde (H.42)
Raphael-Raymonde (H.43), O.L.V. Van Vlaandeven (N.49), John (O.210) Anna Marguerite
(Z.2), Buffalo Bill (Z.4) and the M.41.
73