TNA ADM 116 4649

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Operation "DYNAMO" - Recommendations of Personnel.
H.M.S. BIDEFORD (Continued).
Displayed great personal courage in his decision
to remain on board.
Recommended for decoration.
Stoker Petty Officer Charles William Donnelly, D/K.5995.
Acting Cook Albert Victor Hocking, D/MX.58549.
When the ship was bombed everyone aft was killed
or badly wounded except these two men. Stoker Petty
Officer Donnelly's duty was "in charge of the after
fire and repair party". Hocking formed one of the
First Aid Party. The fire main aft was blown away
and fire broke out in the cabin flat immediately
above the after magazine. These two men, working
entirely on their own initiative, ran hoses aft from
the first connection and succeeded in getting the
fire under control and hoses down the after magazine
hatch to flood the magazine (the magazine flooding
arrangements were destroyed) and partly flooded it
before assistance came. Their prompt and efficient
action probably saved the ship.
Recommended for decoration.
Signalman Charles Raymond Craig, D/JX.141848.
Landed with an officer to organise embarkation
on the beach, then joined one of the embarkation
posts, took charge of the signalling apparatus and
got into communication with several ships. When
the station was destroyed by bombing, Craig improvised
a signal lamp out of the headlight of a lorry and
used this until the battery ran down. He remained
ashore all night and was eventually sent back by the
embarkation officer. On arrival at Dover he
volunteered to go over to Dunkirk pier, where
signalmen were required, and spent another night there.
Recommended for mention.