TNA ADM 116 4649

Such a necessity since has the now first arisen. day of Though the the Royal
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meet many and till May this year that the endurance and had has been very various active calls on its courage, War, and has Navy it seemed likely invasion of the Low scale would besource, sea has greatly quickened been unexpectedly intensified, and His Majesty' at enough. But since the and Countries, the War
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in home waters enterprises have along an engaged coast in a number of Ships and for hazardous some 2,000 miles. enemy which now stretches vital
In particular the withdrawals in so short a time of the
Armies from Norway, Belgium and France were operations of a kind which could hardly have been foreseen. They were such as to great losses and to demand a high degree of gallantry and devotion cause to duty.
The withdrawal from Dunkirk took nine days. 222 of His
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Majesty's Ships took part in it; some of these were sunk, and many others damaged. The total number of vessels that went across was nearly a thousand. A large number of the proposed decorations would go to Officers and Men of the Royal Navy, taken for the occasion from service ashore, who are not part of the 150, for whom the scale allowance provides, and to Seamen not in the Royal
Navy. As these latter were for the time being under Naval discipline they would be given Naval decorations.
It may be relevant to mention that the total number of decorations awarded for the short action at Zeebrugge in the last
War was 222, or more than two months scale allowance for the whole seagoing Fleet today. The force employed was 82 Officers and
1698 Men, less than one tenth of that which saved the Armies from
Dunkirk.
I need not say that the Admiralty have no intention of lowering the standard for decorations in this war. It is in fact steadily rising. Should the calls on the Royal Navy fortunately the lessen, that scale the allowance we Committee will, to as provide we have for in unforeseen the past, save Operations; what we but can and we of hope hazards of Naval warfare will accept have the view that the relentless rigours through-
Majesty's Ships afloat that would the have thousand decorations earned in this period out these ten months been so heavy and allowed to His for be ready to invite the King to sanction from Dunkirk; a further 350 decorations if there had been no withdrawal been fully and that will this unique and arduous enterprise.
Treasury Chambers,
Whitehall,
S.W.1.
16th July, 1940.
2.