TNA ADM 199 788 A

Dynam. #1235.
H.M.S. MONA'S ISLE. A.B.V. Report of events covering period
Sun, 26th May to 28th May. To Dunkirk and back.
B14/0/1120
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52
26th May.
2000. anchored off Deal.
2116. proceeded towards Dunkirk via route past Calais. fine and clear.
27th May.
0115. off entrance to Dunkirk. signalled, no response. Being ignorant of conditions and harbour, attempted to enter slowly. Star engine failed owing to wire round propellor. Considered entrance might be fouled so backed out. Propellor cleared itself.
0130. Proceeded down channel to interrogate several French craft as to position inside harbour, pilots etc. No satisfaction.
0250. Signalled V.A.D. for instructions. HM.S. KING ORRY in similar position.
0321. Orders to enter at daylight.
0416. Entered and made contact with S.T.O. No tugs available, so swung ship and berthed at Quai Felix Faure, with all guns firing on enemy aircraft.
0530 Alongside. commenced embarking. about 1500 men, approx.
0704. Proceeded out of harbour.
BODD Off Gravelines, observed several British small craft and Hospital
0730
ship being shelled some distance ahead.
0750. Heavily shelled and straddled by several? guns, approx 12pdr, firing shrapnell. Several hits of sorts and casualities.
0805. Considered it worth the risk of turning to N.W, being at the moment ogf
Dunkirk A.W. buoy. Apparently got out of range.
0825. Six Messerschmitt appeared. Opened fire with 4" and 2 lewis guns. 12par boapp) Aircraft carried out about four attacks, from the sun, invisible to us.
from astern. "errific machine gun fire, a great deal of which missed ahead, but many direct hits with cannon, especially around after 12 pdr, whose crew under Sub Lt A.E. Neave R.N.R. stood up to it extremely well, but sustained casualties, including the sub lteutanant.
The packed troops on the open deck suffered badly; had the shooting been acurate the losses would have been very much greater.
0835. Aircraft apparently out of ammunition and sheered off.
D.G. gear: W/T set; 10" signal lamp; steering gear; out of action. speed maintained. Steered West to Outer Ruytingen Buoy No 7. by engines.
0900. Called H.M.S. WINDSOR. ( well to S.W. of us.) asked her to report our condition to V.A.D.
Steered W.N.W. approx.

Dynamo 126.
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8
6
22.
June 1st 1940
ROYARD ENDER
* 3 JUN1940
X. 208,
Sir,
GOS GOSPORT EG
*
At Ramsgate.
9 regret to report that the shif under my command, the lighter X. 209, attached to the Royal clarence yard
Portsmouth, was involved in a shght collision early on the morning of June,st 1940. The circumstances were as follows:-
At affroximately 0200 on June 1940, X:208
was some five miles to seaward from the town of
Gravelines on that fortion of the French coast which was occupied by the fermans. The sky was totally overast by heavy nimbus cloud and the night was very dark.
9 was proceeding very cantroisly at 2 knots in order to he as silent as possible and to avoid showing my position to the Germans by my how wave. My course was South
20° West, and was as steady as youring would allow.
A bow-wave suddenly affeared on my starboard fow, and resolved itself into a small washif, nationality and class unknown due to the darkness, proceeding on a course almost exactly offosite to my own. For no apparent reason he suddenly altered course and now across my how. 9 stopped engines and then went astern, but before 9 could take the way off my shif the warship had swring himself beam on across my bows and I hit him beneath the bridge. After the collision the washit mad offand disappeared. X.208 sustained shght damag to the hows of the shif but was able to carry on her work, minus the ships boat, which was smashed by our screws as we went astem. ( Signed)
Williams, sub Lientenant, Royal navy.
R.g. Banks. act Masts.
H.W. Edmidon (Q.m.)
g a Windebank Lg slaker

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255
H.M.Y.
From:- Sub. Lt. R.E. Lee, R.N.V.R.
Alouette
Date:- 5th June, 1940.
To:- Naval Officer in Charge, Ramsgate.
Report that on 1st June we brought down a
Messerschmidt 109 dive bomber near Gravelines Point.
We had run in alongside D.15 at the Mole and were embarking troops when we were attacked by several squadrons of bombers; one bomb falling very close astern lifted us out of the water, causing engine trouble.
We loaded troops to our capacity and on clearing the Dunkirk Channel D. 15 passed us and we were again attacked by dive bombers. One Messerschmidt, after dropping his bombs, circled and dived to within 100
It of our deck and machine-gunned us. Our helm was put to starboard as soon as he was on our fore and aft line so that only two bullets came aboard causing no casualties. We held our fire until our aim was certain and then let him have everything.
Fabric was ripped off his wings, dense smoke from his engine and he crashed on started the beach issuing near Gravelines Point. The Admiral's barge from Ramsgate no doubt witnessed this.
this and other engagements the speak crew too stood unflinchingly During at their posts and I cannot highly of their behaviour.

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officer clinging to bows
French about 6 miles to try off to reach in the direction wreck of Gravelines. informed us that he saw an empty boat of
Cluston shortly same, and he and I decided Asked permission of Commander abandoned the to go off boat, and No.2., only which the shore the may water or occasionally, may was not slightly have but swim rough, at and 2230 returned it I was sighted impossible to a cling together. to to see the Commander remains the open
Reached slightly from exhaustion. aboard, as sides were too high, out for. and was destroyer suffering cutter same but was unable to climb been the original I set large empty
2300. other Decided side where to swim I found for German fender shore but fortunately before swam the to remains and attempted of my kit to used row as a a ladder, hanging I was down. able to With get the aboard. aid abondoning of the fender boat and might distance too approximately far, and one hour I abandoned the attempt, imagined as cutter the survivors was too over, be. After cutter with one oar in direction I Lashed helm hard large, it was already dark.
0000. Tide Dunkirk changed and and open boat instead of drifting towards the German remainder overboard, as I did not want to be identified should capture be
Dunkirk of kit Destroyed all personal belongings and identifications, and of threw between Channel. Calais, started to drift towards the Green flashing buoys shore, effected by the enemy.
3.6.40.
0130. Destroyers and other ships started passing by, about 25 yards away, but was unable to attract them, as they could not hear my shouts. Decided to shout in
French and English, and was finally picked up by a French fishing boat, Stella Mavis.
Crew "wined" me and put me in their bunks, dressed in French sailor's uniform, where
I passed out for a while, suffering from exhaustion.
0230. Skipper of Stella Mavis informed me that he was unable to make Dunkirk as he had no charts and had lost his convoy whilst picking me up. Imenquired his speed and he replied "6 knots". I estimated by the fires that the distance from Dunkirk was approximately 15 miles. Therefore it would have been 0530 before ship could have reached Dunkirk. Pointed out to Skipper that, in my opinion, it would leading a ship of this type and speed into unnecessary danger if he proceeded to Dynkirk in daylight. As Skipper had no charts I helped in navigating ship back to Dover, and at 0730 approximately, we were run down by Torpedo Boat S. 27, but not badly damaged.
Arriving Dover, Stella Mavis closed French Escort Vessel and as I was dressed in a
French Matelot uniform, and my story sounded far-fetched, the Commander held me on suspicion as a German spy. "Il pretend detre Anglais, mais moi je crois qu'il est allemand parcequil parle le français trop bien" was the remark passed by the French
Commander. Finally however, I persuaded them to let me be out ashore and arrested by British authorities.
1030. Successfully arrested by a Naval Lieutenant Commander and reported to Commander
Goodenugh and Admiral Ramsey.
1400. Sent to Chatham Hospital in ambulance for treatment to leg.
GENERAL REMARKS.
I feel mention should be made of the exemplary conduct of the civilian crews of the cockle boats.
bawley manned by volunteers who were rushed through in one day.
As far All as of I know, them were none of them had ever been under gun fire before, and certainly none of them under Naval discipline.
which These never ships, leave the it Estuary, and only one of their crew had been than had ever been should be remembered, were Thames Estuary Cockle further fishing afield boats,
Ramsgate. facts, and although they had neither charts nor equipment, orders carried perfect out formation with great was diligence, even under actual shell fire
In spite of these maintained throughout the day and night, and and all aircraft attack. were reports critising the conduct of the French dismissed, on the beach as any and
Mole, such opinion and feel was most the strongly result of the slight lack of understanding
I have overheard some that such illusions should be quickly between French and
British their On all occasions I came If anything, their discipline was too most as authorities. in contact with the French on the jetty good, and elsewhere, they did their conduct best was to embark excellent. as a complete regiment or other Army unit, being isappointed if they were forced to separate.

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succession of British shipping as motley in its larger form as were the motor-boats themselves. Tramps, cargo ships, barges, drifters, tugs, Dutch schoots, British warships, even river ferry-boats such as carry one's car across the Thames at
Woolwich and elsewhere.
Of individual acts only a few can be given; every crew, every man almost, experienced some incident or another. some adventure that could fill a whole small volume on its own. And yet what can a writer do when such men report such events in the tersest of language such as "heavily shelled whilst at work"?
A few reminiscenses may be given here in the hope that some idea of the work may be gathered by anyone who cares to piece them together. Here are some extracts from a letter written by Sub. Lt. W.R. Williams, R.N. which serve to illustrate that merry sangfroid which has been referred to earlier:-
"So I proceeded by compass (error 20°) to the Calais -
Gravelines sands and anchored a few hundred yards out.
I was pulled ashore in the boat, which waited for me while I walked inland in search of Allied soldiers.
After about a quarter of a mile I saw two men silhouetted against the glow of a distant blaze. I approached to within a few yards and hailed them.
I heard one of them say "Lieber Gott!" and they turned around and commenced to shoot at me. By this time I had come to the conclusion that I was in enemy territory, so
I hid behind a dune and shot back.
Fortunately it was a very dark night and the Germans could not see me properly, while I could see their outlines quite well. I shot the one on the right twice and he fell without a sound. The other one screamed when I fired two bullets at him, and he dropped whatever he was carrying and then fell and lay still. By this time I heard nearby shouts so, deeming discretion to be the better part of valour, I ran at top speed back to the boat and my ship was under way at her full six knots within less than five minutes."
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"I proceeded back to Dunkirk as soon as I had landed the soldiers at Ramsgate and arrived just in time to catch the dusk bombing and shelling. There was a lot of shrapnel falling on the beach and I was greatly impressed by the Tommies and Poilus who waded out into the sea and helped the sailors with the boats. Nowhere did Isee any signs of cracking morale or anything but cheerfulness.
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"I went back for the last time the same evening. Dunkirk was by now a flamir DIGHT unsulba in the "Swallow"
and proceeded todna S kct with a slower motor-bernoon INEM untern to manionother War
Department I -Denimm wartlerc vao imar reemonant nortly afterwards sunbSe=b6sih beat 6/PLB oDoor some of the