TNA ADM 199 790

Collection details

TNA ADM 199 790

Admiralty records concerning Operation Dynamo and the evacuation of troops from Dunkirk, dating from 1940.

Holding archive: TNA
Collection reference: ADM 199 790

View the archive catalogue entry ↗

Source: The National Archives, Kew, ADM 199/790. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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Page	Image	OCR text	OCR tags
22	Log in to enlarge	17 & 21 "maximum number of French and British may be evacuated. Impossible from here to judge local situation. In close co-operation with Admiral Abrial you must act in this matter on your own judgment. At 2315 I made the following signal:- "Withdrawal now proceeding according to plan. Shall have certain reserves here to-morrow to assist French. Intend to complete evacuation to-morrow by midnight. A motor boat was sent to the mouth of the harbour at dusk and allocated berths to the ships as they entered, the requisite number of the personnel vessels being sent to the embarkation pier in the Western harbour to embark French troops. A good number of ships entered harbour and embarked troops, and the seamanship displayed by destroyers, sloops and transports was most praiseworthy under exceedingly difficult conditions. I gave orders to evacuate a large proportion of naval personnel during the night. the final All those that did remain until, withdrawal had performed their duties magnificently. Suriday 2nd June. 0800/2 - from S1N.0.Dunkirk. "Request again maximum number of transports for British and French. At 2130 June 2nd it is intended that all British shall be evacuated by midnight. Request M.A.S.B. at 2300. At 0405 - from S.N.O.Dumkirk. "Admiral du Nord requests that block ships will arrive at 6300 to-morrow night. He will signal if their placing is to be postponed. At 0730 - from S.N.O. Dunkirk:- "Wounded situation acute. Hospital ships should enter during day. Geneva Convention will be honourably observed. It is felt that the enemy will refrain from attack (This signal was made "en clear") At 0830 - from S.N O. Dunkirk:- "About 5000 British remain. Bofors ammunition short. Sporting chance of embarking to-night. Maximum number of fast motor boats at 2130 at inner end of Long Pier would assist. Early this morning the drifter Lord Cava our dépot ship, was sunk by shell fire.	Boat Drifter Day Long May

Raw OCR

Unformatted machine-generated OCR for document page 22.

17
&
21
"maximum number of French and British may be evacuated.
Impossible from here to judge local situation. In
close co-operation with Admiral Abrial you must act
in this matter on your own judgment.
At 2315 I made the following signal:-
"Withdrawal now proceeding according to plan. Shall
have certain reserves here to-morrow to assist French.
Intend to complete evacuation to-morrow by midnight.
A motor boat was sent to the mouth of the harbour at
dusk and allocated berths to the ships as they entered, the
requisite number of the personnel vessels being sent to the
embarkation pier in the Western harbour to embark French troops.
A good number of ships entered harbour and embarked troops, and
the seamanship displayed by destroyers, sloops and transports
was most praiseworthy under exceedingly difficult conditions.
I gave orders to evacuate a large proportion of naval
personnel during the night.
the final
All those that did remain until, withdrawal had performed
their duties magnificently.
Suriday 2nd June.
0800/2 - from S1N.0.Dunkirk.
"Request again maximum number of transports for British
and French. At 2130 June 2nd it is intended that all
British shall be evacuated by midnight. Request
M.A.S.B. at 2300.
At 0405 - from S.N.O.Dumkirk.
"Admiral du Nord requests that block ships will arrive at
6300 to-morrow night. He will signal if their placing
is to be postponed.
At 0730 - from S.N.O. Dunkirk:-
"Wounded situation acute. Hospital ships should enter
during day. Geneva Convention will be honourably
observed. It is felt that the enemy will refrain from
attack (This signal was made "en clear")
At 0830 - from S.N O. Dunkirk:-
"About 5000 British remain. Bofors ammunition short.
Sporting chance of embarking to-night. Maximum number
of fast motor boats at 2130 at inner end of Long Pier
would assist. Early this morning the drifter Lord Cava
our dépot ship, was sunk by shell fire.