TNA ADM 199 790

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4743
30 31 may
AB ships had now arrived in good numbers it was
necessary that the rate of embarkation must in some way be
speeded up. The troops coming down the Pier were, therefore,
urged to quicken their pace and eventually the thousands of
troops, tired and without food and water for days, broke
into the double and kept it up the whole length of the
Eastern STE for more than two hours. During that period
it is estimated that more than 15,000 troops were embarked.
Night 30th - 31st May. Shelling was heavy during the
"ternoon and night and operations were greatly hampered.
However, ships arrived in some numbers and with the cessation
in the shelling between 3 and 4 a.m. about ten thousand
troops were embarked. This relieved the congestion on the
beaches which had been very great in the evening. In the
early morning the beaches were very nearly clear of troops.
I remained at G.H.Q. for the night and telephoned
the naval situation to the Admiralty. I was present with
the C.in C. at several meetings, my main object being to
explain to the Military that if the evacuation of the B.B.F.
was to be largely accomplished, it could only be done by
means of Dunkirk. Even given good weather embarkation from
the beaches must be very slow. A destroyer going full out
with her boats to the beaches could only embark 600 men in
12 hours, whereas this could be done in 20 minutes at the
Pier.
Some of the G.H.Q. staff expressed disappointment
that more could not be done to push on with the embarkation
off the beaches in a surf. I WELD satisfied that when the
weather permitted everything possible was being done by the
officers I had placed there, but I continually stressed the
troops should be moved to Dunkirk and maximum numbers shou'
also be available to embark there.
Political