TNA ADM 199 790

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Dyrams 61.
DOVER.
à
179
5
4th June, 1940
TO: COMMANDING OFFICER,
H.M.S."LYNX".
189
.
-2-
177
lighter to see if I could help them and found a young Tommy
(K. Alfred) in the water vigorously assisting the others to get
aboard.
Just as I arrived he said he was exhausted and so
we got him on to the lighter and I went overboard to take his
place.
We continued to get men on to my boat until no more
were coming down the beach.
During this operation three bombs
fell quite close to the lighter but no one was hurt. I took
this boat load of about thirty five out to the hopper.
I spent some time during the afternoon trying to
pull other motor boats which had gone ashore without dropping an
anchor off the beach which was a lee shore. I also towed
various whalers and ships boats out to the transports.
Towards evening the big ships started sending their
own boats ashore on long lines and as this occurred about every
50 yds the manoeuvring of motor boats became difficult. I was
hailed by a tug which had a supply lighter in tow outside the line
of big ships.
Saying that he could come no nearer the beach
he asked me to take this lighter as close in as I could. The
lighter was almost unmanageable.
While towing it the water
circulation of one engine gave out but I had to continue using
the engine which got very overheated until I could safely drop
the lighter after taking it through the line of big ships
to the shore.
This caused the engine to seise up. Shortly
afterwards the other engine began to give trouble and could only
be used at slow speeds.
I later discovered that this was due
to a choked jet in the carburettor. Just as dark came I passed
a rope to a drifter and asked permission to hang on until morning
when I could see to try to repair my engines. This drifter had
not got its complement of men on board and during the night he
moved about slowly from one spot to another trying to get a load.
During this period a bomb fell very close to us. The fourth
time he moved he headed to a point south of the harbour and then
very slowly made his way down channel.
About a mile from the harbour I realised he was
heading for home and being then too far from the seat of operations
Ramsgate. and being practically engineless I let him tow me right back to
We entered the harbour at noon (Saturday).
I reported for duty again at 0800 on Sunday morning
and though I was given command of another boat and got her all
ready I was not again ordered to sea.
I brought both my boats back to H.M.S. Wildfire on
Thursday p.m. the 6th June.
yours obediently
Ian F. Smith
SubL RNVR