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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List page 1 of 1 Showing document pages 688–688 of this collection

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OCR is not a transcription. It is machine-generated text used to create research tags and help locate names and references within the source images; it should not be read as a verified narrative.

Page	Image	OCR text	OCR tags
688	Log in to enlarge	221 209 OPERATION DYNAMO ENCLOSURE NO. 7. SHIP: EMPRESS, RIVER LAUNCH. LUCY LAVERS 4/B. OFFICER REPORTING: SUB-LIEUTENANT T.W. BETTS, R.N.V.R. Leaving H.M.S. KING ALFRED on Friday, May 31st, I proceeded to Sheerness, to await the arrival of Motor Boats for the purpose of evacuating troops from Dunkirk. On Saturday, 1st June, I was placed in command of the River Launch EMPRESS with a crew of 6. The clutch of the starboard engine had been giving trouble before I left, but I decided that, at any rate, I could make Ramsgate. In this assumption I was wrong, as I broke down when about half the distance was covered. The trawler escorting the motor boats took me in tow to Ramsgate, and thence to Dunkirk, where, having had my engineer repairing his engines on the journey over, I left the trawler and prepared to pick up troops. Nearing the beach West of Dunkirk, and judging the water too shallow for further progress inshore, I rang down "Hard Astern" to the engine room, in order to take the way off my ship. The starboard engine, then, not only refused to go astern, but refused to assume the neutral position, with the consequence that the ship was carried high and dry on to the beach. Upon examination I found that it would be quite impossible to salvage the ship until between 9 and 10 am. on the next day. After having placed an anchor out well aatern, I and my crew swam out to deep water where we were soon picked up by a launch and put aboard a drifter. The drifter proceeded to Dunkirk Harbour, and I and my crew assisted in the embarkation of troops, after which we returned with the drifter to Dover and reported to H.M.S. LYNX. 2nd June, 1940 at 1400 approximately, I was placed in charge of the R.N.L.I. Motor Lifeboat LUCY LAVER and proceeded to Dunkirk under tow with the Drifter GOLDEN SUNSHINE. After/	Broke Drifter Empress Progress Sunshine Betts Day Dover King May West

Raw OCR

Unformatted machine-generated OCR for document page 688.

221
209
OPERATION DYNAMO
ENCLOSURE NO. 7.
SHIP: EMPRESS, RIVER LAUNCH. LUCY LAVERS 4/B.
OFFICER REPORTING: SUB-LIEUTENANT T.W. BETTS, R.N.V.R.
Leaving H.M.S. KING ALFRED on Friday, May 31st, I
proceeded to Sheerness, to await the arrival of Motor Boats for
the purpose of evacuating troops from Dunkirk. On Saturday, 1st
June, I was placed in command of the River Launch EMPRESS with
a crew of 6. The clutch of the starboard engine had been
giving trouble before I left, but I decided that, at any rate,
I could make Ramsgate. In this assumption I was wrong, as I
broke down when about half the distance was covered.
The trawler escorting the motor boats took me in tow to
Ramsgate, and thence to Dunkirk, where, having had my engineer
repairing his engines on the journey over, I left the trawler
and prepared to pick up troops. Nearing the beach West of
Dunkirk, and judging the water too shallow for further progress
inshore, I rang down "Hard Astern" to the engine room, in order
to take the way off my ship.
The starboard engine, then, not only refused to go astern,
but refused to assume the neutral position, with the consequence
that the ship was carried high and dry on to the beach. Upon
examination I found that it would be quite impossible to salvage
the ship until between 9 and 10 am. on the next day.
After having placed an anchor out well aatern, I and my
crew swam out to deep water where we were soon picked up by a
launch and put aboard a drifter.
The drifter proceeded to Dunkirk Harbour, and I and my
crew assisted in the embarkation of troops, after which we
returned with the drifter to Dover and reported to H.M.S. LYNX.
2nd June, 1940 at 1400 approximately, I was placed in
charge of the R.N.L.I. Motor Lifeboat LUCY LAVER and proceeded
to Dunkirk under tow with the Drifter GOLDEN SUNSHINE.
After/