TNA ADM 199 790

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I, E.W. Filley am Master of the auxiliary barge "THYRA"
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We were requisitioned on the 29th May at Millwall 11.30 p.m., towed to Tilbury where three days rations were put aboard.
Proceeded in tow of Tug "SUN 12" with other barges, to Southend, thence ordered to Remsgate and thenoe to Dover Harbour, arriving
2.30 p.m. on the 30th May and lying at Prince of Wales Pier.
May 31st. Volunteers were called for to go to Dunkirk and all the barges crews offered their services.
We proceeded outside breakwater with barge "H.A.C." in tow.
We were both taken in tow by tug "ST. ABBS" and proceeded to
Dunkirk, arriving there at 5.0 a.m. on Saturday June 1st.
We were shot off by the tug at Dunkirk Pier Head and told to beach barges. Towed "H.A.C. with me into beach and with their assistance we got eleven French Soldiers off the beach on to our barge. Other groups of Soldiers refused to come as they wanted to di go to France and not to England.
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At that time bombing was very bad and we had no protection of any kind, not even helmets and we went into the beach as close as possible and picked up the crews of the barge "GLENWAY" and the barge "LARK", also eight British Soldiers that were aboard them as they had been left on the beach with 8 tor in for the Frenchmer to get when the tide went out, and the crews had been told to get out of it. Including "H.A.C." crew, we had 28 men aboard.
As the tugs had disappeared, the only thing I could do was to proceed with what I had got and come away to England. I sailed half way across and was picked up by the tug "EMPIRE HENCHMAN"
arriving at Dover 11.45 p.m. on June lst.

I William Watson am Master of the auxiliary barge "PUDGE".
We were requisitioned on the 29th May whilst lying outside the
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Millwall Dock, towed to Tilbury, given three days rations, and then to Southend. The "OCEAN COCK" towed us to Ramsgate and subsequently to Dover with the barges "DORIS" "ENA" and "TOLSBURY".
We arrived at Dover at about 2.30 on the 30th May. We lay alongside the Prince of Wales Pier for the rest of that day and were told we should probably load in the morning.
On May 31st at about 8.30 a Naval Officer called the Captains ashore and asked for Volunteers to go over to Dunkirk and said that nodody could be forced to go but he would be very grateful for any volunteers and preferred the auxiliary barges.
There were about 17 barges lying at Dover and all volunteered.
Six barges were selected, three auxiliaries and three sailing barges,
"PUDGE" "LADY ROSEBERRY" "DORIS" "H.A.C." "DUCHESS" and "THYRA".
The three auxiliary barges "THYRA" "LADY ROSEBERRY" AND "PUDGE"
each proceeded forthwith out of the harbour with the other three
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barges in tow and were picked up by a big tug. The tug which picked us up was the "ST. FABIAN" and the "PUDGE" was on the hook with the
"DORIS" next and the "LADY ROSEBERRY" third.
The tug which had just arrived from the South Coast gave us & big
7" wire which was made fast round the mast case, under the windlass and through the fairlead in the bowboard, and we arrived under the shore close to Dunkirk during the hours of darkness that night (I
am not sure of the time).
We had some trouble in locating the inshore channel as the Captain of the tug did not seem to know the locality and apprently had no chart. By the time of daybreak on Saturday, we were about