TNA ADM 199 792

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By then so slow a ship would be exposed to great danger on hor roturn 0.13 she
might not be able to get back while our fighter patroln were operating. I
therefore sent her. back empty. The flow of ron on the East Picr was better
than on the preceding night but there were boil pauses. The first group of
personnel ships and destroyers got away by 0100 and were quickly replaced with
others, All the time there were crowds of mon at the West Quay and 18 was
obvious that more ships could be used there, so at 0145 I led a large personnel
ship, which did not know the way, into this borth. As soon as she was clear,
another the "ROYAL SOVEREIGN" - want in and stayed there until 0300 - half an
hour after the time intonded. At the East Pier the "MALCOIN" left with 1,000
men on board at 0245 and the "EXPRESS" left at 0300, after I had taken off Cdr.
Buckanan and the borthing party who were in her. When she left there were still
about 200 men on the Bast Pier and these trero brought off by the "SHIKARE" who
came in later escorting the last two block ships. of all the ships sent over
only one paddler and the "KELLETT" were not used. I had some difficulty over
the French Admiral. The M.F.B. sent for him had failed to find him and he
finally came away in one of his own M.T.B.s.
The light was growing and the harbour was empty but for the two block
ships and an attendant M.T.B. as I left it for the last time and not off for
Dover. On the passage 10 was foggy but we found our way. At Dover the first
ship to come in out of the fog was the "SABRE" whose compans was wrong and
who had gono over to Dunkirk in company with another ship on that account.
I do not know the exact figure but I think that at loast 30,000 een
were embarked on this night in about 3½ hours, which is D. sufficiontly
remarkable figure. Even so a number of men were loft bohind and I oneo
heard that there were still 30,000 French there. The total ovroushed
amounted to 330,000 altogother.
During the forenoon I paid a visit to the office whore the Vico
Admiral was trying to get out some quick report on the operation and the
atmosphere WAS one of comparative relaxation after the tensenoss of the
past work. Ships were being sent back to their home ports to give 48
hours leave, and in the meantime they were having the Street root they had
had for many days.