TNA ADM 199 795

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of
B
398
0/5
in one of the houses along the front, but we
not to contact with them until daylight.
30/5
were considerably string out, away from the waters
There was no acute distress for food and
edge, and to settle down in the sands
he managed by 0600 to collect a considerable
although extremely weary were not exhausted
number of collapsible boats from the RE:
feeling was one of depression for evacuating
hours as on the previous day and Wednesda
By 0700 approximately we had sent off these
the forman aircraft had made the beach alne
collapsible boats averaging parties of ten in each
boat but in spite of all efforts in the vast
7. From 2330, when we landed, until dayly
majority of cases all the soldiers left their boats
evacuation was practically non-existent
when they arrived at their ship, and left Cheir
Commodore Hallett's sections it is doubtful
boats floating with no one to bring them back
to the beach To make matters worse, these
got off 80 men.
boats were dryting to the East and coming ashou
A few boats appeared but when the
alreast the French who were using them to go
reached their ship they all abandows
off to British ships
and left it drifting. as there were no boal
At this time there were no power boats at all
and whaler trips were extremely infrequent The
30
At dawn we contacted headquarters
rate of evacuation was appallingly slow.
one Captain RN and two Commanders RM
g informed to one of the La Commanders Panne RN
were no sarlors anywhere except for our
the Captain RN had departed to and 9 did not
party. No suggestions or orders were
See him again - that 9 proposed to act with
from headquarters. The Commander
my section as boatkeepers and to leave the
informed us that they had come from
beach
a
which was now out of action with
By 0730 more ships had arrived. Evacuation was
in ruins.
going quicker as we had formed boatherepers but was
Then
still far from satisfactory The soldiers were in
The boat situation was now acute
extremely dumay - getting into the boals the
destroyer and one sloop opposite our area sold
suy and we had to wade out shoulder dup
dawn we must have had 15,000
to keep the boats stam on to the beach.
our section of the beach.
g decided that we should go anboard H.M.S.
Antony to get a change of clothing While boat anboard
send
Shorlly after dawn some of the more
HMS Antony we managed to procure a motor
officers started to arrive and we manage
this large body of men which