TNA ADM 199 795

Collection details

TNA ADM 199 795

Admiralty reports on naval operations off the Dutch, Belgian and French coasts during 1940.

Holding archive: TNA
Collection reference: ADM 199 795

View the archive catalogue entry ↗

Source: The National Archives, Kew, ADM 199/795. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing only pages tagged with the vessel name Bullfinch. Tags are exact matches from this collection’s OCR tag index. Clear vessel filter ×

3 matching pages. OCR may contain transcription errors.

List page 1 of 1 Showing document pages 371–650 of this collection

A note about image and OCR quality

Every reasonable effort has been made to present these document images as flat, straight and accurately cropped as possible. Historical records can be difficult to photograph or scan because of tight bindings, deep gutters, page curvature, folds, creases, fragile paper, uneven edges, shadows, glare, skewed pages, fading, stains, tears, attachments and restrictions on how a document may be handled. These conditions can distort parts of an image and consequently affect the OCR transcription.

Considerable post-production work has been undertaken to crop, align, flatten and enhance the images where practicable, but the results represent our best effort rather than exact facsimiles. Text showing through from the reverse of a page, printed backgrounds, stamps, ruled lines, marks and text visible from neighbouring pages may confuse or spoil OCR output. Handwriting is not reliably recognised and, in most places, may be missing, incomplete or incorrectly transcribed. Always check the page image and, where accuracy matters, consult the original record held by the identified archive.

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

371

173
H.T. "ROYAL SOVEREIGN".
in reply to your communication of June 5th asking for a narrative of events in connection with the evacuation of Dunkirk,
I have pleasure in replying as follows:-
May 26th. whilst laying in Southampton roads received orders to get ready to proceed at two hours notice.
May 27th at 1320 received orders to proceed to Dover and at
1500 hove up and proceeded on passage. 2340 passed through
Folkestone gateway.
May 28th 0020 received visual signals from Dover to anchor in Downs. 1150 saw first raid carried out on shipping but raider successfully driven off. 1740 received orders to sail at 2030 for
Dunkirk, using prescribed route.
May 29th 0250 arrived off East Jetty Dunkirk and anchored, whole west side of town in flames. 0445 have up and proceeded to
Eastern Jetty. 0455 in berth and commenced embarking troops.
0535 ship filled with troops, each man having been given a lafebelt
I
and received instruction on same. 0540 Clear of harbour. 0858
reported floating mine to patrol vessel.
0925 stopped by examination vessel and ordered to Margate Pier.
10.10 anchored off Pier. 1215 arrived alongside of Pier.
1330 left Margate Pier. 1735 arrived off La Panne and witnessed a heavy dive bombing attack carried out with heavy losses to shipping. 1800, have up anchored and proceeded to assist m.v.
2
"Bullfinch" laden wi th troops and ashore. 1815 "Bullfinch" afloat is and proceeded. 1820 commenced embarking troops from beaches.
May 30th 0410, have up and proceeded lower down beach.
0430 embarking more troops. 0530 vesselfull, and proceeded to
Margate. 1025, arrived off Margate. 1135 alongaide of Margate
Pier disembarking troops. 1300 left Margate. 1735 anchored off
Dunkirk on naval instructions. 1820 anchored and commenced
3
embarking troops.
May 31st. 0130 have up and proceeded. 0315 stopped at
Dyke buoy to pick up four survivors of a French steamer which had been bombed. 0710 arrived alongside Margate Pier. 0830 anchored off Pier. 1805, have up and proceeded towards Dunkirk.

Bullfinch Royal Sovereign Dover May Roads West

372

173
H.T. "ROYAL SOVEREIGN".
in reply to your communication of June 5th asking for a narrative of events in connection with the evacuation of Dunkirk,
I have pleasure in replying as follows:-
May 26th. whilst laying in Southampton roads received orders to get ready to proceed at two hours notice.
May 27th at 1320 received orders to proceed to Dover and at
1500 hove up and proceeded on passage. 2340 passed through
Folkestone gateway.
May 28th 0020 received visual signals from Dover to anchor in Downs. 1150 saw first raid carried out on shipping but raider successfully driven off. 1740 received orders to sail at 2030 for
Dunkirk, using prescribed route.
May 29th 0250 arrived off East Jetty Dunkirk and anchored, whole west side of town in flames. 0445 have up and proceeded to
Eastern Jetty. 0455 in berth and commenced embarking troops.
0535 ship filled with troops, each man having been given a lifebelt
I
and received instruction on same. 0540 Clear of harbour. 0858
reported floating mine to patrol vessel.
0925 stopped by examination vessel and ordered to Margate Pier.
10.10 anchored off Pier. 1215 arrived alongside of Pier.
1330 left Margate Pier. 1735 arrived off La Panne and witnessed a heavy dive bombing attack carried out with heavy losses to shipping. 1800, hove up anchored and proceeded to assist n.v.
2
"Bullfinch" laden wi th troops and ashore. 1815 "Bullfinch" afloat
"
and proceeded. 1820 commenced embarking troops from beaches.
May 30th 0410, have up and proceeded lower down beach.
0430 embarking more troops. 0530 vesselfull, and proceeded to
Margate. 1025, arrived off Margate. 1135 alongside of Margate
Pier disembarking troops. 1300 left Margate. 1735 anchored off
Dunkirk on naval instructions. 1820 anchored and commenced
3
embarking troops.
May 31at. 0130 have up and proceeded. 0315 stopped at buoy to pick up four survivors of a French steamer which anchored had
Dyke been bombed. 0710 arrived alongside Margate Pier. 0830
off Pier. 1805, have up and proceeded towards Dunkirk.

Bullfinch Royal Sovereign Dover May Roads West

650

OCR table 1 from document page 650
ME	SHIP	B.E.F.	ALLIES	VARIOUS
15	Trent	160
20	Lord Collingwood)
25	Lord Keith mi	625	320
00	Jutland
35	Lena	230		67 Wounded 7 Dead.
40	Lord St.Vincent	150
10	[ ] Fidget	150
10	[ ] Jacketa	196
15	[X] Yewdale
15	[ ] Fisherboy	1090
25	[ ] Beal	364	40
55	Java	80	1
40	Tilly	294
00	Silver Dawn	[X]
00	Bullfinch in	913
00	Forsa
35	Caibia	263	1
00	Zeus	400	145
15	Pascholl	157	263	2 French
10	Dispatch II			Civilians.
35	Atlantic	78 523	162
00	Pacific			67 Wounded
	TOTAL	5673	932	7 Dead

OCR table 2 from document page 650
ME	SHIP	B.E.F.	ALLIES	VARIOUS
		107	2
40	Ocean Breeze	307.	9
40	Fair Breeze
00	Kingfisher	268
10	Laroc		8
00	F.W.23	225
40	Fisher Boy	203
40	Jacketa	214
20	San Antonio 1450
45	Fredanja	744	18
45	Silver Dawn	320	13
545	Amazone	280
30	Seine
50	F.322	56
50	C.K.69)	173.
345	Java	513
900	N,F.15	51
20	Marlborough	90
930	Doria	29	205
935	Wolf
00	Jutland	257
20	Rian	391
155	Medway Queen	9	11
	?	49
030	?	304		2 Wounded
515	Fidget	14
550	Pickfords	231	2
100	Zandana	259	37
540	Tinis	101	5
550	Pascholl	2	5
530	Bee	62
555	X.209	21
730	Wolf
930

Amazone Atlantic Beal Bee Bullfinch Dawn Doria Fair Breeze Fidget Fisher Boy Forsa Fredanja Jacketa Java Jutland Laroc Lena Lord Collingwood Lord Keith Marlborough Pacific Pascholl Queen Rian San Antonio Seine Silver Dawn Tilly Yewdale Zeus Beal Fisher May