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TNA / ADM 234 360

TNA ADM 234 360

TNA ADM 234 360
Collection details

TNA ADM 234 360

Naval Staff History No. 41, the official historical study of the evacuation from Dunkirk during Operation Dynamo, 26 May–4 June 1940, dated 1949.

Holding archive
TNA
Collection reference
ADM 234 360
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Source: The National Archives, Kew, ADM 234/360. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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List page 1 of 1 Showing document pages 99–99 of this collection
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FRIDAY, 31ST MAY
CHAP. VIII
At least fourteen other motor boats¹ were lost by misadventure, e.g. engine failure, grounding, swamping, damaging rudders and/or propellers on floating or submerged wreckage, or breaking adrift and being lost when on tow. The seaplane tender No. 291 managed to get back to England in spite of the damage she had sustained, but was unable to take any further part in "Dynamo".
Conflicting news of La Panne
Meanwhile, as the tows of boats (which Rear-Admiral Wake-Walker now saw for the first time at 1900 on the 31st May), arrived off Dunkirk they were directed to the beaches by Lt. Cdr. Wynne-Edwards, first from M.T.B.68 and later at about 2100, from M.A/S.B. 6. It was found, however, that in the growing darkness, and with no lights to help them, there was a tendency for the boats to stop at the first place they came to where other craft were assembled.
At about 1930 the Codrington, then off, Bray, was warned by Rear-Admiral
Wake-Walker to send on the boats detailed for La Panne, but the bulk of them did not get further than Bray.
The night was dark, and Rear-Admiral Wake-Walker stayed off La Panne,
"wondering how things were going. Everything was black, ships and boats and shore showed no lights", although arrangements had been made for a light to be shown to seaward to guide boats inshore. Shelling was continuous and seemed to be falling among the ships at the anchorage. News was conflicting;
a message from the shore said that thousands of men were waiting but there were no boats, while messages came from ships that their boats could find no one on the beach. the ships and the boats were there, and the troops ashore, and one could do no more.
I do not know to this day", says Rear-
Admiral Wake-Walker, what really took place there".
La Panne beach 31st May/1st June
It is not easy to discover what happened at La Panne, but the following account, based on a report by Lt. Cdr. J. W. McClelland, R.N., who with a party of signalmen reached La Panne in the minesweeper Gossamer at 1930 on the 30th May, gives the main course of events. He was S.N.O., La Panne, for the seven hours prior to its abandonment as a place of embarkation at about
0200 on the 1st June.
About 1600 on May 31st Captain Tennant, who had been visiting Lord Gort at La Panne, decided to return to Dunkirk, but he first instructed Lt. Cdr.
McClelland to arrange for the evacuation of Lord Gort and his staff, to carry out the duties of S.N.O., La Panne³, and to join Major General B. L. Montgomery, then in command of 2nd Corps.
At that time, says Lt. Cdr. McClelland, an enemy battery near Nieuport, assisted by 2 kite balloons, had found the range of the beach and the off lyingships, which had accordingly withdrawn to the westward. Rear-Admiral Wake-
Walker asked for the balloons to be shot down, and aircraft came over for that purpose; at times the balloons were hauled down-but they always re-appeared.
I A.L.C.8, A.L.C.15, Enterprise, Excellent's 35 ft. M|B, Excellent's A/A M|B, Golden
Spray II, Princess Lily, St. Patrick, and the Seaplane tender 243 and A.M.C.3; the Sea
Falcon, Sunshine, Triton and the Two Rivers.
2 M.017978/41, p.21.
3 Lt. Cdr. McClelland speaks of the final evacuation of A, B and C beaches La Panne, but this is evidently an error as the beaches were lettered from West to East (See Plan 3)
and must therefore have been M, N and O Beaches.
M.017978/41, p.16.
75
England Enterprise Excellent's Falcon Golden Spray Golden Spray II Lily Major Princess Princess Lily Sea Falcon St. Patrick Sunshine Triton Two Rivers Westward Black Day Edwards Gort Light May McClelland Patrick Prior Spray Tennant Wake Wake-Walker Walker West Wynne-Edwards

Raw OCR

Unformatted machine-generated OCR for document page 99.

FRIDAY, 31ST MAY
CHAP. VIII
At least fourteen other motor boats¹ were lost by misadventure, e.g. engine
failure, grounding, swamping, damaging rudders and/or propellers on floating
or submerged wreckage, or breaking adrift and being lost when on tow. The
seaplane tender No. 291 managed to get back to England in spite of the damage
she had sustained, but was unable to take any further part in "Dynamo".
Conflicting news of La Panne
Meanwhile, as the tows of boats (which Rear-Admiral Wake-Walker now
saw for the first time at 1900 on the 31st May), arrived off Dunkirk they were
directed to the beaches by Lt. Cdr. Wynne-Edwards, first from M.T.B.68 and
later at about 2100, from M.A/S.B. 6. It was found, however, that in the
growing darkness, and with no lights to help them, there was a tendency for
the boats to stop at the first place they came to where other craft were assembled.
At about 1930 the Codrington, then off, Bray, was warned by Rear-Admiral
Wake-Walker to send on the boats detailed for La Panne, but the bulk of them
did not get further than Bray.
The night was dark, and Rear-Admiral Wake-Walker stayed off La Panne,
"wondering how things were going. Everything was black, ships and boats
and shore showed no lights", although arrangements had been made for a light
to be shown to seaward to guide boats inshore. Shelling was continuous and
seemed to be falling among the ships at the anchorage. News was conflicting;
a message from the shore said that thousands of men were waiting but there
were no boats, while messages came from ships that their boats could find no
one on the beach. the ships and the boats were there, and the troops
ashore, and one could do no more.
I do not know to this day", says Rear-
Admiral Wake-Walker, what really took place there".
La Panne beach 31st May/1st June
It is not easy to discover what happened at La Panne, but the following
account, based on a report by Lt. Cdr. J. W. McClelland, R.N., who with a
party of signalmen reached La Panne in the minesweeper Gossamer at 1930 on
the 30th May, gives the main course of events. He was S.N.O., La Panne, for
the seven hours prior to its abandonment as a place of embarkation at about
0200 on the 1st June.
About 1600 on May 31st Captain Tennant, who had been visiting Lord Gort
at La Panne, decided to return to Dunkirk, but he first instructed Lt. Cdr.
McClelland to arrange for the evacuation of Lord Gort and his staff, to carry
out the duties of S.N.O., La Panne³, and to join Major General B. L. Mont-
gomery, then in command of 2nd Corps.
At that time, says Lt. Cdr. McClelland, an enemy battery near Nieuport,
assisted by 2 kite balloons, had found the range of the beach and the off lying-
ships, which had accordingly withdrawn to the westward. Rear-Admiral Wake-
Walker asked for the balloons to be shot down, and aircraft came over for that
purpose; at times the balloons were hauled down-but they always re-ap-
peared.
I A.L.C.8, A.L.C.15, Enterprise, Excellent's 35 ft. M|B, Excellent's A/A M|B, Golden
Spray II, Princess Lily, St. Patrick, and the Seaplane tender 243 and A.M.C.3; the Sea
Falcon, Sunshine, Triton and the Two Rivers.
2 M.017978/41, p.21.
3 Lt. Cdr. McClelland speaks of the final evacuation of A, B and C beaches La Panne,
but this is evidently an error as the beaches were lettered from West to East (See Plan 3)
and must therefore have been M, N and O Beaches.
M.017978/41, p.16.
75