TNA ADM 234 360

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THE EVACUATION FROM DUNKIRK
CHAP. X
The Windsor did some quick turns round. From the present night's work she
returned to Dover with 493 troops, sailed again for Dunkirk and lifted a further
was out, she was once more alongside Dunkirk East Pier embarking troops,
624 men which she disembarked at Dover, leaving about 1900. Before the day
and she sailed at 0100 on 3rd June, loaded with 1,022 men.
As the Esk was unable to sail owing to exhaustion of her crew the Shikari
proceeded alone. She berthed at Dunkirk at 0125 and left again at 0200 with
470 troops. When the first vessel of the last pair of destroyers, the Whitshed
and Winchelsea, arrived at Dunkirk the East Pier was bare of troops; but by
using a loud hailer and making a search a total of 512 were collected. The
Winchelsea disembarked 1,100 men at Dover.
On this night personnel vessels were not much in evidence at Dunkirk. The
Côte Argent disembarked 1,250 troops in England on 2nd June, the Newhaven
716 at Dover at 1030. The Royal Daffodil, after bring turned back earlier in
the day by a French destroyer, left Margate again at 2200 on the 1st and was
back at 0600 on the 2nd with 1,500 troops. The Manxman did not arrive at
Dunkirk until 0506 on the 2nd, long after daylight; she brought back 177 troops
and disembarked them at Dover at 1043. The only other considerable lift
from Dunkirk pier by a British ship on this night was by the 220 ton coaster
Seine, which arrived at Dunkirk about 2000 and, after an air attack lasting
about an hour, went alongside the pier and embarked 250 troops. After land-
ing these at Ramsgate the crew, who had worked continuously for four days
and nights, had their first night's sleep.
In addition to the large ships, tugs, skoots, drifters and all manner of small
craft evacuated troops on this night. Some lay off and were loaded by smaller
boats ferrying troops out to them, others went up harbour, past the large ship
berths. Over 4,000 men were brought to England on the 2nd June in this
way. Of these the skoot Hondsrug took 421 French and the skoot Reiger
330 French.
French embarkations
During the early part of the night 1st-2nd June French troops embarked as
arranged at the West Pier, though none of the French torpedo boats which it
was intended to employ disembarked troops in England.¹ Looking shoreward
from the sea, the characteristic helmets of the endless line of French troops on
the West Pier showed up against the glare of fires inland. The town and har-
bour lay under a pall of smoke. The minesweeping trawler Chasse-Marée
lifted from the harbour 391 troops, the patrol vessel Reine des Flots 350, the
cargo ship Cap Antifer 291, and trawlers and motor fishing vessels a further
548; all these were landed in England.
June. Four Belgian trawlers brought over 313 troops from Dunkirk on the 2nd
British Naval base party embarks, 0245/2
the The shore end of the East Pier at Dunkirk, to embark the base party as arranged.
At 0200 on the 2nd Rear-Admiral Wake-Walker in M.A/S.B.10 went up to
party arrived and the M. A/S.B. sailed at 0245.
had been haze which had prevented some ships from arriving the morning was
By this time it was beginning to get light, and although at one time there
T.B's. on this night alongside the West quay.
I Rear-Admiral loaded Wake-Walker in his Report M.017978/41 p.32 says, however, French
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