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

View the archive catalogue entry ↗

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

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

2 matching pages. OCR may contain transcription errors.

List page 1 of 1 Showing document pages 31–228 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
31	Log in to enlarge	THE WEEK BEFORE OPERATION "DYNAMO" CHAP. II the whole day, might at any time become impossible to close; were this to happen, my last hope of reaching the coast would be gone".' In order to secure the British northern flank Lord Gort decided to issue orders for the occupation, as quickly as troops could be made available, of the line of the Ypres - Comines canal and the positions covering Ypres. In the absence of General Blanchard, who was visiting the Belgian G.Q.G. at Bruges, Lord Gort communicated this decision that evening to the Headquarters of the French First Group of Armies.¹ The necessity of evacuation was becoming a matter of paramount immediacy. British destroyers bombard suburb of Calais Meanwhile, on the 25th May, the trawler Lord Howe sailed to Calais with a cargo of ammunition². She entered the port and discharged part of her cargo in the face of heavy enemy fire from the dunes to the southward. In view of the risk involved, Commodore W. P. Gandell, R.N. (P.S.T.O., French Ports), who was on the quay, then ordered the Lord Howe to sail. Outside Calais the destroyer Greyhound closed the Lord Howe, which was carrying a request for bombardment support of the town. At the same time, the Greyhound received a signal from the Vice-Admiral, Dover, ordering the bombardment of the Calais suburb of St. Pierre. The Greyhound opened fire, and at 2000, an H.A. battery east of Sangatte registered a hit on her, killing 2 and wounding 3. About this time the destroyer Grafton arrived and also opened fire. The 2 destroyers returned to Dover as darkness set in.³ Evacuation of Calais countermanded At 2130 a force of seven trawlers⁴, three yachts⁵ and two drifters⁶, sailed for Calais road, ready to evacuate troops from Calais, the moment an order was received to do so. Five of the trawlers towed motor boats. Commander W. V. H. Harris, R.N. (Commander M/S, Dover), in the Grey Mist, was in command. The destroyers Windsor and Verity left Dover at 2300, to cover the withdrawal of this force. On arrival off Calais, two of the motor boats were ordered into Calais harbour. At about 0300/26, a signal was received that Calais was to be held at all costs; furthermore, it was ordered that this signal was to be sent by hand to the Brigadier commanding on shore. The Conidaw went in to deliver the signal. All ships were then ordered back to the Downs, but the Botanic and Maretta remained behind until the two motor boats and the Conidaw returned.⁷ The Botanic and Maretta were damaged by gunfire when returning on the 26th May, and were unable to take part in Operation "Dynamo". I Lord Gort's Second Despatch, para. 43. 2 Lieut. L. C. Whittle, R.N.R., in the Lord Howe, says it was the 24th May. 3 Vice-Admiral, Dover's 1907/25/5. 4 The Botanic, Fyldea, Maretta, Arley, Polly Johnson, Brock and Calvi. 6 The Grey Mist, Conidaw and Chico. 5 The Playmates and Willing Boys. 7 Report by Commander M/S, Dover (R.O. II, p. 497). 13	Arley Botanic Brock Bruges Calvi Chico Commodore Conidaw Evening Fyldea Grey Mist Lord Howe Maretta Pierre Playmates Polly Polly Johnson Verity Willing Boys Windsor Day Dover Gort Harris Johnson Last May Willing
228	Log in to enlarge	INDEX Phillips, Vice-Admiral T.S. V., 16. Phipps, L/St. M., 81. Pickford & Co., 72n. Pierre, set on fire, 74. Pierre et Marie, 73. Piers (beach) built at La Panne, 47, 60, 76; of barges impracticable, 49; built at Bray, 59, 82. Pigeon, 72n, 114n. Pim, Capt. R., R.N.V.R., 78. Playmates, 13n. Polly Johnson, 13n, 39, 40 (damaged), 43, 44 (sunk). Pool, S/Lt. R. A. W., 72. Port of London Authority, 32. Porter, Col., 47. Portsdown, 100, 103. Portsmouth, C. in C.: sends destroyers, 20; provision of boats, 51 Inner Patrol yachts, 71 A.S.'s. barge, 117 (abandoned). Pownall, Lt. Gen. H. R., 4. Prague, 29n, 54n, 64n, 91 (damaged). Président Briand, 93. Preston, Vice-Adm. Sir L. (D.S.V.P.), 21. Princess Elizabeth, 47n, 89, 114n. Princess Lily, 75n. Princess Maud, 48n, 53 (goes aground), 62 (damaged), 114n, 118. Prudential, 60. Pudge, 71s. Queen of England, sunk, 53. Queen of Thanet, 91, 114m. Queen of the Channel, 22, 24, 29 (sunk). Queen's Channel, 72n. Racia, 71n, 114я, 117. R.A. Dover, see Wake-Walker, Rear Admiral W.F. Ramsay, Vice-Adm. Sir B. (V.A. Dover): to control evacuation, 4; to arrange air cover, 5; asks for more destroyers, 20; driving force, 23, 33; promulgates disembarkation ports, 25; efforts to increase supply of small craft, 23, 32; plan for night 29/30th May, 50; orders all ships to beaches, 51; concern at losses of destroyers, 94; calls for volunteers, 105; reports exhaustion of crews, 113. Ramsgate, N.O.I.C. Administers in shore flotilla, 21, 94; services skoots, 30. Raphael-Raymonde, 73n. Rapid I, 72, 92. Reda, 53, 60n. Reed, 7ln. Refugees, 37, 100-1, 119. Reiger, 32, 47m, 64, 101-2, 116. Reine des Flots, 102, 107n, 109. Reliance, 73n. Renascent, 71n. Renown, 73, 93 (sunk). Resolute, 73n. Revoir, Capt. de, 115. Rewga, 71n. Reynaud, M., 10, 11. Richardson, Cdr. H. du P., 80n, 82, 83n. Riggs, Mr. H. C., 21. Rika, 41. Rina, 117. Robinson, Cdr. C. E. C., killed, 37. Roebuck, in collision, 83. Rope for towing, 61. Rose Marie, 72n. Ross, 28n, 44, 97. Rouen, 94, 107n, 108 (goes aground), 109, 112n, 120 (aground). Route, X prepared, 20; mined, 38; tested by destroyers, 39 taken into use, 48; last route to come under fire, 96-7; traffic suspended, 98. Route, Y adopted, 20, 29; under fire, 48; E-boats, on 85; in use, 93; mines on, 110. Route, Z under fire, 20, 48; to be used in darkness, 29, 48. 204	England Lily London Marie Pierre Pierre et Marie Pigeon Playmates Polly Polly Johnson Portsdown Prague Princess Princess Elizabeth Princess Lily Princess Maud PS Portsdown Pudge Queen Racia Rapid I Reda Reed Reiger Reliance Renascent Renown Resolute Rewga Rika Rina Roebuck Rose Rose Marie Rouen TSS Princess Maud Barge Crews De Dover Goes Johnson Last Maud May Phillips Phipps Pool Porter Reed Revoir Richardson Robinson Rose Ross Wake Wake-Walker Walker