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.

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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

174

THE EVACUATION FROM DUNKIRK
APPENDIX A
TROOPS
MOTOR BOATS, LAUNCHES AND VESSELS (contd.)
TRANSPORTED
M.F.H. (W. H. Smith, Capt.)
87
Minikoil (S/Lt. R. E. Blows, R.N.V.R.)
/
Minoru II'
/
Minotaur (T. Towndrow, Skipper)
/
Minwood
51
Mirasol
/
Moss Rose1
/
Murious
/
Naiad Errant
8
(A. B.S. Palmer, i/c)
Nanette II
30
Nayland
83
Nemo IV'
/
New Britannic
83
(W. Matthews, Cox.)
New Prince of Wales'
-
(S/Lt. P. H. E. Bennett, R.N.)
New White Heather
-
Offemia
50
Patricia (T.H.V.)
/
Pauleter
400
(Sto. D. T. Banks)
Peggy IV:
-
(S. H. Hughes, Skipper)
Pioneer¹
-
Princess Freda
-
(S/Lt. E.S. Forman, R.N.V.R.)
Princess Lily
-
(Prob. Ty. S/Lt. K. E.A. Bayley, R.N.V.R.)
Princess Maud
-
Provider
Not known
(F. Hannaford, Skipper)
Queen Boadicea II
-
(Lieut. J.S. Seal, R.N.R.) (Capt. J. Whittaker)
Queen of England'
-
Quest
-
Quicksilver
20
(S/Lt. D.L. Satterford. R.N.) (L/Sea. T. Phillips)
18
Quisisana
(S/Lt. A. J. Weaver, R.N.V.R.)
28
Rapid I
(S/Lt. J.C. Clarke, R.N.V.R.)
Reda
44
Reliance (S/Lt. P. Snow, R.N.) (P.O. R. W. Rawlings, Motorman)
80
(Skpr. A. Legget)
Renown'
-
Resolute (Skpr. W.H. Noakes)
40
Roberta (Skpr. H.D. Osborne)
-
Rocinante
-
Rosabelle
-
Rose Marie
Not known
St. Patrick1
-
Sambrez
Not known
Santosy
-
Saviour (Actg. S/Lt. J.M. Chappell, R.N.)
22
I Lost.
2 Ex-Belgian canal boat.
150

Boat Britannic England Lily M.F.H. Marie Minoru II Minotaur Minwood Mirasol Murious Naiad Errant Nanette II Nayland Nemo IV New Britannic New Prince of Wales New White Heather Offemia Patricia Pauleter Peggy IV Prince Prince of Wales Princess Princess Freda Princess Lily Princess Maud Provider Queen Queen Boadicea Quest Quicksilver Quisisana Rapid I Reda Reliance Renown Resolute Roberta Rocinante Rosabelle Rose Rose Marie Santosy Saviour TSS Princess Maud White Heather Banks Bayley Bennett Blows Chappell Clarke Cox Forman Hannaford Hughes Legget Matthews Maud Noakes Osborne Palmer Phillips Prince Rawlings Rose Satterford Seal Smith SMITH H Snow Towndrow Wales Weaver White Whittaker

184

OCR table 1 from document page 184
Dreadnought III'	Moss Rose¹	Venture
Eastbourne Queen (1/6)	Nemo IV1 New White Heather'	Viewfinder (31/5)
Empress (1/6)²		Viscountess
Enchantress	Peggy IV⁴	(31/5)2 Wakefield
Enterprise (31/5)	Princess Lily (31/5)	Wave Queen
Escaut Eve4		Westerley Yser (1/6)2 (5/6)⁶

OCR table 2 from document page 184
WHERRIES, PUNTS, BOATS	BARGES	LANDING
Aimée (wherry)'	Aidie (1/6)2	CRAFT A.L.C.4 (29/5)
Carama (punt) (30/5)	Barbara Jean (1/6)2	A.L.C.8 (31/5)2
Clara Belle (wherry)'	Claude³	A.L.C.15 (31/5)
Dinky (10 ft. boat)¹	Duchess (1/6)2	A.L.C.18 (29/5)
Doris (wherry)'	Ethel Everard (1/6)²	M.L.C.12 (2/6)2
Dumpling (boat)¹	Lark (1/6)2	M.L.C.17 (3/6)2
Edina (wherry)'	Royalty (1/6)²	M.L.C.22 (2/6)2
Lark (punt)¹	Warrior2 4
Medora (wherry)'
Miranda (No. 58)¹
Sarah & Emily (boat)¹
Viking III (dinghy)'

OCR table 3 from document page 184
DESTROYERS	A.A. CRUISER	SLOOP
Anthony (30/5)	Calcutta (2/6)	Bideford (29/5)
Gallant (29/5)
Greyhound (29/5)
Intrepid (29/5)
Ivanhoe (1/6)
Jaguar (29/5)
Sabre (30/5)
Saladin (29/5)		A.B/V
Vivacious (31/5)		Mona's Isle
Windsor (28/5)		(27/5)
Wolfhound (27/5)
Worcester (1/6)

OCR table 4 from document page 184
MINESWEEPERS Hebe (31/5)	PERSONNEL VESSELS	HOSPITAL CARRIERS
Pangbourne	Canterbury (29/5)	Isle of Guernsey (29/5)
(29/5) Ross (1/6)	Prague (1/6)	St. Julien (29/5)
Salamander (1/6)	Royal Daffodil (2/6)	Worthing (2/6)
Westward-Ho (1/6)

OCR table 5 from document page 184
	GUNFIRE
PERSONNEL VESSELS Biarritz (27/5)	TRAWLERS	A.B/V.
Princess Maud (30/5)	"Kingston" (2/6)€ Spurs (2/6)	King Orry (27/5)

Aidie Anthony Barbara Barbara Jean Biarritz Bideford Boat Calcutta Canterbury Clara Belle Cruiser Dinghy Dinky Doris Dreadnought III Duchess Dumpling Eastbourne Queen Edina Empress Enchantress England Enterprise Escaut Ethel Everard Gallant Hebe Intrepid Isle of Guernsey Ivanhoe Jaguar Kingston Alalite Kingston Olivine Lark Lily Medora Mona's Isle New White Heather Pangbourne Prague Princess Princess Lily Princess Maud Queen Royal Daffodil Royalty Sabre Spurs St. Julien TSS Princess Maud Venture Viewfinder Viking Viking III Vivacious Wave Queen Westerley Westward White Heather Windsor Worthing King Maud Ross White

228

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