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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2 matching pages. OCR may contain transcription errors.

List page 1 of 1 Showing document pages 84–170 of this collection

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Page	Image	OCR text	OCR tags
84	Log in to enlarge	THE EVACUATION FROM DUNKIRK CHAP. VII heavy craft, nor even by small craft similar in a pier lop, was it was invaluable ing troops into small boats. A was completed and commenced in use on the morning of later for embarkthe 30th May at La Panne, and by the the same day the the same same d the morning day the morning day (See p. 47). 2 or 3 motor yachts and paddlers to Bray; none proceeded east of the Bray pier, where the Captain Howson goes on to say that arrived in the and afternoon anchored one Fortwo skoots and the weskoots and waited many hours patiently. One tried or two without destroyers or sloops passed from had the westward to La Panne, and he he success with a lamp to Admiral Wake-Walker asking him to arrange for this. Captain Howson also them to anchor off the pier. Eventually managed to get a signal to Rear- tell sent an officer to Dunkirk to represent learned the urgent need for destroyers off Bray. It was not until 2 days later that he that all the destroyers, etc., had been given specific instructions as to which beach they were to anchor off. Later a certain number of destroyers, sloops and skoots anchored off Bray and the embarkation proceeded satisfactorily. Unfortunately, time after time, owing to a lack of naval ratings, he saw a procession of boats going off loaded with troops, only to be cast adrift and left floating empty out to seaward¹. Later that evening Captain Howson got in touch with Rear-Admiral Wake- Walker, then in the Worcester, and obtained permission to embark the following day in a motor boat off the beaches SO as to prevent a recurrence of this waste of beaching craft². In spite of the difficulties and shortcomings emphasised in the above reports great progress was being made. In fact, beach evacuation reached its peak on this day; 29,500 troops were lifted from the beaches (as against 24,300 from the harbour); and some 50 ships, including destroyers, minesweepers, skoots, trawlers, drifters, personnel and special service vessels, were engaged continuously in the arduous work. The armada grows, but service of ships to Dunkirk is slowed up Meanwhile the build-up of ships continued, and some 31 additional craft reached of Dunkirk and the beaches this day. They included two minesweepers of the 8th M.S.F.³, the Fleet Air Arm training vessel Grive, 4 yachts and a drifter the Dover M/S Command4, the corvette Kingfisher, (with the ex-Belgian canal the boat Sambre in tow), the Yarmouth Examination Service yacht Laroc, and M/V Scottish Co-operator, the S/M tender Dwarf, the drifters Fair Breeze minesweeper barge Skipjack), the motor coasters Seine and Sheila, (in the coasting Ocean Breeze, the ex-Belgian canal boats Ambleve and Escaut tow of the the Viking, the ex-Dutch eel-boat Johanna (in tow Lady of the skoot Jutland), water, and (R.N.L.I.) lifeboat Prudential (towing barges 7 Sark and with fresh Ramsgate sailing barge Beatrice Maud, and the dumb Shetland. hopper The the oyster dredging smacks Seasalter and Vanguard, the steam W.24, borough, the punt Carama), and the Margate wherries loaded Lord Southwherries. were The manned by their own crews, but (R.N.L.I.) naval lifeboat manned the appeared on the scene. and picked up 244 troops. Another A/S patrol, to Bray beach in error trawler Olvina, which should have been on ratings went I At long last a dozen of the long awaited important motor contingent boats R.O.III, p.396. 2 R.O.III, p.397. 4 3 The The Glen Avon and Glen Gower. and 5 The the danlaying danlaying Constant yachts drifter Gulzar and Sargasso, the echo and Conidaw Triton, Silver Pauleter Adventuress, and sounding Ma Black Joie. yachts Arrow, Chico Sunshine, Reda, 60	Adventuress Ambleve Beatrice Maud Boat Chico Conidaw Drifter Dwarf Escaut Evening Fair Breeze Glen Avon Grive Gulzar Johanna Jutland Laroc Olvina Pauleter Progress Reda Sambre Sargasso Sark Scottish Co-operator Seasalter Seine Sheila Shetland Skipjack Success Sunshine Triton Vanguard Viking Westward Barge Black Crews Day Dover Goes Howson Last Long Maud May Peak Wake Wake-Walker Walker
170	Log in to enlarge	THE EVACUATION FROM DUNKIRK APPENDIX A TROOPS SAILING BARGES (contd.) TRANSPORTED Claud (water boat)' / Doris¹ (F. Finbow, Master) / Duchess (H. J. Wildish, Master) / Ena 100 (A. G. Page, Master) Ethel Everard / (T. Willis, Master) F.W. 23 (dumb) 13 Glenway (W. H. Easter, Master) 213 H.A.C. 100 (R. H. Scott, Master) Haste Away - Lark' / (R. H. Scott, Master) Monarch - Queen - Queen Alexandria - Royalty - (H. Miller, Master) Sark (dumb) - Shannon - Shetland (dumb) - Spurgeon - (- Haisman, Master) Tollesbury 200 (R. Webb, Master) Warrior1 - Total 886 LIFE BOATS Total 19, R.N.L.I. life boats2, of which I was lost. Abdy Beauclerk - Cecil & Lilian Philpott 51 (A/B W. J. Morris, Coxn. Charles Cooper Henderson - Charles Dibdin - Cyril & Lilian Bishop - (Actg. P.O. W.H. Adkin) Edward Z, Dresden 50 E.M.E.D. (Lt. Cdr. R. W. Faulkner, R.N.R. (?Retd.) ) 39 (Lieut. R. H. Mead, R.N.V.R., died) (P.O. Tel. W.H. Cooley) Greater London 48 (S/Lt. W. D.F. Claydon, R.N.R.) Guide of Dunkirks - (S/Lt. R. H.C. Amos, R.N.V.R.) - Jane Holland (S/Lt. R. H. Wallace, R.N.V.R.) - (Sto. J. Strangeways) (Sto. A. H. Shaw) Lord Southborough (S/Lt. E. R. Ponsonby, R.N.V.R.) 17 (E. Parker, Coxswain) I Lost. 2 The Dunkirk, reserve life boat Agnes Cross carried out duties at Dover. She did not go to 3 At been the same time of Dunkirk evacuation, this boat had just been built and had not yet named. 146	Agnes Cross Boat Duchess Ena Ethel Everard Glenway H.A.C. Haste Away Holland Lark London Monarch Queen Royalty Sark Shannon Shetland Spurgeon Tollesbury Amos Claydon Cooley Cooper Dover Easter Faulkner Finbow Haisman Mead Miller Morris Page Parker Ponsonby Scott Shaw Strangeways Wallace Webb Wildish Willis