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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.

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

4 matching pages. OCR may contain transcription errors.

List page 1 of 1 Showing document pages 99–231 of this collection
Page ImageOCR textOCR tags
99 Page 99 Log in to enlarge

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
176 Page 176 Log in to enlarge
OCR table 1 from document page 176
MOTOR BOATS, LAUNCHES AND VESSELS (contd.) TROOPS TRANSPORTED
Two Rivers' (P/O G. B. Thomas, R.N.R., Coxswain) /
Vanguard (A. Grimwade, Skipper) 20
Vanitee'
Venture /
Vera /
Viewfinder 30
(S/Lt. F.N. Dann, R.N.V.R.) /
Walker I
(A. Cadman, Cox) 29
Walker II
(P. King, Cox) 76
Wave Queen3
Westerley /
White Bear 1
(Comd. Gnr. E. Deacon, R.N.) /
White Heather
(Lt. Seal ?) -
White Wing /
(S/Lt. A.S. Mullins, R.N.R.) 6
Willie & Alice
Windsong -
(T. H. Falkingham, Skipper) (A. Barden (Engine man)) -
Wings of the Morning (R. E. Button, Skipper) (S/Lt. T. Lawrie, R.N.V.R.) -
Yser1 2 (S/Lt. R. W.D. Don, D.S.C., R.N.) (P/O W.H. Atkin) Not known
Total 5,031
OCR table 2 from document page 176
OWNER LIFE BOAT NUMBER LOST
Blue Star Line Four 4
B.I.S.N. Co. Ltd. Ten 10
Butchers Two (M.L/B) -
Can. Pac. S.S. Co. Beaverdale -
Englis & Mills Four (ex-Dunbar Castle) 4
Englis & Mills One (ex-Lolworth) 1
Englis & Mills One (Parales) 1
- Two (ex-Flandres) 2
Houlder Bros. & Co. Four (ex-Upway Grange) 1
Orient Line Orient IV (M.L/B) -
P. and O. S.N. Co. "G" 1
P. and O. S.N. Co. Fifteen 10
Ropner Shipping Co. One (ex-Hawnby) 1
Royal Mail Line Four (ex-Roslin Castle) Five 2 3
Alice Boat Clara Belle Dinghy Dinky Doris Dumpling Edina England Lark Medora Two Rivers Vanguard Vanitee Venture Vera Viewfinder Viking Viking III Walker I Walker II Westerley White Bear White Heather White Wing Windsong Wings of the Morning Atkin Barden Bros Butchers Button Cox Dann Deacon Don Dunbar Falkingham Grimwade King Lawrie Mills Mullins Seal Thomas Walker White
183 Page 183 Log in to enlarge
OCR table 1 from document page 183
MINESWEEPER TRAWLERS DRIFTERS
Brighton Belle (28/5) Comfort (29/5) Eileen Emma (1/6)
Thomas Bartlett Fair Breeze (1/6)
(28/5) (1) Gervais Rentoul (1/6)
Girl Pamela (night 28/29 May)
SKOOTS YACHT ExN. SERV. V.
Alice (28/5) Amulree (1/6) Ocean Reward (28/5)
Lena (4/6) Pellag II (1/6)
Sursum-Corda (31/5)
BLOCKSHIP TUG SEAPLANE TENDERS
Holland (3/6) Fossa (2/6) S.T.243 (31/5) S.T. 254 (31/5) A.M.C. 3 (31/5)
OCR table 2 from document page 183
Albatross² Hanora³ 4 Rocinantes 6
Aljanor2 Iote (1/6) Rosabelle³
Aloa-Oe² Island Queen2 St. Patrick (31/5)
Ambleve (30/5) Josephine Iº Santosy (3/6)³
Aura (2/6)³ Lansdowne (1/6)³ Scene Shifter (29/6)
Black Arrow (29/30 May) Letitia (M/B) (4/6) Sea Falcon (31/5)
Bobeli (2/6) Little Ann2 Seamew²
Bonnibell (2/6) Madame Sans Gêne (4/6) Semois
Bullpup4 Maid of Honour® Shamrock (30/5)
Canvey Queen (30/5) Ma Foie (30/5) Silver Queen (30/5)¹
Court Belle2 Maldon Annie IV (31/5) Skylark III
Cyb2 Margherita2 (S.M.281. II) ᵃ
Dreadnought II² Mary Rose (31/5) Skylark L.L.III²
Frightened Lady³ 4 Mary Spearing4 Stonehaven
Golden Spray II (31/5) Minikoi (29/5) Sunshine (31/5)³
Good Hope 2 Minoru II® Thetis (2/6)³
Grace Darling IV² Pioneer2 Triton (31/5)³
Gwen Eagle Queen of England (29/5) Two Rivers (31/5)*
Handy Billy2 Roberta² Vanitee
A.M.C. 3 Alice Ambleve Amulree Aura Black Arrow Boat Bobeli Bonnibell Canvey Queen Comfort Drifter Eileen Eileen Emma England Fair Breeze Falcon Fossa Gallant Gallant's Motor Boat Gervais Rentoul Girl Pamela Golden Spray Golden Spray II Good Hope Gourko Grace Grace Darling Grive Gwen Eagle Holland Horst Iote Lansdowne Lena Letitia Lord Cavan Maid of Honour Maldon Annie IV Mary Mary Rose Minikoi Minoru II New Prince of Wales Pellag II Prince Prince of Wales Queen Renown Rose Santosy Sea Falcon Semois Sequacity Shamrock Silver Queen Skylark Skylark III St. Patrick Stonehaven Sunshine Thetis Triton Two Rivers Vanitee Black Little May Patrick Prince Rose Spray Thomas Wales
231 Page 231 Log in to enlarge

INDEX
I, 72n. small craft, 61.
29n, 53 (rams and sinks Queen of England).
Tilly Tolly, 71n.
Torbay 23n.
53, 60n, 74, 75n.
Tugs, Troup, use as transports, 41.
Triton, Cdr. H. R., 21, 118, 86. 128.
Twente, 20n, 24, 29n,
Two Rivers, 75n.
Tynwald, 29n, 54n, 64n, 107n, 109, 112n, 114n, 118 (record lift).
U-boats, see Submarines.
Ut Prosim, 23n, 63, 107n.
V.A. Dover, see Ramsay, Vice-Admiral B. H.
Vanguard, 60.
Vanquisher, 37-8, 54n, 55, 61, 62 (make two trips on 30th May), 87, 107n, 108 (sent back empty), 112n, 114n, 118.
Vavasour, Lt. G. W., 79-81.
Vega, 34, 42, 69.
Venetia, at Boulogne, 9-10.
Venomous, at Boulogne, 9-10; in Dynamo, 61, 101, 107-8, 114n, 118.
Vénus, sunk, 93.
Verity, at Calais, 10; in Dynamo, 13, 19, 28n, 32, 43-4, 49, 51 (reports on Dunkirk),
54n, 55.
Victor-Erna, 73n.
Viewfinder, sunk by Belgian troops, 53.
Viking, 60.
Vimiera, at Boulogne, 9-10.
Vimy, at Boulogne, 8-9; in Dynamo, 20, 23, 27-8, 62 (makes two trips on 30th May), 64n,
69 (hunts S/M.), 74 (rams and sinks Amulree), 95.
Vivacious, 23, 27-8, 45, 61 (calls for more ships and boats), 74 ( -boats), 83 (damaged),
Vincia, 71n, 90.
87, 111-2 (in Operation CK), 127.
V.T.B.25, 116 (evacuates Admiral Abrial), 120 (towed to Dover).
Vulture, 72n.
W.24, 60.
W.26, 72n.
Wakeful, 20n, 23, 24n, 27, 32, 36 (sunk), 37, 85.
Wake-Walker, Rear-Adm. W.F. (R.A. Dover) Apptd. S.N.O. Afloat, 49, 50; takes over duties, 58; tranships four times in 24 hours, 59; general policy, 71; urges M.B's. to be sent back, 74; investigates position E. of Dunkirk, 85-6; transfers to M.T.B.102,
90 clears Dunkirk of ships, 103; activities night 2/3 June, 108; on the final night,
115; effect of his arrival, 126.
Walker I, 32n.
Walker II, 32n, 114n.
Wardrop, Lt. Cdr. R. G., R.N.R., 49.
Warren, Lt. Cdr. G. H., 88.
Water supply, shortage at Dunkirk and beaches, 26, 31, 62.
Wave Queen, 72n.
Waverley, 28n, 42 (sunk), 47n.
Weather, affects boat work, 36, 48.
Weddle, S/Lt. J. S., R.N.R., 85.
Wells, Lt. J. G., 79-82.
Welman, Lt. Cdr. A. E. P., 8, 9.
Westcove, 111-2, 120.
Westella, 34n, 38 (sinking of), 69 (hunts S/M.), 110 (sunk).
Westerley, 72n.
Westward-Ho, 89 (damaged), 107n.
Weygand, General, 5, 10 (Plan), 11, 27, 96.
Whalley, Lt. 49.
Whippingham, overloaded, 87.
Whitehall, 55, 83 (damaged), 84 (shoots down bomber), 91.
White Heather, 72n.
Whitfield, Col., 22.
207
Amulree Boat England PS Whippingham Queen Tilly Triton Twente Two Rivers Tynwald Vanguard Vega Venetia Verity Viewfinder Viking Vimiera Vincia Vivacious Vulture W.26 Walker I Walker II Wave Queen Westcove Westerley Westward Whippingham White Heather Dover May Troup Wake Wake-Walker Walker Wardrop Warren Weddle White