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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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

176

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

231

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