TNA ADM 234 360

THE WEEK BEFORE OPERATION "DYNAMO"
CHAP. II
Communication with England was cut, and all messages had to be sent by destroyers.
By 1530 the Germans had occupied the whole of Boulogne except a bridgehead, all anti-tank guns were out of action, and half of Major Holford's force were estimated to be casualties. The destroyers Keith (D. (19), Captain D. J.R.
Simson) and Whitshed went over to Boulogne during the afternoon, and were followed later by the Venetia, Venomous, Vimiera, Wild Swan and Windsor.
The arrival of the first two destroyers was followed by an enemy air attack, together with close range mortar, machine gun and rifle fire, which caused damage and casualties, including Captain D. (19) who was killed, and necessitated breaking off, the work of evacuating wounded and withdrawing temporarily from the port. Fortunately, No. 92 Squadron of the R.A.F. (12
Spitfires) soon encountered the large enemy formation and, with some loss to themselves and much to the enemy, gained a measure of control of the situation;
and by 1955 the destroyers were back in harbour and carrying out the evacuation of the Welsh Guards. The Keith had received a signal at 1749 ordering all troops to be evacuated.
About 2000, while Lieut.-Comdr. Welman was on the point of firing the last of the demolition charges, German tanks towing field guns appeared over the hill north of the harbour and opened heavy fire at the three destroyers coming in to take off Force Buttercup." An amazing engagement, described by eye-witnesses as magnificent, ensued between the German field guns and the destroyers. The Venetia was hit while in mid-channel, but she was got under control and out of the harbour, thus avoiding blocking in the Venomous and Wild who were embarking " Force Buttercup" and the Irish Guards while engaging the enemy tanks and field guns with every gun they had.
It was low water when the destroyers eventually backed out of harbour, loaded down with troops. When the Venomous backed out her wheel jammed and she had to steer with her engines; the Wild Swan, following her, grounded for a moment, but both ships got off and both reached Dover safely. When, at 2234 some 3,000 troops had been brought off, the Wild Swan reported that although a considerable number remained further evacuation was impracticable.
The Windsor, however, which had been ordered at about 2030 to help in the evacuation, arrived after the rest of the destroyers had left; she entered the harbour after dark, filled to capacity and sailed again without damage or much difficulty. On clearing the harbour, the Windsor informed V.-A. Dover that further evacuation under cover of darkness was still possible and that two more destroyers could lift all the soldiers still left at Boulogne.
Vice-Admiral, Dover, therefore, despatched the Vimiera at 0015 on the 24th to try to bring off the remaining troops. She arrived at Boulogne at 0130, and found all silent. At length the Commanding Officer's hail was answered, and it was found that there were more than 1000 troops waiting for a ship.
Going alongside the jetty, the destroyer was crowded to the tiller flat by 0230, the only space left being round the guns; and when she slipped at 0245 she was compelled to leave some 200 men behind. Five minutes later shore batteries opened fire on the jetty, and at 0255 a bomber passed close and a bomb exploded 20 yards away. The Vimiera was so over-loaded that even five degrees of helm made the ship list unpleasantly. She reached Dover safely at 0355
and landed some 1400 men, including Belgian and French troops and some
I The Whitshed had been at Boulogne helping to evacuate wounded from 0630 to 1045
when she left with two transports for Calais.
9

THE EVACUATION FROM DUNKIRK
CHAP. II
refugees who got on board. The numbers evacuated by the destroyers concerned were approximately:-
Keith
180
Vimy
...
...
150
Whitshed
...
...
580
Vimiera
...
...
Wild Swan
1955 403 (in two trips)
...
...
Windsor
...
600
Venomous
...
500
Total
...
4368
The Venetia, damaged, did not get alongside a quay. During the night
22 23rd May, before the evacuation under fire, the Verity took off two General
Officers and some 150 troops.
In addition to the Venetia, the Wild Swan, Whitshed, Keith and Venomous all received damage during the evacuation. The Keith lost Captain D. (19) and
7 ratings killed, and had 28 wounded; the Vimy had one officer killed and her
Commanding Officer, Lieut.-Comdr. C. G. W. Donald R.N. was seriously wounded and died subsequently; the Whitshed lost one officer killed and had
12 ratings wounded; the Venetia had 20 ratings killed or missing and 11
wounded; the Commanding Officer of the Verity, Lt. Cdr. A. R. M. Black R.N.
was wounded and subsequently died.
23RD 24TH MAY
The "Weygand" Plan
In the midst of this changing panorama of events, on the 23rd May, General
Weygand became Commander-in-Chief in all theatres of war". He had, however, previously formulated the ' Weygand plan". This plan contemplated a counter-offensive on a large scale¹ and, briefly, it consisted of 3
operations:-:-
(a) An attack south-westward from the north, by the French 1st Army and the B.E.F., with the Belgian Cavalry Corps supporting the
British right.
(b) An attack northward from the line of the Somme, which line the newly formed Third French Army Group was reported to be organising.
(c) Operations on the line of the Somme west of Amiens, by a new Cavalry
Corps which was assembling south of the river near Neufchatel.
On the 23rd May Lord Gort received a telegram from the British Prime Minister to extract:- the French Prime Minister, M. Reynaud, of which the following is an
"Strong Salvation enemy armoured forces have cut Armies.
gand's plan. of these I Armies can only be obtained communications by immediate of execution Northern of Weynorth Not could feeling sure that the situation armies in the to General be accurately appreciated developing for the Lord Allied Gort telegraphed
I Sir John Dill asking him to except fly over on the that spot, day.
Lord Gort's Second Despatch, para. 38
10

CHAP. III
THE EVACUATION FROM DUNKIRK
with a view to lifting up to 45,000 of the B.E.F. within two days, at the end of which it was probable that evacuation would be terminated by enemy action".
A further step was taken when, at 1800, Captain W. G. Tennant, M.V.O.,
R.N., was ordered by the Vice-Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice-Admiral T.S. V.
Phillips, C.B., to proceed to Dunkirk to take control of the naval shore embarkation parties. Captain Tennant's appointment as S.N.O., Dunkirk, was promulgated, his duties to commence the following day2, and beach masters and pier parties were ordered to proceed from the Nore to Dover.
Then, at 1857, there went out from the Admiralty, by teleprinter, the historic signal, "Operation Dynamo is to commence "3, which was to save our Army in France, and to have the most momentous results for the Nation, the Empire and the World.
Mona's Isle makes the first round trip
Except for the destroyer Wolsey, which left Dover at 1930 to act as W/T
link ship, the first ship to sail on this great mission was the armed boarding vessel Mona's Isle, which left the Downs at 2116. After some delay with a fouled propeller she berthed at the Quai Félix Faure during an air attack, and embarked 1420 troops. On the return journey, she was straddled by shore guns off Gravelines, and shortly after, was heavily machine-gunned from the air; these attacks caused 83 casualties, including 23 dead. She reached
Dover at noon on the 27th May escorted by the destroyer Windsor, which had put her doctor on board and landed her troops. Mona's Isle was the first ship to complete the round trip in Operation "Dynamo".
Mona's Queen first ship back on 27th May
This, however, was not the first passage on 26th May. Even before the
Admiralty signal, the despatch of personnel vessels to Dunkirk had begun, a flow of 2 vessels every 4 hours having been accepted by the B.E.F.4. The armed boarding vessel King Orry had sailed at 0930, and the Mona's Queen at noon. The Maid of Orleans had sailed at 1100 (with 6,000 two-gallon cans of water), but arriving off Dunkirk during an air attack was unable to effect an entrance and returned to Dover"; she was sailed again at 1726, escorted by the destroyer Wild Swan, which had also taken out the Canterbury at 1728, and escorted her part of the way.
The Mona's Queen (carrying 1200 troops) was the first of these ships to arrive back from Dunkirk, reaching Dover shortly after midnight on the
26th/27th May; the Canterbury arrived at 0309/27 (with 1,340 troops), the store ship Ngaroma at 0500/27 (with a hundred troops), the Maid of Orleans at
0600/27 (with 980 troops), and the King Orry at 1100/27 (with 1,131). As a result of these sailings on the 26th May 6,083 troops were landed in England on the 27th May, of which Mona's Isle had contributed 1,420 towards the two days".
tentative Admiralty target of "lifting up to 45,000 of the B.E.F. within
Hospital carriers under Hague Convention was ignored, and their conspicuous white hulls
The the work of the hospital carriers was specially hazardous; their immunity
I D.R. page ii.
2 Appendix M. 2.
3 Appendix M. 1.
4
D.R.
16

INDEX
Whitshed: at Boulogne, 9-10; in Dynamo, 97, 102-3, 107, 109 (sent back almost empty),
112n, 114n, 118 (takes over pier party).
Whittle, Lieut. L. C., R.N.R., 13n.
Widgeon, 34, 69.
Wilcoxon, S.Lt. R. O., R.N.V.R., mortally wounded, 52.
Wild Swan, at Boulogne, 9-10; at Dunkirk, 16.
Willing Boys, 13n.
Winche sea, 55, 64n, 70, 87, 97, 102-3, 107-8.
Windsor: at Boulogne, 9-10; at Calais, 13; in Dynamo, 16, 23, 24n, 30 (damaged), 55,
58 (hoists flag of R.A. Dover), 81, 97, 101-2 (quick turn round), 107-8, 127.
Wise, Lt. J. N., R.N.V.R., 115.
Wolfe, 72n.
Wolfhound, 21, 22 (damaged), 23-5, 27.
Wolsey, 16, 21, 67 (W/T. link), 23-5, 27, 54n, 61 (reports on conditions), 62 (makes two trips on 30th May), 64n, 83 (in collision).
Wolves, 69.
Worcester, 20n, 27, 54n, 55, 58 (hoists flag of R.A. Dover), 60, 74, 76n, 79 (takes out beach parties), 87-9, (damaged), 92.
Worthing, 17, 22n, 24, 104 (attacked).
Wounded, see Casualties.
Wrecks, growing number, 94: at Dunkirk, 115.
Wynne-Edwards, Lt. Cdr. C.J., 67, 71, 75.
X.95, 72m.
X.149, sunk, 72.
X.209, 72n.
X.213, sunk, 72.
X.217, 72.
Yarmouth base, drifters, 71n.
Y.C.63, 72n.
Yewdale, 19, 28, 47.
Yorkshire Lass, 23n, 62, 63, 107n.
Young Mun, 23n.
Yser, 27, 31.
Yvonne, 73.
Zuydcoote, see Beaches.
208