TNA ADM 334 83

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Cep?, ficulty so I went of taking troops on board from the quay high above 2.
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were already alongside a destroyer (Worcester again I us was
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had ertain ever had on optimism) that I could take a hundred (though him the (with
degree of embarking. I got hold of her captain and think) told where
ary C.O., said "Go ahead. Take all you can."
board was 3 2I). He, after consultation with the mili- most
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night I may say here that before leaving Cubitts Yacht Basin we had worked
tend to stripping her down of everything movable, masts included, that all would
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lighten her and make for more room.
Roger, as previously arranged, packed the troops in down below -- and
say he did the packing to some purpose. On deck I detailed one naval rat- I'll
ing on?" to tally the troops aboard. Atv 50 I called below "How are you getting
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receiving the cheery reply "Oh plenty of room yet." At 75 he ad-
mitted they were getting just a bit cramped -- all equipment and arms were
being left on deck -- so I told him to let it go at that and pack them on
deck (having passed the word for every man to lie down and not move, the
same applied on deck.) By the time we had 50 on deck, I could feel her
getting distinctly tender, so took no more, Actually we had exactly I30
on board including 3 Sundowners and 5 Westerlys. (Insert note I p. )
During the whole embarkation we had quite a lot of attention from enemy
planes but derived an amazing degree of comfort from the bark of the
Worcester's A.A. gun overhead.
Casting off and backing out we again entered the Roads, where it was con-
tinuous and unmitigated hell. The troops were just splendid and of their
own initiative, detailed look-outs ahead, astern and abeam for inquisitive
planes as my attention was pretty well occupied watching the course and
passing word to Roger at the wheel. Anytime an aircraft seemed inclined
to try its hand on us, one of the look-outs would just call quitely, "Look
out for this bloke, Skipper" at the same time pointing. One bomber that
had been particularly offensive, itself came under the notice of one of
our fighters and suddenly plunged vertically, hitting the sea at some 400
m.p.h., about 50 yards astern. It was a sight never to be forgotten -- so
were many others for that matter. Incidentally, it was the one and only
time that any man on board, ever raised his voice above a conversational
tone, but as that big black bomber hit the deck they all raised an echoing
cheer. (Insert
My youngest son Pilot Officer Lightoller (lost on the very day war
broke out, in the first raid on Wilhelmshaven) flew a Blenheim and had at
different times given me a whole lot of useful information about attack,
defence and evasive tactics (at which I learned later, he was particularly
good) and I attribute in a great measure, our success in getting across
without a single casulaty to his unwitting help.
On one occasion an enemy machine came up astern at about IOO ft with the
obvious intention of raking our decks. He came down in a nice gliding
dive, but I knew that he must elevate some IO or I5 degrees before his gur
would bear (I really wanted wasn't worrying much about bombs). Calling my
son at the wheel to "Stand-by," I waited till as near as I could judge,
he was just on the point of pulling up, then "Hard-a-port." (She will tu