TNA ADM 334 83

LITTLE SHIP CLUB
at
COCKFOSTERS: HERTS.
DUNKIRK. 1940.
Jan 18th. 1931
Name & Address.
INET 3391.
Ship
Dr.B.A.Smith
(Tel:Malden 1461) (Tel:Malden 1461) (Tel:Malden 1461) (Tel:Malden 1461)
Malden,
"Constant Nymph"
Penera
Dear Luard, with an know utterly - and who of I indectiphers
Brought
Commdr.C.H.Lightoller The R.D. "Sundowner"
D.S.M. off name 251 Upper - life include
Cottage, know make him it but being it.
E.J.Wilkins Esq.
body 1611
Ludgate Hill,E.C.4.
a story the the He the THE THE THE it you back or that make We
"Lady Pamela"
did not go but
Lost ship, here sort till says to he they put one got next want of his
C.G.Thompson. Esq.
himself. OVE
Jerminus Court. 4411 / Beluine Rd. Banked! "Thark"
Court
Lieut.F.y. Grenfell, R. N. V.R.
Lost ship.
some commission the Roger He's class in a the this also so and the too. but get old if he went Over?
week,gecond stripe done him for
Avenue, Court, N.W.6
as On Active Service
R.N.V.R.
Sundowner believe ___???___
Esq.
times Went over several
Rd.Ruislip,Middx.
"Letitia"
the the the the this we but blooked from the mad a
Lost ship.? if
The about second was that of best he went over.
(Holborn)
"Spinaway"
yours
Scottie
Downing G.Kimber Dominions Esq. office Jemple Bar 9262
St.s.W.1 Esq.
(12.8.40) House,
4044) W.1
A.R. (now Zoccola abroad) Esq.
difficulties were experienced in regard littl that other side on the morning of the 31st th there was a bit of a breeze and a Ma;
"Bonny Heather"
the difficult to embark troops, except water on very the ship, during the previous night the used.
that it did not matter which side was first warned for duty, that the Navy collecte
(4) It is quite clear, from the time a
boats by way of intelligent anticipation, man

stron.
Reta.
$
is
Opans"
aconstent "Cons tant ship Nymph"
COCKFOSTERS, astended ApeT#
TELEPHONE:
HERTS.
Renarks. Bron ought $ off M.
RNET 3391.
Jan 18th. 1941 193
000T
Dear Luard,
Someone with an utterly indecipherabl name - I expect you know who it is, of
251 Upper Richmond Rd - and I expect I
know him but for the life of me I cant
January 1941
ship times over severel
11 Lost he went himself. ship Lost Over.? ship PO over but make it out.
He writes asking that I make up a story of the Dunkirk effort. He includes all sorts of butter about nothing being complete without the Sundowner in it. Well in compiling here it is for what it is worth.
One thing I would ask you and that on you the is to either let me have it back or make y one of our
"Bonny Heather".
me carbon in and the family says they want a copy. Like a fool I didnt put a over to Dunkirk, some sort of a record.
Roger kept command till he got his im his address commission and now has gone to one of
Over the "B" class commissioning this next
?
week. He's in command there also and gets old lly,
11
his second stripe right away. So the
Sundowner has done him a good turn too.
I'm doing his job for him here but believe me I would rather a thousand
Tax times be afloat, but the boys say its their turn this time. Perhaps there is cretary.
something in that, but boys did I enjoy the little effort over the other side.
The only thing both he and I were mad about was that we were blocked from a second run.
Cheerio and all of the best.
Yours very sincerely,
Nightoller the that difficulties other there side was were on a bit the experienced of of breeze in and regard a little boats first that the very ship, (4) it difficult warned did during It not for is to matter duty, quite the embark previous morning that clear, which troops, side from night of except the was the the 31st used. time water on May, the at was popple which lee so side smooth made on was of it by way of intelligent anticipation, the of which the us small were I

MEMORANDUM
from the Secretary, Little Ship Club,
Beaver Hall on Garlick Hill, London, E.C.4.
Telephone: CENtral 4660.
15th January 1941
Dear Lieut. Luard,
In the hope that it may help in compiling your narrative of Dunkirk I am sending you the enclosed which was sent to Mr. Quill by one of our members, Mr.A.R.Zoccola, owner of the "Bonny Heather".
Mr.Zoccola did not himself go over to Dunkirk, but if you care to communicate with him his address is Creek House, Shepperton, Middx.
Yours faithfully, h. Blaund
Assistant Secretary.
Lieut.W.B.Luard R.N. (Retd.)
14 Wood Lane,
Falmouth.
me address their the difficulties were other side was a experienced the mornips of in regard boats first that the very ship, (4) it by difficult warned did during It not for is to on duty, quite clear, side from and was the a used. little water on May, the was popple which lee so side smooth made on of it way of intelligent that the time at of the which us small were I was

COPY
act of letter from Lieut. Charles Waterland Read, R.N.
dated 11th Sept.1940.
" I was sent to Ramsgate for the Evacuation, and selected the BONNY
HEATHER myself as a leader of a Convoy of motor boats for the Beach work, and believe me the choice was justified, as of the whole lot attached to the Convoy we were the only one to finish the course throughout.
I'm afraid I am rather bad at descriptive accounts, but perhaps one day I may have the pleasure of meeting you and then probably be able to tell you more about the affair. This I can tell you, the
BONNY HEATHER behaved like a perfect lady in spite of theunusual treatment she received, and stood up to it like a trojan and never let us down - 7 complete round trips Ramsgate/Dunkirk after filling up
Transports (lying off) from the Beaches.
You say you heard third hand that we carried 80 men. I
don't know, of course, who told you that, but it was true on the last trip, but normally about 60. On one trip that we picked up survivors from the S.S. "Scotia" which was sunk by bombs, when full of French
Colonial tropps, we picked up the Chief Steward and 40 soldiers out of the water and with our own crew a total of 45 wet sodden men, some all in and they were lying about and not standing as soldiers were in goodish condition, so you can imagine what your little vessel had to put up with.
We tried to keep her in as good condition as possible under the circumstances from sheer admiration of the gallant little ship, which in my opinion deserves to carry the.C.colours.
I can't even begin to describe the Hell under which the operations were carried out - bombed, machine gunned, shelled, caught in parachute flares and bombed. - that little ship was certainly built
И
in a lucky zone, and dodging and twisting never once let us down, f
loaded as she was.
V
dt
Trusting I have not bored you with this account, which I
tl regret to say does not do justice to your famous little vessel. "
no
We
Th on iel ne
I S
is inf whi
S.V
a machine gun and ammunition on board.
masts and putting on quay and fixing machine gun on deck -
all ready to sail at 2.30 p.m. Orders came to proceed outside harbour at 4 p.m. to the Tug "SUN XV" to be towed across in company with other yachts. Three other yachts make fast astern of us, under way 6.35 p.m. Engines running at half-speed to ease the strain of the tow ropes. Slight swell. The tow ropes of two of the yachts broke and they were told to proceed on under own power. Arrived off Dunkin at 11.30 p.m. and cast off from Tug. Proceeded into Dunkir past the Mole, and up the Canal for about 2 miles. Moored alongside the quay and proceeded to take troops on board.
Could find no Englishmen so took on board 40 Frenchmen.