TNA ADM 334 83

ONTINUATION SHEET No 2.
starting our trip from our own moorings to Dunkirk as the troops started their retreat towards the coast. At the portion of the beach on which I was working, the troops had only arrived about the time we got there and we did not know as'a fact whether they were there or whether Jerry was there until we had been to find out.
(5) -- I think this point has been covered in the
Notes. I think everybody who took a motor boat to that
Show will agree with me the Navy, in all ranks and ratings, exhibited an astonishing degree of courtesy, tact and efficiency, the supplies of petrol, water and provisions in suitable containers were awaiting us at
Sheerness and Ramsgate, there was ample of everything and no time was wasted in getting it on board, the raw meat and potatoes issued at Sheerness were not very suitable but there were ample dry rations issued at the same time and at Ramsgate there was a properly devised motor boat scheme of rationing with suitable articles that involved very little cooking.
At Sheerness all the fueling, watering and provisioning was done in the Basin where we assembled and all the stuff was brought there. At Ramsgate there were dumps of fuel andwwater at various points round the harbour as well as the two petrol pumps of the harbour's normal equipment. Provisions were drawn from the pier head at
Ramsgate but it only took about five minutes to collect what you wanted. There was no red tape, no formality, the Navy gave you the number of ratings for crew that you asked for, they simply said "How many do you want" and detailed them accordingly. When you wanted provisions you just went in and said how many you had on the boat and were provisioned accordingly without any delay. What the official rating of a"charge hand'is I do not know,
I gathered that he ranks as a sort of Petty Officer, but my own experience, and that of others with whom I
have spoken of the motor boat owner-masters, was that we were invariably treated as if we were officers.
As an example I may say that I was taken off to the
Captain's quarters on Laudania to be fed when I was ordered off duty and made the return trip to England in the combined bridge and chart room.
Cairngorm On reporting back at Sheerness with my crew on
I had to make a report on my movements to the Commander-in-Gharge of the motor boats there and I
had to add a report on the conduct of my crew, a thing which I had not presumed to do, considering they were regular naval ratings. The two boys who crewed on my own boat had been four months in the navy and neither of them had ever been to sea and were stoker ratings anyway, but they got down to it like ducks to water, one of them was a natural steersman, and worked steadily and efficiently throughout, reporting everything that they saw and never making a mess with the ropes, even in the dark.
Yours sincerely,

THE
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Birth the it Officers' pistols and the A.A.Lewis guns were unable but to
On two the way back to England we avoided a floating-mine, drifting pop so we informed another ship that was outward bound and it was duly popped in due course.
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in the flbator nor the popping of it, it was first sighted on
The troops on board Laudania evinced no interest whatsoever off and passed behind it, the troops evidently regarded this as our starboard bady and as the tide was running that way we sheered up to see what happened to it.
entirely a naval matter and I do not think any of them even got
He whole course from Rams gate to
Off the Foreland we enquired of the local Policeman, a
Dunkirk waslike gentleman in his shirt-sãeeves on a drifter, as to which port the main strat would take us and were sent to Margate. Three other ships and
1: busy town.
two destroyers also had loads for Margate and we eventually saffee sweral tied up outside two destroyers and landed the whole issue abreast going each across each ethar about 17.30 on 31.24 may way.
I reported to the Naval Office with my crew of two and we were promptly put in a taxi and sent back to our own port at
Ramsgate, a matter of a few minutes which might have been a dreary Journey by train. As throughout, there was no red tape in the Navy at all, they had ready everything that was necessary and our general instructions were that if we were in any sort of trouble we could close any ship we saw as it would be one of ours.
On arrival at Ramsgate I reported to the Commander = the
Naval Office and within five minutes my crew had been taken off to the temporary barracks established by the Harbour and I was on my way to getting a bed for the night inaan Hotel.
On Saturday, 1st June, I reported at Pier Head abouto9.
and asked for another boat and before lunch time had taken over one which had only been brought into Ramsgate that morning and german put her into commission with a new crew. This boat was an old
Admiral's barge from the last war, to which the only conversion of any importance seemed to be that the steam engine had been fitted where the original funnel existed. The engine was a fourtaken out and a petrol engine substituted, a dummy funnel being cylinder engine with cylinders of enormous size, it had no self-starter and worked with a clutch, being in fact a lorry engine. The engine was a brute to start and the gear lever required a strong man to put it into any position, but the engine was started and run over for a few minutes by the man who stated that he had brought the ship round from the Thames pressing. and he assured me that it was good for 12 knots without undue is not got been over my new crew had
As we were all anxious to go over again, but I did not relish in fact.
the idea of being towed any more, the prospect of being able to in about six hours each way was very welcome, and I decided that go over under my own steam at 12 knots and so make the journey on this occasion we would do what most of the larger motor boats had been doing, namely run over under our own steam, pick up a boat-load and come back with them. I was informed that the new boat only drew 3'2" so that it would be quite possible for the troops to get to the boat without swimming. This still did not strike me as being a very efficient method of getting the troops off but I felt that some real work had been done with Constant
Nymph and I had been informed that morning shat 187, 000 were this boat could already off so that I felt justified in indulging in something men should think have taken 35
more in the nature of a pienic, especiably as cigarettes and other little comforts had been provided on the boat by the owner for the rescued troops. We had already victualled the boat and obtained our water supplies and directly after lunch we cast off to go across the Harbour and get petrol, having as a quite unauthorised passenger an old member of my own Club who

of
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was wanted down to there the as correspondent for a well-known who konked out within this a wretched boat in the Government the only effort made see by show for himself. This was about paper and
TO
bing it ourselves, could rowing boat to come out and fetch off ships and get a anchor to prevent drifting other refused fire so I had to few yards of leaving moorings and service, it to course.
should report the trouble. Within an hour, a me good deal so that I
and Sub-Lieutenant, R.N., two Petty Officers Artificers R.N.V.R., an Engineer say, we had an Engineer-Lieutenant Commander, less I
engine one trouble. leading Artificer, investigating the question of our dripping stoker away, and here I rather suspect the activities simply of
One not unimportant item was that the magneto was with using the oil can I know, but he seemed to be quite familiar had rating who was the senior again of my crew, who my been oil the petrol engines and I certainly did not see him to face magneto, but I noticed a change of expression trying oil. when the Mag. was detached and found to be actually on his by which Thames as the experts worked on her until 20.00 that from night, the that boat was ever brought round to Ramsgate to me This, that however, was not the only trouble and it is a mystery oozing take engine running again. We raised anchor and started we to got the time they had succeeded in getting a spark, and was no between two ships at anchor and opening throttle, a there right space so long as we were going dead slow but on getting all clear her for a trial run round the harbour. This went clutch increase in speed but a most terrible noise from engine identified the engine on sight as a very old very Camel amused, he had who was with me on the little bridge was
Commanded which was obviously slipping badly. The Engineer-Lieutenart the of neutral the clutch lever and putting the gear lever my in efforts at joggling converted and I think he realised that all Lorry was pretty were not going to have the least effect as the and out be done hopeless. As it was quite clear that thing to the except move her ahead at dead slow, I brought nothing her could over side and tied up out of the fairway.
were kept my foot being secured, I had, as an additional precaution, ropes
While already the gear was in neutral and the fore and aft down on the hard down on the clutch pedal which out with deck, so that the clutch should have was right commenced a to good deal to spare; in spite of this she been suddenly well most joggling, or verification of the fact that the clutch go gently astern and " no amount of unsafe in she started to go slowly ahead. It was a or two clearly when in neutral, seemed to have any effect gear for lever moment was at all so I a crowded harbour to have this wretched clearly and have her called down to the stoker to switch off engine the engine running worked to get her tied up securely. Again the was required manhandled for the little adjustment that was that they took down pretty well everything. The Sunday, final 2nd
June, on her until 22.30 that night and all day engineers to the engine was worth about £10 and it would report four found myself living on a house boat with my own about it and repair I it. so they did not propose to do any more cost £20
whose ratings and a lodger in the shape of another stoker crew rating of had original boat had been lost somehow with his kit. He been supplied with a new kit at Merrie England, the temporary thought he Naval might barracks, as well throw and being in his a luck friend with of my us. stoker rating by contingents were being brought off from Dunkirk Jetty itself last
By this time the beach show was well over and the destroyers, etc., this being a deep water job.
last lunch on Sunday that volunteers were wanted to just before
There time was a rumour round the harbour precincts of the Dunkirk troops off the Jetty, this cleared fetch all the the

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was in spite far too of a bit of rope round her port
There was a much north rope at Dunkirk, made excellent propeller, there of lop which easterly breeze blowing which headway.
Foreland, a this was was on our starboard was on the raised course a bit the circumstances. just where it was not wanted under the to was she was at the bottom over the main flapping Most of loose the battens carried away and the uanvas patching dry damagerabove water line and she would have quantities been as the bad still only making water in very small damage but as as a chip in reasonably smooth water.
wind without shipping too much and that we should then Foreland
We calculated that we could get round the case and water pretty well astern, and this proved have to the was a so fair that we shipped no more water after that though be there the amount of motion for a time.
point angle of of the light on the water semmed about outside at the Dunkirk, but it was a sunny day and a course just
We had a chart, but no compass, owing to the bomb splinter measure no the dividers on board but using a piece of our to
We had fact we picked up every buoy directly on right. course. In distance on the chart between two string she must found that we were doing approximately 15 knots of the chart, comparing this with the Atitude scale on the buoys bottom and we had to have averaged about 12 knots for the trip and
Soon after go a bit easy before we had rounded the Foreland. although busy drifters we had got through the boom one of the let her which, come as usual, we or uld not read, but we eased signal lamp came pounding after us, flicking her usually a bit, nearer and, as was off to up to and he tell the drifter all he wanted to know patch, about this us seemed to drifter a fine view of our flapping starboard, gave the we gave Cairngorm a bit of a sheer to our starboard which just waved a hand and turned back.
reported Commander about 20.00. As soon as we had reported our crew
We tied up in the motor boat basin, landed and
Mess for yet, and finding this was not so, enquired book us into if we the had dined in charge of the motor boats, he to the dinner at once.
chased the 7th I was duly examined by the Medical Friday
We slept June on board Cairngorn that night, and on
Dunkirk leave. as from the date of expiration of my three days'
signed about off, to two or three different individuals Officer and eventually and
For I this extremely pleasant outing, in the best of all company, was paid at the magnificent rate of £23 & month good and found, as Master of a vessel.
uniform, naval discipline, rohort periods are not provided with under
These temporary employees of the navy, signed on
Club and are not bound to wear any uniform, so one any down as England, and a heap of people who had Thames, and south-east caps and Jackets of nearly every Yacht Club in the saw the met board, I wore them the whole time and club cap they and reefer were. As on I always keep my ship clothes, just including come commissions in the R.N.V.R.
several other members of the Club who had got their