TNA MT 40 36 Pt 2

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"ADVANCE"
DUNKIRK.
5.
man floating, so went to pick him up; McGuffie remaining in whaler
in charge of her and the remaining troops. Piercy and a gun-layer
who had remained with us, (name unknown) had some difficulty in
getting this man on board, as he was wearing full equipment and
a great-coat; so Dick left the wheel temporarily to help. The man
turned out to be a middle-aged infantry Captain, and appeared to
have a broken thigh. He fainted after we got him on board.
Went alongside an escort vessel and got the man on to a stretcher
and on board her, assisted by two ratings who remained with us
afterwards.
McGuffie had also got the whaler alongside this vessel, and had
unloaded his men, so took him in tow, and returned to the beach to
fill up again. Did not take 'Advance' close in, as we had touched
several times, previously, and were worried about possible damage
to propeller, etc.
As we got clear again great aerial activity began, so decided
that it would be safer to keep clear of all ships for the time
being. Stood out.
A bomb fell close to our starboard side, shaking us considerably;
when we had got to our feet again,we saw that, though there were no
casualties, the whaler's seams had opened up, owing to the con-
cussion, and she was sinking rapidly. Stopped and took the men out
of her and abandoned.
Without the tow, we could make better speed away from the bombed
area, and were able to investigate the damage to 'Advance'.
She appeared to have been considerably strained, and was making
a certain amount of water but the only hole found was about six
or eight inches above the water-line.
After things had quietened a little, returned and got out men
into a transport.
After this we made no attempt to use a boat of our own, but
picked up anything we could find near the beach, whalers, pontoons,
rafts, shore boats, and even bathing floats and canoes; taking
the men from them to the nearest ship of any sort that we could
find. (Including a heavily laden motor boat (broken down) from
one of H.M. Ships.)
After several trips of this sort, we realised that we had drifted
rather far to the East, i.e. into Belgium, so we picked up several
pontoons with a view to towing them further West, to where they
SHOTO
120 in their pockets was
The
medical men, attention. whom they transferred express to a French Trawler
on
due
that day's day, rest. so they Daylight returned prevented to England, them reaching and Dunkirk
but a were unable to Following remove this they again went were to allowed Dunkirk
to and England. bombing, there were none any on troops the beach, as, owing so they to shelling returned