TNA MT 40 36 Pt 2

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CONVIODORE
COPY.
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H.M.S. "FORTE",
RECEIVED 27 16
C/o G.P.O.,
London.
11.9.40.
Dear Mr. Zoccola,
I have only to-day received your letter written on the 20th
August with your congratulations re Bar to my D.S.C., for which I
sincerely thank you.
Your letter had followed me all over the place - as I have
been attached to two ships since then, on escort and patrol work.
I was sent to Ramsgate for the Evacuation, and selected
the "Bonnie Heather" myself as 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 per-
haps 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
"Bonnie Heather" behaved like a perfect Lady - in spite of the unusual
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
troops, 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 con-
dition, 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 D.S.C. colors.
I can't even begin to describe the Hell under which the opera-
tions were carried out - bombed, machine gunned, shelled, caught in
parachute flares and bombed - that little ship was certainly built in
a lucky zone, and dodging and twisting never once let us down, loaded
as she was.
back that to few town of them VA very making folt regretfully able arrangements to by sign train. with on for employers, a month and etc. wont So
able seemed to warn me my too partners good to miss in any case, a month and I had with the
The to opportunity of playing boats for
or
Le
late in the afternoon Dockyard and interviewing mumerous signed on and
toured but there Sheerness was same difficulty that I in should getting be away for a bue bith Tic
to accurate be put 1dea what the job by was about and was 17.00 quite had formed people a TW was
the supervising off, the so fuel appealed and to the Commodore himself determined with few that
basin. Within half-an-hour victualling of explaining of the motor to
bo
night's