TNA MT 40 36 Pt 2

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ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION.
77
SERVICES OF THE MARGATE MOTOR LIFE-BOAT, "LORD SOUTHBOROUGH",
IN CONNEXION ITH THE EVACUATION OF DUNKIRK.
Report by the Honorary Secretary, Mr. P.E.V. Gellatly, The Cottage
Bridge Road, Margate.
On the morning of the 30th ultimo an official from the Admiralty
telephoned the Coxswain asking him if he and the Crew were
prepared to go to Dunkirk to bring off troops. To this request
the Coxswain at once complied. He was then told to report to the
Senior Naval Officer at Margate, this he did and was told to
accompany an Admiralty motor barge which towed the Life-boat
across the Channel to save petrol. About midnight the Admiralty
barge in trying to find the shore at Dunkirk ran aground, the
Life-boat tried, unsuccessfully, to tow her off, and the Commander
then asked the Coxswain to run a stern anchor and wire away which
he did. This manoeuvre managed to get the barge afloat. The
Coxswain then decided to go into the shore, he soon heard shouts
and came across some French troops. These were taken aboard the
Life-boat and were then transferred to the Admiralty barge. The
S
barge Commander then asked the Coxswain to find some English troops.
The Coxswain went into the shore again and found some English
troops which were taken aboard the Life-boat and these were
transferred to the barge. These troops informed the Coxswain
that there were two stretcher cases on the beach and could they be
rescued. The Coxswain said this would be possible if they could be
brought off to the Life-boat. The Life-boat went into the sands
again and was this time joined by a naval boat from a destroyer and
this boat brought the two stretcher cases to the Life-boat, which
after filling up with more English troops transferred all aboard to
the barge. The Life-boat then went in again and loaded un with
troops and returned to the barge whose Commander told the Coxswain
to take the troops to a destroyer. This was done. The Life-boat
went into the sands on several more occasions and transferred many
B.E.F. troops to the destroyer. The weather became bad with a
fresh N.W. wind making a surf on the shore so that the troops were
unable to reach the Life-boat, and they were being drowned between
the Life-boat and the shore and the Life-boat was unable to give
them any assistance. Owing to these circumstances the Life-boat
drew away from the shore and came across some men on 3 rafts who
Date were trying to pull off on to an Admiralty barge by means of a
rope but they were being washed off the rafts, one of which
capsized. With very great difficulty the Life-boat managed to
rescue those washed off together with the occupants of the other
two rafts. All these men were transferred to the destroyer.
During this operation the Coxswain was told by the Captain of the
destroyer to lay off as his ship was being attacked by aircraft.
By this time all the boats from the destroyers and other vessels
were washed up on the Dunkirk Sands full of water, and as it was
impossible on account of the draft of the Life-boat to do any
more, the Life-boat set off for Margate. The Life-boat's
activities were close to Neiuport (?) and on the homeward journey
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