TNA MT 40 36 Pt 2

BONNIE HEATHER
Cable Address:-
CREEK HOUSE
ARZOC LONDON
SHEPPERTON
Telephone:-
MIDDLESEX
WALTON ON THAMES 364
26th September, 1940.
The Director of Sea Transport,
Ministry of Shipping (H.O.),
19
Berkeley Square House,
Berkeley Square,
W.1.
RECEIVED
the
Dear Sir,
18/12/11
In reply to your circular headed T.0.9144/STN.6B, I
have been fortunate enough to receive from Lieut. Charles
Waterland Read, D.S.C., R.N.R., who was in charge of my boat
BONNY HEATHER at Dunkirk a very interesting account of his activities in this connection, and I presume that I am entitled, without his permission, since it is difficult to get in touch with him, to send you on a copy of the relevant parts of his letter for the purpose you indicate.
Hape
In view of the remarks contained in this letter and the fact that the boat is still retained by your Ministry, I am wondering whether it would not be possible to have the Ministry take over the ship outright and compensate me for its approximate value.
You will appreciate that, being paid the sum of £9. a month for the hire of it (of which I have so far received one month) is not entirely adequate in view of the fact that I have still to pay the balance of an account of nearly £50. spent on the boat to put it into commission at the beginning of the season, apart from the original cost of the boat itself.
Any suggestions that you would care to make as to the quarters to whom I should address any representations on these lines would be greatly appreciated.
We
Yours truly, headers body Twousd ust suggest ther unless I meded the money - to pay Toures!
currey
VA
back that to few town of them very masing felt regretfully able arrangements to by sign train. with on for employers, a month and etc. wont so able seemed The to warn my partners to playing miss in boats any case, for a month and I had with the or
Le late in the afternoon Dockyard and interviewing mumorous people on and toured but there Sheerness was some difficulty that in I should getting be signed away for a bith bue The to accurate be put idea off, what so appealed the job by to was about and was 17.00 quite had determined formed a TW that was the supervising basin. the fuel and victualling the Commodore of himself be with few
Within half-an-hour of explaining the motor to night's

DUNKIRK CLAIMS COMMITTEE.
205
given sailing directions and told to join a convoy which had left an hour previously with "Queen Boadicea"
and "Queen of the Thames". Before leaving, the Officer in charge kindly agreed to send telegrams to our respective wives that we would not be home for a day or two.
We set off at full speed and enquired of the Nore Lightship if they had seen the convoy, but without success, so
Horse Gore and South Channels we proceeded via the Cant. Four Fathoms/ and passed a convoy of about six vessels, but they were bound for Ramsgate.
We arrived off Margate without having seen our convoy and as our compass has not been adjusted and could not be relied upon, we reported at Margate to Commander
Stanslet, the Naval Officer in charge, who instructed us to proceed to Ramsgate. About 6 p.m. we arrived at
Ramsgate and reported to the Officer in charge, and were supplied with steel helmets and life belts, and were instructed to join a convoy leaving Ramsgate the following day; having no facilities for sleeping on board, we stayed the night at an Hotel adjoining the harbour.
On Thursday the 30th May, before we left Ramsgate a number of Naval Ratings whose boats had broken down were endeavouring to obtain berths as additional crews on boats which were leaving for Dunkirk, so we consented to take with us a man called McPherson who, I understood, had once been in the Naval Air Force and was a very useful man. At 6.45 p.m. on the same day we joined a convoy of ten craft headed by "Bonny Heather" all towing ship's boats, and proceeded on a coursefor Dunkirk.
At 8 p.m. the engine started to falter, the cause obviously being a failure of the petrol supply. I stopped the engine and disconnected the petrol pipes and endeavoured to clear the obstruction, and had the engine going again in about 25 minutes.
-2-