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right, and begged them to keep their seats.
By 2.30 we were loaded and almost ready for sea, when the raiders came back to pay us another visit - only three this time. Our troops
(about 2,500) were all lying down in saloons and staterooms, as they were dead tired. There was a large number on deck, as everywhere below decks was full up. We had also forty wounded on stretchers on the games deck.
After the raiders released all their bombs in this raid they machine-gunned xte the wounded on deck, one of whom was shot through the leg.
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One of the soldiers on the after well deck was using his Bren gun with good effect. He had two pals one feeding his gun and the other sitting
JOB
high up on the port crane with a pair of field glasses, spotting the Jerry planes. As soon as he saw one he shouted to the pal with the Bren gun, id
ID
"Here's a blue pencil coming, Jock! Let him have it!", and Jock did in good style. Jock had a shot at every plane that came over, and I understand he severely damaged two. Our chief officer and our gunner had hits on on several Jerry planes with their Lewis guns.
he it
About 3 o'clock we left the breakwater, but owing to the wind we is could not get the ship turned to the harbour entrance. We got the assistance ond
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of a patrol ship to push our stern round, but she cut the degaussing wire r, aft, which went on fire. Our chief officer and second engineer soon got
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ck it out. As soon as the electric current was switched off they sprayed the fire with the extinguishers which we had handy.
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We got outside the harbour about a quarter of a mile, and waited for a
, destroyer to escort us across channel, when we were bombed again. Our escort was also bombed and disabled, with quite a number killed and wounded, so we had to proceed alone.
I can hardly describe all the bombing, as we were attacked eight times e
e in as many hours. About half way across the channel I saw two British bombers and a Spitfire making for England. Between two and three miles behind them came a German bomber. He was passing over a British trawler and
, we expected him to swing over to us at any moment. He was about a mile on our port side. The trawler fired one shot which blew the plane out of the sky. The pilot baled out in his parachute. Our friend, the Bren gunner, had his gun trained on him, wishing he was within range. He remarked to me that the "blue pencil" Jerry would never reach the water alive, but the hn to trawler picked him up.
We arrived at Dover about 11 o'clock, just in time for another raid,
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but we got into harbour safely. I ordered my men to put on their life vests at the first raid, and handed out all the life-belts I had to the soldiers.
About half way across the channel, when things were quieter, I made tea and sandwiches for the wounded on deck and also for a number of the soldiers, and it was very welcome, as some of the poor fellows were starving.
Well, Mr Purvis, before I close I must tell you that all the officers and men behaved splendidly under most trying circumstances. I was at sea all the or last war, but never experienced anything like this. When the bombs exploded the blast and concussion damaged a large number of wash-basins and mirrors;
cups were thrown everywhere.
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We landed the last of our wounded about 5 a.m. I then set up a table in the dining-room and gave the officers a right good meal. We didn't go to
S
bed. I got my men to clean up the ship in case we would be required again, not knowing the extent of the damage to our ship. I went round my men and
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asked them if they would go back with me; the answer was, "Sure, sure!".
Well, Mr Purvis, I hope you are well. I will be glad to hear from you soon.
Yours faithfully,
(Signed) Mathew Pandelus,
Chief Steward.

OTH
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barl first decent rest for days, three German batteries of six inch sht
30%
TOTAL
guns opened fire on us. The first shot fell just short of the port wing of the bridge. We immediately put the ship astern on to the
STATE
shore and increased speed and zigzagged. Our engineers rendered yeoman service by belching out smoke in an effort to form a screen.
This manoeuvring also caused a certain amount of anxiety owing to the fact that we were sailing over sand banks out of a swept channel, and we were not degaussed. In all, about ninety shots were fired, and the whole action lasted about forty minutes. It
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is with great regret that we have to report that one shell registered a hit on the after end of the boat deck, and falling amongst a group of men, killed eight and wounded thirty. We happened to have one R.A.M.C. doctor on board, and he tackled his task with great zeal, and very mediocre assistance from our
Medicine Chest, as gunshot wounds and the dressings thereof are not included in the Board of Trade statutes!
About a quarter of an hour after the shelling had ceased, and we were once more breathing more or less freely, an enemy aircraft appeared overhead and let a burst of machine gun fire just over our masts. We manned our Lewis guns and waited to welcome the raider on his next round, but to our great delight a
Spitfire came right out of the clouds on to the German's tail, and giving him a good burst of his guns sent the enemy crashing in flames into the sea, on our port side, about 600 yards away. We did not dally any further to look for survivors.
Later, in response to our wireless signals sent out during the bombardment by the shore batteries, three of our bombers appeared and escorted us. After flying round a bit they indicated to us to alter course, which we did, and eventually sighted a raft bearing one French Officer and two Belgian soldiers. The raft, when we got alongside of it, was a very flimsy affair, made of old wood and an old door. The commissariat of the raft was most complete -
two tins of biscuits and six demi johns of wine. Also, carefully lashed on the raft was a bicycle of ancient vintage. We picked up the occupants, and the troops had extreme difficulty in explaining that they could not accommodate the bicycle, but could manage to find efficient storage for the demi johns. In the finish we didn't get either.
On proceeding, quietness reigned, and never to any of the crew have the white cliffs of Dover looked so welcome as when se they loomed up through a slight haze. We steamed into Dover Harbour g
and alongside the quay, discharged our troops, and landed the killed and wounded. When this was accomplished, we went to the oil jetty, and had to wait for several hours while other ships were bunkering.
This did not really cause a great deal of inconvenience, as, in the manner of all good sailor men we turned in and slept.
So ended an episode of the "KILLARNEY" at Dunkirk.
R. HUGHES. Master.
G.H. Clark. CHIEF OFFICER.
infor the Ministry) managed by
Lowed ing the
GS and our entrance enemy
Newman of bombs. A call for assistance an escort the British of Mission two destroyers had previously would be waiting for the me aircraft off the consisting port. This attack lasted for half an hour when returned to Ostend.