TNA / Unclassified 1

TNA Unclassified 1

Collection details

TNA Unclassified 1

A working collection of Operation Dynamo source material whose definitive National Archives catalogue reference is still being identified.

Holding archive: TNA
Collection reference: Unclassified 1

Source: The National Archives, Kew, Unclassified 1. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing only pages tagged with the vessel name Alice. Tags are exact matches from this collection’s OCR tag index. Clear vessel filter ×

Showing only document page 56. Show all matching pages ×

1 matching pages. OCR may contain transcription errors.

List page 1 of 1 Showing document pages 56–56 of this collection

A note about image and OCR quality

Every reasonable effort has been made to present these document images as flat, straight and accurately cropped as possible. Historical records can be difficult to photograph or scan because of tight bindings, deep gutters, page curvature, folds, creases, fragile paper, uneven edges, shadows, glare, skewed pages, fading, stains, tears, attachments and restrictions on how a document may be handled. These conditions can distort parts of an image and consequently affect the OCR transcription.

Considerable post-production work has been undertaken to crop, align, flatten and enhance the images where practicable, but the results represent our best effort rather than exact facsimiles. Text showing through from the reverse of a page, printed backgrounds, stamps, ruled lines, marks and text visible from neighbouring pages may confuse or spoil OCR output. Handwriting is not reliably recognised and, in most places, may be missing, incomplete or incorrectly transcribed. Always check the page image and, where accuracy matters, consult the original record held by the identified archive.

OCR is not a transcription. It is machine-generated text used to create research tags and help locate names and references within the source images; it should not be read as a verified narrative.

Page	Image	OCR text	OCR tags
56	Log in to enlarge	SECRET Dynamo.205. 6 Cofor 6 SUBJECT LETTER OF PROCEEDINGS. FROM THE COMMANDING OFFICER, H.M.S. ABEL TASMAN. DATE.... 7th June 1940. No. TO THE COMMODORE, R.N. BARRACKS, PORTSMOUTH. Submitted: The following letter of proceedings of H.M. Ships KAAP-FALGA and ABEL TASMAN, in accordance with your verbal instructions. 2. KAAP-FAIGA - Sunday 26th May 2030. Sailed from Southampton for Dover for orders. Monday 27th May 1600. Arrived Dover Roads at 1900 was ordered to proceed to Downs for a route to La Panne. 2050. Sailed for La Panne. Tuesday 28th May 0800. Arrived at La Panne and anchored near ABEL TASMAN who was beached broadside on and unloading ammunition. We started unloading our deck cargo and landed part of it in the ships boats. At 1300 I went ashore with Lieutenant Slater, Commanding H.M.S. ALICE to see the authorities ashore about what they wanted done. We met Lieutenant Commander Crick, commanding H.M.S. ABEL TASMAN, who told us he was evacuating troops and we should do the same when we had discharged some of our cargo. At 1400, the three ships were attacked by 20 German bombers, who dropped High Explosive and incendiary bombs and machine gunned the ships and troops on the beach. The ships were not hit by bombs except one incendiary which fell in the hold of ABRL TASHAN and luckily did not ignite. There were several Army casualties and the following Naval casualties from machine gunning:- Killed Fred. K. Brown, A.B. Wounded - Lieut. Commander T. Crick, R.N. Lieutenant Griffiths, R.N.V.R. (Died) Lieutenant Griffiths has since died of his wounds. All were from ABEL TASMAN. The two wounded officers were very efficiently dealt with and taken to the first aid post by Petty Officer v.c. Harding, the Coxswain and E.R.A. Shorthose the E.R.A. of ABEL TASMAN. At this time I was still ashore with the Colonel of R.A.S.C. and Lieutenant Slater. I saw Lieutenant Commander Crick and took command of the Slater to appoint his First Lieutenant, Lieutenant Wykeham-Martin three ships. I appointed myself to ABEL TASMAN and told Lieut. as Commanding Officer KAAP-FALGA. Lieutenant Slater then went down the beach to Bray with the Adjutant R.A.S.C. to arrange about unloading KAAP-FALGA and ALICE there. The embarkation started at 1530 with tide rising fast. At 1700 KAAP-FALGA and ALICE floated and got under way. I hailed ALICE and passed a grass for him to tow my stern off. There were no anchors laid out from ABEL TASMAN and I had no hands to and I removed my grass. By this time I was manoeuvring the lay them out in the time: vis. H.W. 1745. ALICE then broke down engines and the ship was becoming water borne. The next time I had a moment to spare I saw ALICE's crew in her boats and rowing over to KAAP-FALGA who was about eight cables to seaward of me have to. We hailed them and tried to signal but no notice was taken. I was then hailed by Lieutenant	Abel Tasman Adjutant Aid Alice Broke Commodore Brown Crick Dover Griffiths Martin May Roads Slater Wykeham-Martin

Raw OCR

Unformatted machine-generated OCR for document page 56.

SECRET
Dynamo.205.
6
Cofor
6
SUBJECT LETTER OF PROCEEDINGS.
FROM THE COMMANDING OFFICER, H.M.S. ABEL TASMAN.
DATE .... 7th June 1940.
No.
TO THE COMMODORE, R.N. BARRACKS, PORTSMOUTH.
Submitted:
The following letter of proceedings of H.M. Ships
KAAP-FALGA and ABEL TASMAN, in accordance with your verbal
instructions.
2. KAAP-FAIGA - Sunday 26th May 2030. Sailed from
Southampton for Dover for orders.
Monday 27th May 1600. Arrived Dover Roads
at 1900 was ordered to proceed to Downs for a route to La Panne.
2050. Sailed for La Panne.
Tuesday 28th May 0800. Arrived at La Panne
and anchored near ABEL TASMAN who was beached broadside on and
unloading ammunition.
We started unloading our deck cargo and landed part of it in
the ships boats.
At 1300 I went ashore with Lieutenant Slater, Commanding
H.M.S. ALICE to see the authorities ashore about what they wanted
done.
We met Lieutenant Commander Crick, commanding H.M.S. ABEL
TASMAN, who told us he was evacuating troops and we should do the
same when we had discharged some of our cargo.
At 1400, the three ships were attacked by 20 German bombers,
who dropped High Explosive and incendiary bombs and machine gunned
the ships and troops on the beach. The ships were not hit by
bombs except one incendiary which fell in the hold of ABRL TASHAN
and luckily did not ignite. There were several Army casualties
and the following Naval casualties from machine gunning :-
Killed Fred. K. Brown, A.B.
Wounded - Lieut. Commander T. Crick, R.N.
Lieutenant Griffiths, R.N.V.R.
(Died)
Lieutenant Griffiths has since died of his wounds. All
were from ABEL TASMAN.
The two wounded officers were very efficiently dealt with and
taken to the first aid post by Petty Officer v.c. Harding, the
Coxswain and E.R.A. Shorthose the E.R.A. of ABEL TASMAN.
At this time I was still ashore with the Colonel of R.A.S.C.
and Lieutenant Slater.
I saw Lieutenant Commander Crick and took command of the
Slater to appoint his First Lieutenant, Lieutenant Wykeham-Martin
three ships. I appointed myself to ABEL TASMAN and told Lieut.
as Commanding Officer KAAP-FALGA. Lieutenant Slater then went
down the beach to Bray with the Adjutant R.A.S.C. to arrange about
unloading KAAP-FALGA and ALICE there.
The embarkation started at 1530 with tide rising fast. At
1700 KAAP-FALGA and ALICE floated and got under way. I hailed
ALICE and passed a grass for him to tow my stern off. There
were no anchors laid out from ABEL TASMAN and I had no hands to
and I removed my grass. By this time I was manoeuvring the
lay them out in the time: vis. H.W. 1745. ALICE then broke down
engines and the ship was becoming water borne.
The next time I had a moment to spare I saw ALICE's crew in
her boats and rowing over to KAAP-FALGA who was about eight
cables to seaward of me have to. We hailed them and tried to
signal but no notice was taken. I was then hailed by Lieutenant