← Document collections
TNA / Unclassified 1

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 Leader. Tags are exact matches from this collection’s OCR tag index. Clear vessel filter ×
Showing only document page 241. Show all matching pages ×

1 matching pages. OCR may contain transcription errors.

List page 1 of 1 Showing document pages 241–241 of this collection
Page ImageOCR textOCR tags
241 Page 241 Log in to enlarge

179
difficult as the beach is very into flat the and there was a and as soon as a few assistance men got of some of Whaler the she surf my crew with the managed to get her afloat troops two up to their armpits and two of my crew on board in to and float two of with my 15 crew men in there the were dinghy, only the three whaler was got a great struggle got as board I sent the whaler oars in it, alongside these another men load, were the dinghy on arrived back with 1 and dinghy soon ashore getting her off the beach these men she were capsized being in got the surf but wortunate she was righted, as out to sea to wait for on board bombed so I stood out bombing us but a lull, one mark, as soon as out to steamed back for of us and followed us I deemed it advisable they I fell very wide
I saw the whaler heading only. bring us-they nine had had great fficult the getting off and could men off, as it was by
2115 and the bombing had restarted I thought it advisable now underway; I had been afraid to stop engines all day as SI knew to would be almost impossible to re-start as our air compressor had given out; one engine actually stopped but was got going after a short while,- I had the whaler cast adrift as I knew it drfft ashore and some more men would be able to get off to the that were waiting to take them off, my only regret was being to embark the remaining 14 men from this party.
I got underway at 2145 with my own dinghy in tow as I did want to waste time getting her hoisted, as soon as we were clea of the bombing outside Dunkirk roads I stopped the ship and the dinghy which was by now almost full of water.
When in position approximately 51 degrees 15' N. 1 degreep at 2300 a bomber flew very low over us I did not open fire as not want to give away our position, soón after this I reduced so as not to close the North Goodwin Light Vessel much before dawn, not wish to anchor as my windlass would not work, also I had to engines running, at 0430 I got away from the North Goodwin Light
Vessel and proceeded to the Nore and closed B.V. 10 tolreport to
Sheerness, just about this time my engineman reported that he have to stop the Starboard engine as it had water in the oil was afraid it would seize up, also that the Port engine was not running too well. We tied up in Sheerness at 0825.
The whole of my crew behaved in an exemplary manner, they continually on duty during the whole period, gave over their accommodation to the soldiers and fitted them out in dry clothe did what they could for them.
I should like to mention O.S. John Philip Chable the
Mead, for his unfailing help during specially the whole period and and efficient way in which he embarked the troops.
S.V.G.L. Cyril George Dunley for the cool manner in which engaged the German aeroplanes which attacked us.
from the time we left William the North Damerell, for Light not Vessel back
Engineman James the to eng and in managing to keep the engines Goodwin running.
Commissioned I should like to recommend O.S. Charles Mead for promoti and Ocean navigated rank, his own he has 18 ton a lot of and has Racing Club, has had cutter
Somerset. had a public school several education
I am te sure he would make splendid leader of men.
SGD. HUBERT E. WIGFUND.
Lieutenant R.N. V.R.

Raw OCR

Unformatted machine-generated OCR for document page 241.

179
difficult as the beach is very into flat the and there was a
and as soon as a few assistance men got of some of Whaler the she surf
my crew with the managed to get her afloat troops two
up to their armpits and two of my crew on board in
to and float two of with my 15 crew men in there the were dinghy, only the three whaler was got
a great struggle got as board I sent the whaler oars in it, alongside
these another men load, were the dinghy on arrived back with 1 and dinghy soon ashore
getting her off the beach these men she were capsized being in got the surf but wortunate
she was righted, as out to sea to wait for on board
bombed so I stood out bombing us but a lull, one
mark, as soon as out to steamed back for of
us and followed us I deemed it advisable they I fell very wide
I saw the whaler heading only. bring us-they nine had had great fficult the
getting off and could men off, as it was by
2115 and the bombing had restarted I thought it advisable now
underway; I had been afraid to stop engines all day as SI knew to
would be almost impossible to re-start as our air compressor
had given out; one engine actually stopped but was got going
after a short while,- I had the whaler cast adrift as I knew it
drfft ashore and some more men would be able to get off to the
that were waiting to take them off, my only regret was being
to embark the remaining 14 men from this party.
I got underway at 2145 with my own dinghy in tow as I did
want to waste time getting her hoisted, as soon as we were clea
of the bombing outside Dunkirk roads I stopped the ship and
the dinghy which was by now almost full of water.
When in position approximately 51 degrees 15' N. 1 degreep
at 2300 a bomber flew very low over us I did not open fire as
not want to give away our position, soón after this I reduced
so as not to close the North Goodwin Light Vessel much before dawn,
not wish to anchor as my windlass would not work, also I had to
engines running, at 0430 I got away from the North Goodwin Light
Vessel and proceeded to the Nore and closed B.V. 10 tolreport to
Sheerness, just about this time my engineman reported that he
have to stop the Starboard engine as it had water in the oil
was afraid it would seize up, also that the Port engine was not
running too well. We tied up in Sheerness at 0825.
The whole of my crew behaved in an exemplary manner, they
continually on duty during the whole period, gave over their
accommodation to the soldiers and fitted them out in dry clothe
did what they could for them.
I should like to mention O.S. John Philip Chable the
Mead, for his unfailing help during specially the whole period and
and efficient way in which he embarked the troops.
S.V.G.L. Cyril George Dunley for the cool manner in which
engaged the German aeroplanes which attacked us.
from the time we left William the North Damerell, for Light not Vessel back
Engineman James the to eng
and in managing to keep the engines Goodwin running.
Commissioned I should like to recommend O.S. Charles Mead for promoti
and Ocean navigated rank, his own he has 18 ton a lot of
and has Racing Club, has had cutter
Somerset. had a public school several education
I am te sure he would make splendid leader of men.
SGD. HUBERT E. WIGFUND.
Lieutenant R.N. V.R.