TNA Unclassified 1

208
195
my left foot.
especially as I was partially incapacitated by a wound on
As we were a long way from the French coast I decided that there was very little chance of HAIG falling into enemy hands and that no doubt help would soon be forthcoming in reply to the wireless message I had asked X440 to send.
I hauled down HAIG's ensign and took it aboard LADY CABLE and we tried to make towards the English coast. Unfortunately the engine kept stopping and we made very slow progress and finally nothing would make our engine start again. We drifted helplessly for several hours and then sighted a Bell
Buoy which I believe may have been the N.W. Goodwin Bell
Buoy, but we did not get close enough to make sure. At last we sighted a warship and waved HAIG's White Ensign to try to attract stention. We were seen and the ship altered course towards us and came up close to LADY CABLE. She was the French transport ROUEN of Dieppe and was packed with troops from Dunkirk. An officer asked what I wanted and I
told him that we were broken down and asked to be taken aboard. To my surprise my appeal was met with a blunt
"No" - with no explanation, and the ROUEN steamed away.
My crew and I felt angry at this in view of the fact that we had rescued over 200 French soldiers during the night.
No doubt the ROUEN had good reasons for not taking us aboard but no explanation was given and I would like if possible to discover why she was unable to help us.
Luckily another ship some considerable distance away had noticed the ROUEN and observed that she had not picked us up. This ship was the CITY OF CHRISTCHURCH and she came up and took us in tow to the Downs where she was bound for in ballast. On arrival in the Downs where CITY OF
CHRISTCHURCH dropped anchor, we were able to start up the engine of LADY CABLE and I decided once again to try to make for Dover. However, we broke down after a run of about
15 minutes and were picked up by a tug (Operational I
don't know her name). She had orders to proceed to Ramsgate with H.M. Drifter VIKING in tow and was about to do this when we broke down near her. She towed us to the VIKING
and I boarded the VIKING to have my injured foot attended to and get some rest. VIKING and LADY CABLE were towed round to Ramsgate where we arrived about 2100. I was landed and taken to "Merrie England" and then to Ramsgate General
Hospital.
The Commanding Officer of VIKING at my request reported the return of LADY CABLE and that one member of my crew,
Cadet Rating Price was missing but might be aboard French warship X440. He also reported direct to C. in C., Dover, about HAIG. A little later, while I was still at "Merrie
England", the Commanding Officer of VIKING arrived to tell me that he had been informed from Dover that HAIG was safe.
Unfortunately he had no news for me of Cadet Rating Price.
The behaviour of my crew throughout the operation had been magnificent. The taking off of over 200 French troops and 6 British from the Mole was conducted quickly and calmly under difficult and hazardous conditions. Later,
Cadet Rating Price's work in helping to get the HAIG alongside LADY CABLE cannot be too highly praised. Without the great initiative and efficiency he displayed the operation would not have been successful and the HAIG would have drifted ashore to the S.W. of Dunkirk.
After/

243
221
OPERATION
VO.18
SHIP:-
THOMAS KIRKWRIGHT LIFEBOAT. BOURNEMOUTH.
REPORTING:-
L.S. HUNTINGTON IN COMMAND
Date of
Date of
Name arrival
Service leaving at Dover
Boats
L.S. H.Huntington.
26th.
A.B. E.H.Bletchford. 25.V.
First trip to Dunkirk bombed
Sto. R.Gibbs.
and machine gunned by aircraft and kept off shore by gunfiro from shore latteries.
27th.
Second time over, just the same, but got troops off the beach East of Dunkirk. Tried to save survivors from 2 or
3 trawlers blown up. One
French other English.
2nd.
Third trip towed over by &
tug which alipped them 15 miles from Dunkirk. Made their own way to Dunkirk forrying troops from harbour (on own initiative as there were no troops on the beach), between 2315 and 0430.
Found a Lieutenant Commander
Higham,R.N. on board a ship in
Dunkirk Harbour the ROUEN and brought him to Pyince of Vales
Pier. While taking him off were fired at by German soldiers at
25-40 yards, no casualties.
French sailors on board. Germans had automatic guns on stands and rifles. When trying to get out found one engine completely burnt out and boat making water.
Returned to Dover on one engine.