Supplement 38017 — Dunkirk evacuation despatch

38017 329.5 SUPPLEMENT TO The London Gazette Of TUESDAY, the i$th of JULY, 1947 published by ?listi)0rftp Registered as a newspaper THURSDAY, 17 JULY, 1947 THE EVACUATION OF THE ALLIED to synchronise with the ebb. and- flow of the ARMIES FROM DUNKIRK AND troop concentrations. • NEIGHBOURING BEACHES. Broadly speaking, for the first 5 days of the The following despatch was submitted to the movement, had more beaching craft ibeen avail- (Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty on able to ferry from the beach to offshore vessels, the i8th June, 1940, by Vice-Admiral Sir it would have been possible to have evacuated Bert…

3296 SUPPLEMENT TO THE LONDON GAZETTE, 17 JULY, 1947 to drag on painfully, and finally to lose nights. Not only were the Dunkirk Roads momentum and expire through the exhaustion mined, including the Zuydecoote Pass, but also of Naval personnel and the 'liquidation of Route X and the area round the Kwinte Buoy. shipping. Folkestone and Dover Harbour entrances were It will be seen, therefore, that • the initial also mined* Considering the number of mines problem called for a maximum effort over a laid, it is interesting to note that only two limited period regardless of the future, and British ships are known for c…

3298 SUPPLEMENT TO THE LONDON GAZETTE, 17 JULY, 1947 embarkation staff or organisation a strong naval 14. CO-OPERATION OF THE FRENCH NAVY. party was required to form up and embark the French warships and other vessels were troops. Later, no difficulty was experienced employed evacuating French troops from when troops of fighting formations were en- Dunkirk Harbour, and on the last three nights countered. Difficulty was experienced in con-- from the beach i£ miles eastward from Dunkirk. trolling some French 'troops, whilst others were Details are given in Appendix IV. so rigidly bound by discipline and tradition t…

3306 SUPPLEMENT TO THE LONDON GAZETTE, 17 JULY, 1947 Friday, ^ist May. final evacuation plan during the night of 48. The Admiralty informed the Vice Admiral 31/5-1/6. Accordingly, instructions were that the policy of H.M. Government was that issued for the special tows to leave Ramsgate both British and French troops be given an at 1300/31 for Dunkirk via Route X, and the equal opportunity of being evacuated in British Commander-dn-Chief, Nore and Flag Officer in ships and boats. Charge, Harwich, were requested to provide all available M.T.B.s to escort this convoy 49. Personnel ships had been sailed the pre- for…

3308 SUPPLEMENT TO THE LONDON GAZETTE, 17 JULY, 1947 It should be noted that in spite of (fc) the Route X, and occurred between 1000 and 1040, rate of embarkation had, in fact, come up to to be again resumed at noon. After that there expectations, and if other circumstances had was a lull until 1550, when another attack was permitted it would have been possible to adhere delivered on Dunkirk Harbour and all shipping to the original plan of lifting the final 4,000 therein for over half an hour. At 1800 the B.E.F. off the beaches between 0130 and 0300 Vice Admiral received the following signal from ist June. Dunkir…

3312 SUPPLEMENT TO THE LONDON GAZETTE, 17 JULY, 1947 95. The initial despatch of requisitioned and day, probably none of them had been under 1 volunteer small craft was controlled from— gun fire before and certainly none of them had ever been under Naval discipline. These boats Naval Control Service, London, were Thames Estuary fishing boats which never Westminster Pier, Ramsgate, left the estuary and only one of their crews ihad Gravesend, Dover, been further afield than Ramsgate before. In " Southend, Newhaven, spite of this fact perfect formation was main- Sheerness, Portsmouth, tained throughout the day and n…