WAVERLEY

Details

Details

Details

Details

Details

Details

Details

33^4          SUPPLEMENT TO THE LONDON GAZETTE, 17 JULY, 1947
unceasingly without relief or rest, exposed to         distinguishing between the uniforms of such
incessant air attacks, for seven days. The             officers as were present and those of other ranks.
work of these officers and men was of the              It was soon realised that it was vitally necessary
greatest value and contributed largely to the          to despatch Naval Officers in their unmistakable
success of the undertaking.                            uniform with armed Naval beach parties to take
                                                       charge of the soldiers on shore immediately
   113. As regards the bearing and behaviour           prior to embarkation. Great credit is due to
of the troops, British and French, prior to and        the Naval officers and Naval ratings for the
during the embarkation, it must be recorded            restoration of some semblance of order. Later
that the earlier parties were embarked off the         on when troops of fighting formations reached
beaches in a condition of complete disorganisa-        the beaches these difficulties disappeared.
tion. There appeared to be no Military officers
in charge of the troops, and this impression           Dover,
was undoubtedly enhanced by the difficulty in             18.6.40.


                             APPENDIX I TO F.O. DOVER'S DESPATCH
List of H.M. Ships, Personnel Ships and Hospital Carriers taking part, showing those lost or damaged
                               (by bomb, gunfire, mine or collision)
A.A. Cruiser CALCUTTA
Destroyers
  BASILISK                    (sunk 2gth May)          HAVANT                    (sunk ist June)
  GRAFTON                     ( „ „       „ )          KEITH                     ( „ „ „ )
  GRENADE                                              WAKEFUL


  ANTHONY ...                 (damaged soth May) SABRE                           (damaged 30th May
  EXPRESS ...                 (    >?   jISl    ,, )                                    and 2nd June)
  GALLANT ...                 (         29th   „ ) SALADIN ...                   (   „     29th May)
  GREYHOUND                   (    „    29th „ ) SCIMITAR ...                     (   „ 3ist „ )
  HARVESTER                   (         3ist „ ) VENOMOUS                         (   „     ist June)
  ICARUS                      (         3ist „ ) VIMY                             (   „     ist „ )
  IMPULSIVE                   (         3ist „ ) VIVACIOUS ...                    (   „     ist „ )
  INTREPID ...                (         29th „ ) WHITEHALL                        (   „     ist „ )
  IVANHOE ...                 (    „     ist June) WINDSOR ...                    (   „ 28th May)
  JAGUAR                      (    „    2gth May) WOLFHOUND                       (   „ 29th „ )
  MALCOLM ...                 (    „    3ist May WOLSEY     ...
                                    and 2nd June) WORCESTER                                 30th    „
   MONTROSE                    (   ,, 29th May)


   BLYSKAWICA (Polish)                  MACKAY                               WHITSHED
   CODRINGTON                           SHIKARI                              WILD SWAN
   ESK                                  VANQUISHER                           WINCHELSEA
   JAVELIN                               VERITY
 Total 41, of which 6 were sunk and 23 damaged.

 Sloops and Gunboats
   BIDEFORD             ...    (damaged ist June) MOSQUITO ..                     (sunk ist June)
                                                  LOCUST
 Corvettes
   KINGFISHER           ...    (damaged ist June) GUILLEMOT


 Guardships and Armed Boarding Vessels
   KING ORRY (damaged 27th May and sunk 30th May)                            LLANTHONY
   MONA ISLE (        „ 27th May and ist June)                               LORMONT

 Minesweepers
   BRIGHTON BELLE              (sunk 28th May)          SKIPJACK .                (sunk ist June)
  DEVONIA                      ( „ 3Ist „ )             WAVERLEY                  ( „ 29th May)
   GRACIE FIELDS ...           ( „ 28th „ )


Details

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 that
they would not embark except by complete               15. BASE ORGANISATION.
formation under their own unit officers. In
either case the rate of embarkation was much           An operation of this magnitude involving the
slower than with British troops.                    maintenance and movements of close on 900
                                                    vessels and boats could not have been conducted
   12. INITIATIVE SHOWN BY COMMANDING               without the wholehearted and unceasing efforts
OFFICERS AND SUBORDINATE PERSONNEL.                 of the base establishments at Dover and
   A most satisfactory feature of the operation     Ramsgate, as well as those at Sheerness and
>was the high degree of initiative shown by         Harwich in the Nore Command. At all these
Commanding and Subordinate Officers of units        places officers and men, Naval and civilian,
operating off the coast, ranging from H.M.          laboured unceasingly throughout the Operation.
Destroyers to commandeered motor boats. The            In particular I wish to acknowledge the great
majority of officers and ratings in command         assistance received from the Commander-in-
were in situations requiring independent action     Chief, Nore, Admiral the Hon. Sir Reginald
in extremely difficult conditions. Often the        A. R. Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax, K.C.B.,
easiest course was to be satisfied with work        D.S.O., who in many cases anticipated my re-
already achieved and to return to the United        quests for assistance through his constant watch
Kingdom with a final load of troops. The            on the progress of the Operation.
reverse action was invariably executed, namely,        The prompt and unfailing assistance afforded
continued operation off the coast as long as        by the Chatham Depot in providing personnel
there were both -troops ashore to be evacuated      for .the numerous small craft, working parties
and vessels offshore to receive them. If the        and beach parties, was a feature essential to the
craft in use was damaged or sunk the crew in-       successful outcome of the Operation.
variably seized some other boat to continue            The Naval Officer-in-Charge, Ramsgate,
their efforts.                                      Captain W. R. Phillimore, R.N., by taking
   Unaware of the military situation ashore and     over the servicing and control of the great
often forced to move westward by bombard-           majority of the small craft of the inshore
ment from German artillery or even by rifle         flotillas relieved Dover of an immense volume
fire from advancing German forces, the majority     of work which it would otherwise have been
of these boats, commanded often by stokers or       impossible to handle.
" hostility only " seamen, had only one object         It was also brought to my notice that at
an view, to lit from the beach any, and all         Harwich an exceptional Naval and Military
troops, British or Allied, within sight of the      system was in being for assisting those ships
water's edge.                                       which called there to make a quick turn round,
   On their return to the United Kingdom when       relieving the tired ships' companies of the work
asked to report their proceedings it was only       of cleaning and clearing their vessels.
in answer to direct enquiry that it would trans-       16. SERVICES OF STAFF, INCLUDING OFFICERS
pire that these young men had been subjected        TEMPORARILY APPOINTED.
in many cases, to an unparalleled bombard-             I was fortunate in having the services of
ment from the air. They appeared to consider        Roar Admiral W. F. Wake-Walker, C.B.,
that this was part of the day's work requiring      O.B.E., as Flag Officer afloat off Dunkirk, and
no comment.                                         Captain W. G. Tennant, C.B., M.V.O., as
  13. LOSSES OF TROOPS AFTER EMBARKATION.           Senior Naval Officer, Dunkirk on shore.
   It is a distressing fact -that many ships were   Admiral Wake-Walker was responsible for
sunk or damaged on the return voyage when           supervising the embarkation afloat and Captain
laden with troops. But it is fortunate that in      Tennant for organising embarkation from the
most of such cases the majority of troops were      shore, keeping touch with the French Naval
saved owing to the large volume of traffic that     Authorities and the staff of the British
was coming and going between Dunkirk and            Commander-in-Chief.
the United Kingdom. Exceptions to this were            I cannot conclude this despatch without
due to the rapidity with which certain ships        reference to the splendid work of my staff under
sank after having been bombed or torpedoed.         the guidance of my Chief Staff Officer, Captain
Such cases are as follows: —                        L. V. Morgan, C.B.E., M.V.O., D.S.C.
                                                       Augmented by additional officers, including
      WAKEFUL. Torpedoed. Ship broke in             both Army and Royal Air Force, especially
   half and only those on the upper deck were       appointed for the occasion, their task of
   saved. About 600 troops were below.              organising and operating the large and varied
      CRESTED EAGLE. Was bombed and                 collection of H.M. Ships continued without a
   then beached in a burning condition. Only        pause day and night .throughout the 10 days
   about 300 saved out of 600 on board.             that the Operation lasted, and I can never
      SKIPJACK. 250-300 troops on board,            testify adequately to the excellence of their
   most of whom, unfortunately, went down           work, upon the efficiency of which successful
   with the ship when she sank.                     results depended.
      WAVERLEY. 600 troops were on board               Finally I would like to pay tribute to the
   before ship was abandoned in sinking condi-      valuable support and assistance which I received
   tion, but only 200-300 were picked up.           throughout the whole course of the evacuation
   In all it is regretted that about 2,000 troops   from Vice Admiral Sir James Somerville,
must have been lost through these and similar       K.C.B., D.S.O., who was appointed to H.M.S.
disasters on the return voyages to England.         LYNX for special service in connection with