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Dunkirk evacuation 1940

8K views 25 replies 10 participants last post by  Bruros 
#1 ·
I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this question, but does anyone know if the Admiralty held a complete record of all the craft, ships and boats, which took part in the Dunkirk evacuation and if so, is it available, please?

Thanks a lot,
Kenny
 
#5 ·
Thanks for that Gerard. I think I have spelled the name correctly. I don't have any details except that it was a very small boat with shallow draught. Little more than a dinghy with a cover over the wheel. I don't think they had outboard motors then so I suppose it must have had a small in-board engine. The sort of thing you see dozens of these days in harbours and used for a spot of in-shore fishing. Capable of carrying no more than half a dozen or so blokes I should think. Would it be too small for the name to be registered in the book? It would have been towed over with a lot of others by a tug. Certainly too small to cross the Channel under her own power. Many thanks for taking the trouble to look.
Regards,
Kenny
 
#6 ·
Sorry, no luck.
There is one "Conidaw" mentioned (page 161) but that is a twin-screw ketch 80 feet long (still in existence in 1990) that left Calais on May 25th with 165 men on board. Not what you are looking for.
Have you tried to get in touch with :
1) The Association of Dunkirk Little Ships (ADLS)
or 2) The Dunkirk Veterans Association ?
They may be able to help.
Regards,
Gerard
 
#7 ·
Operation Dynamo /Operation Aerial

Hi,

Less well known, 'Operation Aerial’
From June 15th. – 25th. 139, 812 British soldiers were transported to England.
Consisting of:
17,062 French,
24,352 Poles,
4,938 Czechs,
163 Belgians,
2,282 vehicles,
315 guns and all kinds of military equipment from the ports of Cherbourg, Jersey, Guernsey, St Malo, Brest , Nantes, La Pallice, St-Nazaire, Le Verdon, Bordeaux and St-Jean-de-Luz.

Several large Belgian ships took part:
Prince Baudouin.
Prince Charles.
Prince Leopold.
Prins Albert.
Princess Marie Jose.
Princess Astrid.
Princess Josephine-Charlotte.

More information is available if required.
Regards
 
#8 ·
Gerard,

Many thanks for looking for Condor for me. No, i haven't tried the ADLS or DVA, but i will do. Thanks for the suggestion.

Rickles,
Thanks a lot for the information on Op. Aerial. I hadn't realised that the evacuation from western France was given a separate code name. I know that this is where the Lancastria was lost and that her captain, Rudolph Sharp, OBE, went on to be master of the Laconia, although didn't survive her sinking by U-156 two years later.

Regards,
Kenny
 
#9 ·
good morning pickish bull.4thjuly.2013.07:13.re:dunkirk evacuation.1940.i have been readind this thread with interest.i don't know all the places to look for your information.but any boat(privately ownd)was required to sign T.124x articles,that gave the navy authority over the craft,it might give you another avenue of inquiry,good luck,ben27
 
#12 ·
Hello Ben27,
Many thanks for that steer. Do you know where i would be able to source those forms, please? Would it be Kew?

Bob, thanks for filling a knowledge gap. I had often wondered whether Lightoller survived the Great War. It was Kenneth More was it not who played Lightoller in the proper film about the sinking of Titanic, A Night to Remember?
He clearly did survive and WW2 as well I trust.

Thanks everyone for your interest in my enquiry.

Kenny
 
#13 ·
Good evening, Kenny,
One small brick for the wall...
in "BEF ships before, at and after Dunkirk" World Ship Society 1999, section 4, "other "dynamo" ships, John de S Winser states on page 105 :
CONDOR Motor yacht (Youles) - on harbour duty at Dover.
I'm afraid that is all there is. Do you know a Mr Youles listed as owning the boat at the time ? It may be a lead.
Did the boat stay in Dover ? Who to ask ?
Good luck !
Gerard
 
#14 ·
good day picktish bull.12thjuly 2013,01:37,re:(t124x)I did not get a form.i signed on at my pool in London.(the M.N.pool are in all britich ports)they were in my day,but in the case of Dunkirk small ships,the R.N.would have signed all boat owners at the port of departure.you could approach the R.N.it would not be secret.i wish you luck.regards ben27
 
#20 ·
Almost opposite to where I live, Lightollers were mill owners in the town, pillars of the local Church, then sometime in the late 1910's, early 1920's the entire family vanished from the town.
 
#22 ·
Thanks a lot for this, Commander Chuff and sorry for the later response. I greatly admire Charles Lightoller. We do not often see his likes today. Whilst there are undoubtedly some very fine young people about today, sadly I do not believe that they are in sufficient quantity to repeat what our grandparents and parents did, if they were called upon to do so. Vale, Kenny
 
#23 ·
The Reiver

Hi Pictish Bull.....like the "handle " Y'ken !
I've recently finished my late Grand-dad's Biography....he was in The RN in both ww's. The Requisitioned Ship he was 2nd Engineer on, and later Chief, was ordered to Dunkirk, but on the way there was diverted to St.Malo, to destroy Radio Masts and a Radio Station....which she did. BUT, the ship was dive bombed while alongside, and was towed home with a flooded E.R. ...The Ship was HM Armed Steam Yacht "Cutty Sark".... a wee " Destroyer look alike ".Interesting reading on a Google Search. I'm sure if yis poke aroond enough on Google, you'll find the List.
Cheers the 'noo n'all, Bruce Graham
 
#25 ·
How y' doin' Bruce, Thanks for the comment, although i'm not sure how the 'k' got into Pictish and I can't get in to amend it. If a moderator is reading this, please take out the 'k' for me.
Your Granddad did well to survive two world wars. I'm busy writing a Great War biography just now about an RE on the Western Front. I found the Cutty Sark on Google. Very interesting. There cannot be many men who have actually owned their own warship on active service (Smoke)

Thanks for the heads up on the 75th anniversary Joe. The security will be tight for that but i hope it is not spoiled by some clown.

Yours aye,
Kenny
 
#26 ·
Hi Kenny, Thanks for the reply. Yes indeed, I thought the same about survival of Grand-dad Edgar !WW1 Battle of Coronel, then Battle of Falkland Islands; then WW2 Dive bombed in HMS"Cutty Sark " while alongside at St.Malo.E.R.Flooded...towed home, the the next month Operation Aerial, again damaged by enemy action, while on the way to France , Engine Room flooded a second time ,,,"staggered " home on one engine ! Talking about RE's...I had an Uncle John Hopkins, my Mam's younger Bro... born 1907 d.2002...a good innings for my favorite Unc ! My Son-in-law is a Major with the 9th Airborne Div. RE's , some 15 years ago when I first met him , he was a Sapper. "Well done that man Sah !"Hear from you again should you want more details of Unc.John ! Cheers Aye , Bruce G.
 
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