This page started life as a daily blog or news feed posted on appropriate days during the Dunkirk period to mark the 80th anniversary in 2020. The information mainly comes from first-hand accounts, documented in the Medway Queen Preservation Society’s new book “HMS Medway Queen Memories of Dunkirk”, now available online and from the Medway Queen Visitor Centre.

80 years ago HMS Medway Queen was a minesweeper in the 10th Flotilla, based in Dover. Her Captain, Lt. Alfred Cook had been in command for just a few days, from May 20th. Over in France and Belgium the British Expeditionary Force, sent in 1939 to bolster French defences was falling back towards the coast as the German Army advanced.

Boulogne fell to the Germans and the remaining defenders were evacuated to Dover by Royal Navy destroyers after exchanging fire with the Panzers in Boulogne Harbour. HMS Medway Queen had re-fuelled and taken on stores a couple of days previously and was on Anti-Aircraft duty near Dover.

Doreen’s diary for Sunday 19th May to 23rd: “The Germans have swept through Holland and part of Belgium and going on into France. Trains coming in with refugees and wounded. The Germans hold Arras and Amiens and sweeping on to Calais. Some reports same they have reached the coast – but we have now reclaimed Arras. If it hadn’t been for our RAF all would have been lost. The BEF are involved in heavy fighting and the RAF have been on bombing raids into Germany.”

HMS Medway Queen and her crew remained on AA duty on the 26th. The night had been busy with air raids although the ship had not been in action. The 26th itself is reported as “a quiet day”.
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Elsewhere things were less quiet! The official order to begin Operation Dynamo was issued at 18:57 on Sunday 26th May. Before that, however, a number of troops had been evacuated by destroyers and other ships and the despatch of personnel vessels (mainly cross channel ferries) had started at 15:00 on the 26th with the intention of providing 2 ships every 4 hours. The first of these returned at 22:30 and landed 1,312 men. Preparations for the full scale evacuation intensified. Orders were given and stores issued. Hundreds of ships and boats were allocated to the task.
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Doreen’s diary for Sunday 26th May: “National Day of Prayer”

Medway Queen was recalled to Dover for extra provisions and after “a lot of mystery” the crew found they were going to rescue the BEF. Lieutenant A. T. Cook RNR, gave orders at about 17:00 hrs to start preparations to feed several hundred “somewhat peckish” men, who were expected on board later, using the newly arrived stores.
The ship sailed in the late evening and passed burning Dunkirk very close. They anchored off La Panne beach around midnight. Jack Skinner’s diary notes that he “spent six hours in boat to beach and back”. The ship’s cook disputes the “somewhat peckish” forecast with “These weren’t peckish men they were starving animals, most of them too desperately hungry to be polite.”

In the early days the scene was one of confusion and loading by open boats from the beach was slow. Medway Queen headed for home at 07:00. As they neared harbour an air raid developed. Medway Queen’s gunners shot down an enemy fighter. HMS Brighton Belle collided with a submerged wreck and began to sink. A tug stood by as Medway Queen went alongside and took off the soldiers and crew.

Medway Queen spent the day at Ramsgate; cleaning the ship, taking on stores – food, fuel and ammunition. At 20:45 hrs they sailed independently to Dunkirk arriving at about 02:00 hrs. This time they berthed alongside the East Mole and embarked troops there. Mostly Royal Engineers this time who were completely exhausted. Dunkirk was described as “a very terrifying spectacle” but it was easier and quicker to get the men aboard there than from the beaches.

The ship was attacked several times by aircraft but they “scared them off”. The men were landed in Ramsgate in the morning of the 29th and the crew set to work preparing for the next trip.

Doreen’s diary for Tuesday 28th May: “Without warning, King Leopold of the Belgians has surrendered and so our troops are surrounded. May my cousin Tom be safe. The RAF are doing a grand job.”

At 18:00 Medway Queen up anchored and proceeded to the beach at Bray. By now exhaustion was beginning to tell. Men were snatching sleep as and when possible and occasional casualties of the exhaustion were being taken ashore for medical treatment.

P C Hill recalled being greeted by Captain Cook with a bar of Bourneville chocolate. They were relieved of any spare ammunition for the machine guns and then sent below decks to the galley for a much needed sweet tea and a corned beef sandwich.
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They moved off from the beach before the morning mist had cleared to land at Margate in the afternoon.

At 19:00 they left Margate and proceeded once more to Bray Dunes. They loaded troops from the beach and returned to the UK. This time to Ramsgate.

Jack Skinner (crew) recorded in his diary “All over chaps exhausted and dropping down for half an hour sleep when they can. Took off infantry this time. Beach thick with them and Jerry bombed and shelled them all the time.”

John Callow (2nd Lt. 4th Royal Sussex Regiment) noted that “every man within an hour had had a hot cup of tea, our first for four days, and a bully beef sandwich, the first bread the men had eaten for over a week. The officers, about twenty, were accommodated in the mess, and were treated royally. All our clothes were sent down to the boiler room to dry, and then we slept, on the floor, on the tables, in chairs, anywhere.”

The Dinkirk project – Medway Queen Page

Jack Skinner recorded “Sailing orders cancelled. Ship under 1 hrs notice to proceed. A spell at last and I think we all just fell over in any old corner”. By this time exhaustion must have been common-place and a break would have been essential to the crew’s continuing effectiveness.

It was on this day that a group of 3 officer cadets joined the ship with Bren guns to provide additional AA protection. The official basis on which they achieved this is questionable but nominally they had an officer’s permission to go. They had to curb their impatience until the following day.

Doreen’s diary for Friday 31st May: “Terry’s mother has arrived to stay. Have heard that some of the Queen’s Regiment have arrived back from France.”

They sailed in the morning this time. At 11:00 they proceeded to the beaches east of Dunkirk. The crew reported that it was “getting very warm now; shrapnel fell all around us continuously. Ship attacked by enemy aircraft west of Dunkirk. Opened fire and brought plane down on beach west of Dunkirk.”

On this occasion Medway Queen was hailed by a group of men in a motor boat and directed away from the immediate area to pick up men cut off elsewhere. By good fortune they discovered that these men were not genuine and that a previous victim had been torpedoed. According to John Graves’ account the same group later hailed a destroyer whose officers knew what had happened to the other ship they had directed; they opened fire and sank the motor boat.

The troops were landed at Ramsgate once more and then Medway Queen made for Dover where replacement crew members were available, including some from HMS Sandown.

Doreen’s diary for Saturday 1st June: “For the past few days Belgian, French, BEF and refugees have been pouring into England. Guildford station has been turned into a canteen. Never will we forget the way the soldiers that made it back were saved – when everything seemed hopeless. They had to fight their way back to the beaches and to Dunkirk for days to wait on the sands to be rescued by the Navy and all sorts of little craft and little boats. The sea stayed calm for them. Trains of wounded coming in and refugees and troops; all dirty and dishevelled.”

The crew was supplemented by volunteers from other ships to replace exhausted men who could no longer carry on. The volunteers included the CO of flotilla leader HMS Sandown (Isle of Wight paddler), Commander K M Greig DSO.

​They sailed at 18:00 believing this to be the last trip; to retrieve the rear guard. They went to the Dunkirk Mole again and embarked mainly French troops. It was “just like being in the front line, shelled from every direction; very relieved to get away.”

Navigation was becoming increasing hazardous because of the growing number of wrecks in and around the harbour. The troops were landed at Ramsgate on the 3rd of June where the crew discovered that a further trip was needed to pick up more men from the rear guard who had still been fighting when they sailed.

“I don’t think any of us could stand another trip. We have done more than most
and​ it seems we are very nearly heroes”.

Doreen’s diary for Monday 3rd June; “Someone saw my cousin, Tom, go through Guildford station. Went to watch troop trains coming through.”

The BEF had now been evacuated but many of the French rear-guard were still there and still fighting. The decision was taken to rescue as many as possible. Skinner’s diary records “Seems we are to make another trip yet. 20:00 Went to Dunkirk and got another load of French soldiers. Not so bad tonight only long range guns.” Medway Queen left the East Mole at about 02:45 on the 4th and arrived in Ramsgate Harbour at 06:30.

The last ships to leave the Mole were the destroyers HMS Express (at 03:18) and HMS Shikari (03:40). 27000 troops had been picked up that night and “Dynamo” was terminated by the Admiralty. Reconnaissance sweeps of the channel continued, to look for survivors in small boats.

On return to Ramsgate they landed the troops and found that the newspapers were listing Medway Queen as sunk. Jack Skinner went ashore and sent telegrams to the men’s families to reassure them. He concludes that day with –

Operation Dynamo was over although other, smaller, evacuations along the coast continued to take place; evacuations from other parts of France were to come. The crew could relax at last. In the aftermath of the evacuation no less than 7 of HMS Medway Queen’s crew received gallantry awards. If the Captain’s recommendations had all been accepted there would have been many more!

The Light Brigade charged the guns once – these guys had done it seven times!

The army had lost most of its heavy equipment but Dunkirk had saved hundreds of thousands of trained soldiers who now had a good idea of what they were up against. With the Commonwealth divisions and other units already in the country they would be quite capable of undertaking their traditional role as “Goal Keeper for the Navy” had an invasion been attempted.
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There are endless facts and figures relating to Dunkirk. Reports and statistics often conflict and Admiral Ramsay in his official report states clearly that the official total of men landed is an underestimate. Under these circumstances the Medway Queen’s crew’s estimate of 7000 men rescued and 3 aircraft destroyed are as good a summary as any. In Admiral Ramsay’s own words:

The 10th flotilla had taken a very active part in Operation Dynamo. Several of the flotilla’s ships were damaged and two had been sunk. Most of the surviving ships were sent to Portsmouth for repairs; HMS Medway Queen left Ramsgate on 5th June and arrived on the 6th June, after a night at sea with many aircraft warnings. They were delayed outside Portsmouth harbour by mines but eventually berthed and the crew were sent on leave for a much deserved rest while the Dockyard started on the necessary repairs.

The DSC was awarded to:
Lieutenant A.T. Cook RNR (Commanding Officer)
Sub-Lieutenant J. D. Graves RNR. (First Lieutenant)
The DSM was awarded to:
Petty Officer A. E. Crossley RFR
Petty Officer H. J. McAllister RFR
Seaman K. R. Olly RNR.
Mentioned in Despatches:
Second Engineer T. Irvine
Fireman J. D. Connell

Doreen’s diary
Wednesday 5th June: “My best friend and work colleague Joan Steer’s boyfriend, Lyn, has not so far come back.”
Friday 7th June: “We were woken at 3am by air raid sirens – all clear went after an hour.”
Wednesday 12th June: “Joan has heard that Lyn is reported missing. Tommy is home on leave.”

Postscript: Lyn Thomas did not get back from France in 1940 but spent the rest of the war in German prison camps. He returned after the war and he and Joan were married. They were great friends with my parents and we spent many days with them and their family throughout my childhood. It wasn’t until the Dunkirk Veterans Association attended his funeral that I realised he had any connection with Operation Dynamo. (Richard Halton).

“WELL DONE MEDWAY QUEEN”

DUNKIRK DIARY PAGE