大象传媒

NAVY MEMOIRS OF GORDON KEITH BONNY

HMS WORCESTER
DUNKIRK

My job is Chiefs and Petty Officers Messman. I keep the Mess spotless, prepare food for galley and live in the Mess. Good crowd, Ben the Coxswain and Dick the Buffer, the T1 and the G1 are all nice blokes. The CPO ERA was in Haslar hospital two beds from me in 1937, he is still very chesty. The Captain is 鈥楥rash鈥� Allison, ex Fleet Air Arm pilot. He crashed 3 Osprey aircraft one day, whilst serving in the Aircraft Carrier 鈥楥ourageous鈥�. The First Lt, Lt Woods was serving in the submarine 鈥楾hetis鈥�, which sank in Liverpool Bay last year with the loss of 99 lives.

We are alongside in Pompey ammunitioning ship, sailing this evening to pick up a convoy for 鈥楪ib鈥�. We are off Cape Finnisterre. The Buffer has pinned a map of France and Belgium on a board and daily fills in the position of the German Army as we receive the news over the wireless; Things look frightening for the BEF and French armies. The Captain has received the signal to leave the convoy and proceed to Cherbourg to pick up something he knows not and then proceed to Dunkirk to evacuate troops.

We arrived off Dunkirk 02;30 hours on 27th May. I am on X Gun deck, my action station; 鈥楥rash鈥� Allison comes up and stands looking at the deep red glow coming from the blazing oil tanks ashore. With the dawn light we lay off the East Mole, it is the ebb tide. 2 Junkers 88 flying low straddle us with bombs. We did not recognise them as enemy and did not fire a shot 鈥� orders from Bridge 鈥榠ndependent fire鈥� in the future without orders from Bridge. We are alongside, the harbour is chaos and we have started to take on troops. They look worn out and certainly glad to see us. There are scores of dogs running about terrified of the bombing. We cast off and arrive in Dover for tea. I managed to peel enough spuds and we are having ham, pickle and mash for supper. At the moment the Mess is full of Army. We managed about 3 hours sleep. We are closed up again 鈥� E boat alert; ship in two watches. 3 Aircraft approach our stern, X and Y guns open fire, and they take evasive action and signal they are Blenheims.

I count seventy enemy bombers coming in over Dunkirk from the west. Two of them peel off and attack shipping off the Mole. Harbour installations are badly damaged, we are going alongside a Channel ferry who is against the pier. We make fast and another ferry comes alongside us. Troops are swarming all over. Gunners Mate has brought me up a fried egg sandwich. We hear the 鈥榃indsor鈥� and 鈥榃olsey鈥� have been damaged and a French ship sunk. The oil fire does not diminish and continues to swirl up and up. I watched an aircraft dive into the smoke 鈥� never saw it come out. Stukas overhead, some are making for us, we get two rounds away. They make a horrible screaming noise, their bombs are very close, we are sweating well under our tin hats, it is a lovely summers day. Small packet to starboard sunk almost at once after receiving two direct hits. I could not see any troops aboard.

The TGM has coxswain the motorboat inshore to pick up what troops he can, but he cannot get alongside anywhere. The Army are well organised, column on column, no panic whatsoever. The old fires been stoked up by bombing, but we cannot see the two very plainly as there is a terrific amount of damage and smoke. Finally managed to get alongside just before dark and I got down to the Mess for an hour. During the early hours whilst closed up on X gun, some joker starts to fire tracer towards us. Aircraft are overhead and Jerry artillery is firing star shells over Dunkirk. We have to drop flat on the gun platform as tracers pass some 2鈥� away from the gun casement.

I decided to sleep on the ready use ammunition locker, as the Mess is full of Army. The old 鈥榃akeful鈥�, the 鈥楪rafton鈥� and the 鈥楳ontrose鈥� were sunk by E boats according to mess deck 鈥榖uzz鈥�.

We left early this morning and had a short forenoon in Dover, prepared a stew for dinner and placed out cheese and biscuits with lemon tea for stand easy. Come tot time and we are casting off on our way back to the 鈥榟othouse鈥�. We cannot make it alongside anywhere and have lowered our boats whilst being under constant air attack. The 鈥楥alcutta鈥� anti-aircraft cruiser has arrived, and we feel good about that! The 鈥楥lan MacAllister鈥� about the largest ship I have seen at Dunkirk was taking troops, nurses and wounded aboard when she received a stick of bombs 鈥� there is carnage all round. We pick up a pongo, his right foot is missing and his left is barely hanging on. I give him a smoke and he seems comforted, even managing a smile. The 鈥楥lan鈥� has again received direct hits after her skipper had gone astern to clear the fairway. Stukas are having a field day now the smoke has cleared to the West. A large paddle steamer has copped it alongside the Mole. The 鈥楪renade鈥� received a direct hit on her stern, broke her moorings and drifted out of control. She sounds like a huge firecracker with her ammunition exploding, a trawler has got her in tow and she is clear of the fairway but looks a goner.

Troop loading is terribly slow again and we cannot get alongside anywhere. A near miss astern and we shift billet further east to try and take troops off from the shore. The 鈥楪renade鈥� has finally sunk; a dozen Stukas attack the Mole, two destroyers, a few trawlers alongside suffer damage. The other paddle steamer the 鈥楥rested Eagle鈥� has received a direct hit. She is full of troops and a terrific fire has enveloped her stern. She is heading for the beach and troops are jumping over the side and wading back to the beach 鈥� their luck!

Loads of small craft loaded up with troops are beginning to come alongside. The TGM has been at this all day and at last, filled up and boats inboard, we edge our way out of Dunkirk. We have French troops aboard for the first time; I saw 1 throw his rifle over the side then cry his eyes out. The minesweeper 鈥極riole鈥� was beached purposely by her captain and used as a pier for smaller ships to come up to her stern and unload troops. She then loaded to the full, went astern on the flood tide and got home safely.

The Channel is like a millpond and there is no doubt the weather has played a great part in getting so many of the BEF off the beaches and safely home. We are all beginning to feel the effects of constant bombing and lack of sleep. We are off Dunkirk, time is 07:30, the harbour looks blocked with sunken shipping; trawlers and tugs are standing by, tides on the flood. We have lowered boats and they are on their way inshore. No aircraft about and loads of small craft ferrying from the beach. Jerry certainly gave the town a pasting last night, fires everywhere. Rear Admiral Wake-Walker has come aboard; he has been taking charge of everything that floats.

I should think there is every type of small craft here today; also some H boats (destroyers) have arrived. Junkers 88 and Stukas are flocking in and all hell is let loose. The sloop 鈥楤ideford鈥� is the first to receive a hit; she has run aground after having her stern blown off. Gunners mate has arrived on the gun deck with some tea and cakes. The Chiefs and PO鈥檚 aboard 鈥榃orcester鈥� are the very best. Full astern and we are homeward bound.

A formation of Stukas has appeared to port, we let go with everything and hit nothing. They have hit a transport, she is stopped and trawlers are closing in to take off survivors. We are back off Dunkirk, midday Friday, and our sixth trip. There is a bit of a panic on the Quarterdeck. The Captain, First Lt and Buffer are looking over the side. We have damaged our starboard screw on a submerged wreck! Once again we are being fed by small craft and loading well and fast. We have been told Stukas are giving the troops ashore a hard 鈥榙usting鈥� as well as us. Junkers 88 have damaged the Mole and killed a lot of troops, who were densely packed on the Mole waiting evacuation. To the North a dogfight is taking place and a pilot has baled out 鈥� English or German? What a motley throng 鈥� there must be every small craft from England here today! Junkers 88 and Stukas are having a go at everybody, but nobody cares anymore. The German army is shelling the town to add to the confusion. Lots of soldiers have been drowned trying to wade out beyond their depth to the waiting craft. At last we are on our way home on one screw at approximately 9 knots, with nigh on 1000 men aboard.

A beautiful morning our bows heading once more for Dunkirk, the ship driven by only 1 propeller. There is not a lot said, we are all feeling completely knackered, to say the least. This will be the last trip and in our state the future looks bleak.

The smoke and flames are terrific, God knows how much oil has been burnt up, seems never ending. Junkers 88 have a go at the troops with bombs and machine guns. We commence to take on more troops from the small craft with hoards of Stukas above. We have two attacks and our old pom pom must be worn out. I believe we have suffered only a few wounded up to present, all caused by shrapnel.

We up anchor and shift position to the Mole. The destroyer 鈥楰eith鈥� sunk after 3 attacks by several Stukas and the minesweeper 鈥楽kipjack鈥� has sunk after a direct hit by Stukas.

The sky is full of Stukas; we can鈥檛 take much evasive action on one screw. There are loads of Guardsmen aboard today; they are all armed with Bren guns and during attacks their fire has come uncomfortably close to our gun deck. Gunners Mate has given them a 鈥榖ollocking鈥�. We are steaming up a narrow fairway loaded to capacity doing eight knots on one screw. Stukas above like a flock of Vultures. I look up and astern, there is a mass of them coming into attack. We open fire and from that moment on, all I see is the breech in front of me together with the loading numbers of the gun crew.

Stukas scream and so do the bombs and we鈥檝e got several alongside, all hell let loose, the pongoes are having a go with rifles and Bren guns. Gunners Mate riddled with shrapnel has collapsed down the ladder; his broken pipe lies at my feet. I think to myself 鈥榯his is it! We can鈥檛 come out of this lot鈥�. My trainer an LR3 from Pompey rolled off his seat, his guts ripped open, he looks a goner. A shell is being rammed home when a chunk of shrapnel smashes the handle into two parts. Ginger the starboard rammer number sinks to the deck in agony his right knee shattered. I feel a severe kick in my left buttock, there is a colossal noise 鈥� Stukas howling, bombs screaming and explosions all round. Four of us are on the deck鈥︹��.silence. They鈥檙e gone. I lift myself up on the breech, my left leg stiff. No Stukas astern, we look at one another in disbelief. I glance up forward and note many bodies not moving amongst the Army. LR3鈥檚 body taken down to the upper deck and covered; only one of the gun crew is not wounded. We alter course to starboard and go aground on a sandbank. Two tugs see our plight and soon draw us off.

We watch a Destroyer in the fairway we have just left going through the same pasting, unfortunately we witness several explosions aboard her, and we learn later she sunk with a great loss of life.

We enter Dover and prepare to go alongside. Gunner (T) has provided me with red and green propeller flags, which I will raise on his instructions. I am still on X Gun deck well in sight of the bridge; a packet, the 鈥楳aid of Orleans鈥� is coming across our bows. I grab the breech handle preparing for the collision. As we collide she pulls us over port, gunwale almost awash, and I go neatly over the side having lost my grip on the handle. I enter the water some eight feet from the Port propeller and at that moment we are ordered full astern. I am sucked down and toward the bows and surfaced abreast the superstructure. The Boson recognises me in the water and throws a metal smoke float which misses my head by some 6鈥�. I hand a ladder floating alongside me over to several pongees struggling in the water. A French picket boat hauls me out of the water and returns me to the 鈥榃orcester鈥�. I make my way to the Mess and flake out on the locker. Awakened by the Surgeon Lt, wound dressed and told to pack my no 1 suit, clean shirts and shaving gear. The NAAFI manager washed me down and helped me pack gear. I bade goodbye to all and settled down in a carriage on the hospital train due to leave Dover harbour

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