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15 October 2014
WW2 - People's War

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Dunkirk: HMS Intrepid

by Michell

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Contributed by听
Michell
People in story:听
Lt Cdr Kenneth W Michell DSC RN
Location of story:听
IMMINGHAM and DUNKIRK
Background to story:听
Royal Navy
Article ID:听
A2328554
Contributed on:听
22 February 2004

My father was the First Lieutenant of HMS INTREPID in May 1940. In the middle of May they were based at Immingham for minesweeping duties which only involved "day running".

My mother went to Immingham to see my father as he was in harbour each evening. She and the Captain's wife stayed at the Police Station as the only hotel was taken by Mountbatten who was Captain D5.

One evening my father appeared with a Humber ladies bicycle - 3 speed gears, dynamo and a fully guarded chain. He told her "If I don't appear tomorrow, cycle as far inland as you can". He did not return as INTREPID had gone to take part in the Dunkirk evacuation. Fortunately the trains were still running, so the bicycle was not required but it was used by our family for many years afterwards.

HMS INTREPID was bombed at Dunkirk but was not disabled. My father dashed out of his cabin clutching his tapestry - not pictures of his family! - to see the gunnery officer disappearing in a cloud of foam from a discharging fire extinguisher.

Whilst at school in the late 1940's, I heard a story from one of the teachers, who I assume was at Dunkirk, about the exploits of a Corporal who put a row of upturned soup plates across a road. This halted the Germans' tank advance for two hours whilst the tank commanders assessed whether mines were hidden underneath the soup plates.

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