Reminiscences from the Men of Dunkirk

A video interview with Eric Woodroffe, who was the Medway Queen's signalman, can be seen on the BBC Bristol website here.

Alexander Francis Barton (Frank), Survivor

Alexander Francis Barton (Frank), 4th Army Co. Op. Squadron, RAF, was stationed in France on an old World War I grass airstrip. One day the Germans attacked and all of the Lysander aircraft on the ground and in the air were shot to pieces by the 109s. Frank and those left of his mates had little choice but to join the troops walking through France making for Dunkirk, moving from village to village, seeking cover from the German aircraft that were determined that the troops did not evacuate.

On finally reaching the outskirts of Dunkirk, Frank took refuge in a local park for two days awaiting orders. Finally, in single file they made their way through war-torn Dunkirk and on to the Mole to find Medway Queen loading as quickly as possible. The little paddler set sail and in making her way past the many wrecks that littered the harbour she hit a mud-bank and steamed out of control in circles for a while. Medway Queen came under attack from the air and Frank found a space under the bridge. It was with the guns blazing and all the noise going on around him that exhaustion caught up with him and he fell asleep.

Bruce Sutton, Medway Queen Crew
"One afternoon in May 1940 the Medway Queen left Dover for Dunkirk where our forces were in trouble. A long time before we got there we saw the flames and smelled burning oil. No person who was there will forget it. We went six more times mostly to La Panne but sometimes to Dunkirk Harbour going around many wrecks. We had a motor boat which towed another to and from the beach. The army lined up on the shore. I did not see anyone panic or jump the queue. When the ship returned to Ramsgate our passengers were whisked away, we fueled, stored, tidied up and it was time to go again. On one trip we came back in company with Brighton Belle and she hit a wreck. We went alongside and they all came aboard before she sank. Fortunately it was a calm day as we were very overloaded. At one time three fighter planes chased each other around near us and one man bailed out but I don't know if he was friend or foe.

After Dunkirk we had a few days leave and I slept for the first 24 hours. Back aboard the Medway Queen we anchored in the Downs in fine weather and caught fish. Later we thought that we were going to end up as the first line of defence and I hoped that we would get a message off before we were sunk. Some said that Dunkirk was a nine days wonder. A destroyer called Sabre did eight trips. We came second with seven."

 

Albert T. Nason, RN, Crew
"When we came close to Dunkirk there was nothing but smoke, thick black smoke from the oil tanks that had been bombed. Medway Queen did not pick up any troops from the Harbour itself on that trip but was sent on to the beach at La Panne. We had towed some small motor boats over from England to pick up the troops and on the first morning we got there the boats went off and started loading us up. When we were full we started coming back, there was a girl on the beach dressed as a soldier but they spotted long hair hanging down her back and they wouldn't let her come on board. while we were in Ramsgate getting ready to go over for the seventh trip everyone was saying that it was getting a bit fierce over there. Lt. Cook called the crew together and told everyone to write a postcard to their families and then all hands went ashore to the pub on the jetty where the Captain bought us all a drink. On that last trip while in Dunkirk Harbour we were damaged when a destroyer astern of us was hit. This badly damaged our paddle box and it took us a lot longer to get back than it should have done and we heard on the BBC News that the Medway Queen had been lost. At first we laughed but then we realised that our people at home would have heard the report too. When we got back to Dover we were given six days special leave."

 

Bob Pemberton, 88th Field Regt. RATA - Survivor
"I reflect on what could have happened if the Medway Queen had not picked me up from the beach at Dunkirk in June 1940. I would have been a prisoner of war as the following day Dunkirk fell and 30,000 allied troops were taken prisoner. I was lucky and shall be ever grateful to the crew of the Medway Queen. After Dunkirk we regrouped in England and we were sent out to India and the Far East. I was safe and still able to make some contribution to the war thanks to the little ship that brought me home in 1940."