Captain H Miller - Master of Sailing Barge Royalty

Statement regarding her involvement in Operation Dynamo, The evactuation of the BEF off the coast of Dunkirk May/June 1940.



With thanks to Brian (ADM199)

 

Royalty was towed across to the beaches off Dunkirk on the 31st May, 1st June by the Tug Cervia. Loaded with water and provisions she was abandoned at Malo.

Cervia also pulled Tollesbury off the beach and towed her home with 200 troops onboard 1st/2nd June.

 

Hi there - my grandfather, Henry Miller, was in the Royal Navy during WW1 and we know he was at Dunkirk. We thought he could be the H. Miller, skipper of Royalty but he wasn't a captain. Do you know anything about Captain H. Miller? Do you know how I could get my grandfather's records for Dunkirk? All we know is that at the time of the evacuation he was serving on HMS Drake, suggesting he was in training or awaiting assignment. Guidance appreciated!

 

Sorry - meant WW2!

 

Hello and welcome,
I doubt the above is your relation and I would advise you contact the Ministry of Defence for his service records. It is really the only way to go. If you obtain them and return here and we will be happy to explain in depth about his service.

Get a copy of military records of service

Regards
Hugh

 

Thanks for your helpful reply. We have his MOD records via an application we made in 1995. It mainly lists the ships he served on but we know he was at Dunkirk. In the MOD records for the period of the evacuation, he is listed as serving on HMS Drake, formerly Vivid, now Devonport. But I understand HMS Drake to be a training centre or an accounting base for unassigned Royal Navy seamen. Therefore, we don't know how he came to be serving at Dunkirk since we don't have a ship or other vessel we can link him with. However, we do know that other unassigned Royal Navy crew were assigned to evacuation duties on sailing barges etc. Relevant record extract attached - appreciate your guidance.

 

Should have added - my grandfather's service number was K65311.

 

HMS DRAKE was the Royal Navy Barracks at Devonport. It was as you say previously HMS VIVID. There were various accounting bases HMS DRAKE I, II, IV, V, X.
May I ask how you know he served at Dunkirk, was it directly from him or passed down the family?
While it is quite possible that unassigned personnel were 'lent', it doesn't really help you as things stand as you have nothing recorded officially - unfortunately this does happen at times in RN records where the accounting base is the primary route for recording service.

He served prior to 1927 so, His service records are available online which show his continuous service from 1924 held at TNA Kew in piece ADM-362-32-311 through to 1939 and WW2 - he joined the service in 1924. To me the transcription copy given to you by the MOD in 1995 appears to be a direct copy of his Continuous Service Record card from ADM 363/81/70. It is quite possible that they didn't search his P & V Ledger at that time.

If it were me, I would go back to the MOD and ask them for a search of his Pay & Victualing Ledger, it is the only way you may find out but you should also be aware that if nothing is recorded then unfortunately, you will probably have to accept that.

We can rule that one out now.

Regards
Hugh

 

Thanks, Hugh. I've just applied online to the MOD but the web form doesn't give an option to request P&V Ledger information. But let's see. You say that we can rule out any possibility of my grandfather being the skipper of Royalty. Is this due to his rank or do you have further evidence. I'm a bit of a novice at this! Regards, David

 

Hugh, I should have added that my aunt (my grandfather's surviving daughter) said that she had many conversations with her father about Dunkirk. He said he made 3 channel crossings but she's not sure of the vessel or the purpose (ie evacuating troops, delivering supplies or both). He did mention bringing back troops and suffering from shell shock. My late great aunt remembers bathing his bruised and battered feet when he returned home on leave. Prior to joining the Royal Navy, he worked as a boatman on the canals, transporting mainly coal and timber.

 

Hi David,
Notwithstanding the fact that your grandfather was a boatman prior to the war and had experience in small craft, there are a few things that suggest to me that he was not involved with this vessel.

Firstly, he was serving in the Royal Navy at this time as a leading stoker - an engine-room rating and it would be unlikely that he would be given command of a sailing barge.
Second, the shipping company F.T. Everard & Sons, sent a letter to the Ministry of Shipping on 20 June 1940 after passing on the ministry's thanks for the action of two of the company ships at Dunkirk. The company wrote back to remind them that Royalty and Ethel Everard had also taken part and letters were requested for the captains of both Royalty and Ethel Everard which suggests to me that Captain Henry Miller was in the employment of F.T. Everard & Sons. I believe this to be Captain Henry 'Dick the Dagger' Miller, B.E.M. My research is not conclusive yet.

Regards
Hugh

 

Hi Hugh - this is brilliant research and good luck with bringing it to a conclusion (I'd be interested to know more). I must say I tend to agree with all your comments. In the meantime, I've put in an extra request to the MOD to see the P&V Ledger or indeed any information that could reveal my grandfather's role at Dunkirk. I've used WW2 Talk a couple of times over the years and the support has been outstanding. Kind Regards, David