Dunkirk Operation Dynamo Evacuation Beaches

Total Piers built and units that constructed them between Bray Dunes and Dunkirk, May and June 1940.

No.1 De Panne = 38 Field Company Royal Engineers on 31st May 1940, See Post No.39

No.2 De Panne =

No.3 Bray Dunes =

No.4 Malo Terminus =

No.5 Malo Terminus =

No.6 Malo les Bains =

 

This is great, could this develop into the 'definitive' Dunkirk wreck research source?

Mike

I'm working on it Mike! I'd love to make a map with the "exact" locations of all the shipwrecks, the jetties etc.

I've just found the exact location of the Chasseur 9: Malo les Bains, a little bit to the west of the Avenue de la Mer:





Jan

 

I think your first pic is of the Barbara Jean (which was of similar large size to the Aidie mentioned before) beached at Malo les Bains some distance away from Ethel Everard and Aidie. See attached.

Andrew

I've had another look at the pictures that we have of this barge:





The môle and the lighthouse in the background can only mean that this barge (Barbara Jean) beached in Malo les Bains, quite close to the môle. More or less at the same location as the l'Adroit, maybe a bit more to the west. The fact that she's so close to the seawall may explain why you never see her on the l'Adroit pictures. But on this picture of l'Adroit you can also see the môle and the lighthouse in the distance:



And this is a picture of "the dark side of the moon": the side of l'Adroit that is facing the sea. I thought she was much bigger!



Jan

 

One more mysterious mystery: does anybody know the name of the tug boat on the Malo Terminus beach, close to the Ethel Everard barge? This is not the Port de Beyrouth, which was close to the Chasseur 9...

Jan

 

Jan ref the Lighthouse I think they are two different ones. The first one looks like it is the end of the West Mole and the second is the main tall white one, for want of a better description the one inland a bit if you know what I mean?

 

I will check out the tug for you-I think I may know the 'company operator'. In the meantime does anyone know or can suggest any RE diaries to copy regarding who built the piers?

I've added a few RE ones to the list already and the 102 Coy. CMP one too.

 

Drew

My understanding is that the two funnelled ship is the Lorina (see pic).

Andrew

I second that Andrew. This is your picture of this vessel:



... and I'm pretty sure that this is the same ship:



... which drowned in between Malo les Bains and Malo Terminus:



Jan

 

Found this pier in one of my new additions today:



Looks like De Panne 1. The car and the truck in the foreground can also be seen in this picture:



... and the little gangway on the right can also be seen here:



... and in this picture:



... and all pictures show "a lot of" Morris Commercials on a row. Here you can see them from the other side:



In other words: De Panne pier n° 1:



Jan

 

The trucks at the start of De Panne n° 2 seem to have their noses in the other direction:



Jan

 

One more mysterious mystery: does anybody know the name of the tug boat on the Malo Terminus beach, close to the Ethel Everard barge? This is not the Port de Beyrouth, which was close to the Chasseur 9...

Jan





I was thinking of the SUN TUGS by the funnel colours are a different pattern and they appear to have suffered no losses.

The only British Tugs lost (No French etc listed) were:

Fossa- Ran aground off East Mole and was refloated. On 2nd June she was lost to a direct hit. Another source says: Jun 2 went aground outside the harbour and abandoned.

St. Abbs - Sunk on 1st June off Dunkirk was hit by bombs and sunk in 45 seconds. Out of 135 Officers, Ratings and Troops only 30 survived.

St. Fagan - Sunk 1st June at 0355hrs and disintegrated in the Dunkirk Channel.

My money is on her being the Fossa.

 

When we're talking about Dunkirk shipwrecks, we should of course not forget the Devonia and the Crested Eagle. Here's a picture of the Devonia that I just found:



Jan

 

Jan can I pinch those for another thread with credit to you of course?

 

Jan can I pinch those for another thread with credit to you of course?

Of course you can Andy!

Cheers,
Jan

 

Drew Hi,

From memory and i will check it the guys name i think was Richardson, there is an account of it is
Dunkirk the necessary Myth


Regards Aldersdale

 

Fascinating thread and all credit to those of you who went into such detail in your research.

On a lighter note.

In 1964 I took my family on their first trip abroad and we had a week at Le Panne in Belgium just 8 miles away from the beaches at Dunkirk.

As we sat on the beach I tried to explain to my kids about the horrific scenes that had taken place just down the road, as it were, but I don't remember it having any impact !

I do remember the beach patrol chappie blowing his horn to warn swimmers from going out too deep and the pedallos along the promenade.

 

Every time I have visited the beaches at Malo, Bray and La Panne the sea has always been a milk pond. There are many accounts of the difficulties small whalers and the like had getting ashore to pick up members of the BEF with many being swamped and capsizing.

The picture Ron has posted shows just how difficult it must have been with what is probably the roughest I have seen the sea along that coast.
http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=39293&d=1288077361

 

Andy

You have just reminded me how strong the wind was on the beach.

This was my first (and last) experience of sand yachting and I swear I must have touched at least 30 mph.

Ron

 

From Dunkirk a Necessary Myth

Commander Richardson in charge of the Naval shore party at Bray Dunes had a brilliant idea. Lorries were being smashed up and abandoned in the dunes to stop them falling into the hands of the Germans, Richardson suggested that they were manhandled across the soft sand above high tide level, then shoved out into the water in line ahead and link with planks to form piers

 

I can't keep up with you lot. Some interesting stuff here. Presumably Drew you have seen the Life picture of the tug referred to in #70. If not here it is. Funnel looks black to me and the name looks like four characters.

Andrew

 

Jan

Two more e-bay pics of the pier De Panne 1

One is of the little pier next to the main pier and the other a longer range shot showing the less than straight line of the pier.

Andrew