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instantly in their cabins by the explosion since after which he immediately hurried towards that part of the ship to assist only to find in the place of cabins was a large hole and the sea. 1
All survivors, such as Sgt "Wiggy" Carr, were taken onto the Malines and the destroyer HMS Ivanhoe, the former landing at Dover at 10.15. To ensure the seaway remained clear the Ivanhoe fired three shells into the sinking Grafton, and within minutes it sank below the waters.14
On the Dunkirk beaches news filtered through from dawn of May 30 that other ships were arriving, and this prompted another general escape back towards the town and the damaged 1.75-mile Eastern Mole.
King George V, the S.S. Maid of Orleans, and the HMS Ivanhoe together with the survivors and walking wounded of the doomed Grafton. The largest party on the George V docked at Margate at 19.00 and met by M.P.s collecting rifles, and a makeshift canteen with the usual mountains of sandwiches, and with people handing out postcards to for addressing to one's family.15 Gunner Cliff Russell and his friend Harry Bibby of the Flash Spotting Battery, recall being told by a brass hat called "Alexander" (Major General - the recently appointed commander of I Corps in person) to join the line for the Ivanhoe which did not leave the quay before 17.00. Because of constant moves by the Regiment, these two stragglers were not able to catch up with the rest of the unit until June 19 at Domerham.16
The voyages were endless and tiring as after May 27 with already five transport ships having to turn back, a sixth hit and a seventh shelled by air-strike the shortest 40 westerly mile route and total darkness needed.
Shipping diverted around both the French and British minefields, so prolonging the typical 80- mile round trip to over twice its distance to 172 miles. In contrast, when Dunkirk surrendered, after Monday, June 3, when Operation Dynamo declared at an end, the rescue operation went on from the ports further south, from Le Havre and Cherbourg, and after June 14 from Brest. Among these was Y Troop of 1st Survey Battery. It then operated on the Somme, then the Seine, under 51st Medium Regiment from Saturday, June 8 1940. At 23.30 came the order to board the Lady of Man, an Isle of Man steamship, which sailed at 05.30 on Wednesday 12th. The ship landed at Cherbourg where it stayed for four hours allowing all passengers to walk around, wash, and delight themselves with a full McConachie's meat and vegetable lunch in the Transit Camp.
After that, the Lady of Man resailed at 18.00 heading towards the Solent estuary and berthing at Southampton at 08.30 on June 13, with the Troop wisely choosing to detach itself from the other unit parties to prevent confusion arising for themselves and others much later in the Transit Camps.18
One of the last men of the Survey Regiments was Lieut. Greenwood, whose entire duration in France from April 1940 until the second week of June involved training reinforcements in the basics of Survey in a Transit Camp at Forge Les Eau. He set sail to Southampton from Cherbourg and was entrained north in a temporary base camp in Cheshire.
Throughout the May campaign, there were plans to send more units. However, what in hindsight appears absurd was that even after the 1st and the first party of 3rd Survey had returned, there were incidences of units containing specialist trained troops and sent to France.
There were conflicts of policy between evacuating and still trying emergency countermeasures to protect and to assist their French ally.
Among these specialists was a recently trained replacement direct from Larkhill, Leslie Foundling. He remembers his French adventure as a "misadventure". Leaving on Monday 27th on the S.S. Bruges from Southampton for Cherbourg, he heard that the King of the Belgiums had capitulated (04.00 May 28).
We left Cherbourg in the afternoon in rail horse boxes scheduled to carry eight horses or 40 men (a WW1 measurement). We had haversack rations for 24 hours.
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