After Dunkirk: The Evacuations that Time Forgot

by Martha Hutchens

I discovered a history author who falls into rabbit holes the same way I do. His name is David Worsfold, and he came out of his latest rabbit hole with a whole book. I haven’t read the book yet, but I have seen an interview where he discusses the material in it. You can see this interview here.

David Worsfold knew a lot about the evacuation at Dunkirk. His father was one of the men saved there. However, there was a strange story in his wife’s family about his wife’s grandfather. He was 70 years old in 1940, and still serving as a military ships surgeon. And as the story goes, he left France in late June of 1940.

And David thought, “the evacuation of Dunkirk was finished in early June 1940. How could this story be true?” Finally he got curious enough to try to find an answer. That research led to a book about two further evacuation campaigns after Dunkirk.

After Dunkirk, there were still over 200,000 military personnel in France. Most of them were British, but there were two large Polish divisions as well as a large Czechoslovakian division. There were also a lot of British civilians. Almost no civilians were evacuated at Dunkirk. Instead, they were told to go south.

The German advance proceeded largely down the middle of France, cutting the country into two. The troops trapped in the northern half of France we know about. They were evacuated at Dunkirk. And then Dunkirk fell.

History Dept of United States Military Academy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

At first, Churchill planned to keep a foothold in France. He hoped to establish a line between St Malo and St-Nazaire, cutting off the peninsula that stretches farthest to the west. They did not have the manpower or supplies to hold this, but the men there managed to buy time for the first evacuation, Operation Cycle, which occurred from June 10 to June 13, 1940.

This is where we first meet Admiral William James. Much like Admiral Ramsay would for Dunkirk, Admiral James started gathering practically anything that would float. By the 10th of June, his flotilla numbered 207 boats, including destroyers, Dutch barges, transport vessels, private yachts, and even some boats that just returned from Dunkirk. They arrived off the coast of France late on the 10th.

Dunkirk, 1940, public domain

The evacuation point was supposed to be Le Havre, and in fact a good many troops did make it there. But the 51st Highland division was cut off from this port, and went to St Valery instead. While managing the evacuation of 11,000 men at Le Havre, James also sent ships to St Valery. Early on, these ships managed to rescue some men, but then the German artillery set up on the cliffs over St Valery.

HMS Ambuscade was damaged by this artillery. HMS Boadicea was hit by the Luftwaffe and also damaged. At this point, James realized that he would only be able to evacuate St Valery after dark. So while the Le Havre evacuation continued, James sent ships to St Valery to be ready once darkness fell. Unfortunately, fog came with darkness, and this hastily assembled flotilla was largely dependent on signal lamps for communication. They were unable to make it into St Valery, though they did rescue over 3000 from nearby Veules-les-Roses.

James sent a message to the commander of the 51st, saying they would try again the night of the 12th, but there simply wasn’t enough ammunition for them to hold out that long. James’ message that night read, “A sad and broken-hearted man writes to you tonight. The 51st division, one of our very best, are prisoners of war.”

But the job wasn’t done. There were still troops and civilians in France to rescue, which leads us to Operation Aerial.

It was launched on June 15, 1940 with the simple order “Bring them home.”

And that is what the Royal Navy did. By this point, Le Havre and St Valery had fallen, so the Navy sailed to ports farther south such as St-Nazaire and La Rochelle. The ports were falling fast, and the people just kept moving south. The Royal Navy moved south, too. Eventually, some people escaped by crossing into Spain.

According to Worsfold, when you combine Operations Aerial and Cycle, over 207,000 were rescued, not including civilians. Over 230 large ships and 290 smaller vessels were involved.

You may be wondering why this is not as well-known as the Dunkirk evacuation. I think it was overshadowed by France's surrender, the loss of the 51st Highland Division, and the loss of one of the larger ships, the Lancastria, an evacuation ship that was sunk by dive bombers. Approximately 3000 people lost their lives when this ship sank. I tell more about this ship and her captain here.

It was not only people that were rescued in Operation Aerial. As you would expect, military supplies were evacuated as well. A supply of industrial diamonds was evacuated. As was most of the Polish national treasures and their gold reserves. And strangely enough, what may have been the world’s supply of heavy water, a difficult-to-obtain substance that was crucial to atomic research.

When you combine Operation Dynamo (Dunkirk), with the later two operations, over 600,000 were rescued from France in May and June of 1940.

Remains of pier used for Normandy, @fatmanphoto, Deposit Photos

And if you’re wondering, the 51st Highland Division was reconstituted. After the invasion of Normandy, they were assigned to the liberation of St Valery. Their massed pipes and drums played in the streets—which was only as it should be.

Best-selling author Martha Hutchens is a history nerd who loves nothing more than finding a new place and time to explore. She won the 2019 Golden Heart for Romance with Religious and Spiritual Elements. A former analytical chemist and retired homeschool mom, Martha occasionally finds time for knitting when writing projects allow.

Martha’s debut novel, A Steadfast Heart, is now available. You can learn more about her books and historical research at marthahutchens.com.

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