The life and death of Lt Cdr Colin G.W. Donald RN, CO of HMS Vimy, while evacuating the Welsh and Irish Guards from Boulogne on the 23 May 1940

“One particular day whilst in the Atlantic guarding a convoy we received a message to return to Dover at high speed. After arrival there and refuelling we headed for the Hook of Holland. The Germans has swept through Belgium and Holland but we onboard had no idea of the severity of the situation. On arrival at the designated destination we picked up the most disreputable old rusted merchant ship that appeared as though it should have been sold for scrap many years ago. Ahead of us a British J class destroyer had slipped out of the harbour shortly before us and signaled to us to keep close station on our merchant ship. It was not long before the Luftwaffe attacked, their main aim very obviously directed at the J class destroyer ahead of us. That type of destroyer at that particular stage of the war was ultra modern and its Captain’s evasive high speed tactics were superb. The pressure was off when our own air cover arrived and we sailed into Sheerness without further incident. And so our task was completed, imagine our surprise when later we were informed, without confirmation of course, that the J class destroyer had just carried the then Queen Wilhelmina and Princess Juliana of the Netherlands to freedom from their over-run country, whilst we in the Vimy had escorted the bulk of all the gold in Holland which had been stowed away onboard that disreputable old tramp steamer."

"Immediate, next stop Dover, refuel, then full speed to Boulogne. On arrival there (23 May) we could clearly see large numbers of German Army advance units swarming down the high ground approaches leading to the city. They were being bombarded from offshore by four French destroyers of the “Le Terrible” class, then the most modern of the World’s destroyers. We signaled a request for one or two to accompany us into the port to evacuate as many troops, UK and French, plus numerous female nursing staff. Their reply was a definite refusal “no it is suicidal to go in there, we will continue to bombard”. And so we proceeded (following Captain Simson in the Keith) into the narrow harbour. The wharf and railway station on our starboard side was packed with those hopeful of being evacuated. On our port side and in close proximity were hotels and other business establishments . The advance German army units were beginning to pick up our range and soon casualties from their light calibre shells were mounting at an alarming rate. However we managed to embark some 700 plus evacuees before being forced to withdraw. (Don Harris was mistaken, the actual figure was150, consisting of Rearguard GHQ and some wounded, 70 stretchers).

While this operation was proceeding, three of us, the Captain, a Sub Lieutenant (Webster) and myself had remained at key communication links on the open bridge common to the V&W destroyers. Spasmodic automatic rifle fire distinct from the shell fire had been heard from the bridge before I noticed our Captain, Lieutenant Commander Donald, train his binoculars on a hotel diagonally opposite but quite close to our ship. I heard another burst of firing from the snipers located in the hotel and then saw our Captain struck down. He fell onto his back and as I leapt to his aid I saw that a bullet had inflicted a frightful wound to the forehead, nose and eyes of his face. He was choking in his own blood so I moved him onto his side, and it was then I received his final order. It was “get the First Lieutenant onto the bridge urgently”. As I rose to my feet more shots from the hotel swept the bridge and the Sub Lieutenant fell directly in front of me. I glanced down at him and saw four bullet holes in line across his chest. He must have been dead before he hit the deck.

On the upper deck I located the First Lieutenant and appraised him briefly of what had occurred. He immediately assumed command and ordered all securing lines cast off and full speed astern. He consulted me on the approximate location of the snipers in the nearby hotel and after I had given my opinion he ordered A gun’s crew up forward to bear on that target and fire a four inch shell at point blank range, no more than one hundred yards; the result was devastating. I trust, to this day, that that shot accounted for the cowardly French fifth columnists as they were claimed to have been by one of the evacuees onboard, a UK Army major. Still at full speed we reached the outer limits of the harbour and then had to contend with German light bombers.

Our new temporary Captain performed a magnificent feat of seamanship as he manoeuvred his top-heavy destroyer away from each attack. The planes soon broke away from us to attack the four French destroyers still at their task of bombarding beyond the port. The first attack brought immediate results; the leading ship of that contingent suffered direct hits and disappeared in a gigantic mushroom of flame and smoke. And so to Dover to unload our human cargo, refuel, await a replacement Captain and try very hard to get some precious sleep. Thus ended an episode which the following day the London Daily Mirror reported under the banner headline, “THE HELL THAT WAS BOULOGNE”.

This vivid first hand account is from a letter written by former AB Don T.W. Harris to Richard Hough on the 5 February 1985.

My father died in hospital that night and was buried at sea off Dover. He was awarded a posthumous Mention in Dispatches, as was Captain Simson of the Keith. His No 1, Lieutenant Adrian Northey DSC, received a Mention in Dispatches and the DSC was awarded to Sub Lieutenant Godden.

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Keith and Vimy were first to enter the narrow inner harbour (both commanding officers were killed) followed by Whitshed and Vimiera. When they left Venomous and Wild Swan entered and berthed either side of the Gare Maritime, on the west side of the harbour. Lt Cdr John McBeath RN made the wise decision to berth HMS Venomous on the east side of the Gare Maritime, his starboard side, where he could bring his 4.7 inch guns to bear on the German tanks and troop carriers descending the steep slope to the jetties on the opposite side of the harbour.

When CPO Hugh McGeeney returned home to Plymouth he told his wife that Venomous had nearly been "bottled" when the German forces almost succeeded in sinking HMS Venetia as it entered the harbour trapping Venomous and Wild Swan inside. With all the officers on the bridge of Venetia severely wounded or killed a young sub lieutenant took command and proceeded out of harbour stern first. McBeath with 500 troops aboard and his ship's rudder jammed used his ship's engines to steer Venomous backwards through the narrow harbour entrance whilst guardsmen and crew fired on the advancing German forces. HMS Windsor then berthed and took on board a further 600 guardsmen while Conder, the senior officer after the death of Captain Simpson on HMS Keith, continued to direct operations from HMS Whitshed in the outer harbour.

That night Vimiera returned to Bologne, berthed unnoticed at Quei Chanzy alongside the Gare Maritime and by 0245 on the 24 May when it slipped had 1,400 men aboard leaving only 200 behind on the quayside to become POW. The evacuation of 4,368 of the Welsh and Irish Guards from Boulogne by HMS Keith and seven V&Ws (Vimy, Whitshed, Vimiera, Wild Swan, Windsor, Venomous and Venetia) is one of the most dramatic events described in A Hard Fought Ship: the story of HMS Venomous. The story is told by the men who were there and illustrated with photographs taken during the action. But you can also follow events as they happened on this web site by reading the naval signals received and sent by HMS Venomous on the 23 May 1940.