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I was thirteen in June 1940 attending a school in Dartmouth, living at Strete where my father was a police sergeant for that area. After school I would walk to the embankment where I had an hour to wait for my bus home.

The Dunkirk evacuation was coming to an end but on this day I noticed a number of small open boats of the type used for a trip around the bay, coming into the river. Their letters indicated that they were from Plymouth and Fowey area. The boats were marshalled into a spot near the hospital which had been cordoned off. The quayside was piled with petrol cans and water containers. The skippers were quickly ushered into a restaurant which had been requisitioned by the Royal Navy. Within a short time they boarded their boats clutching a large envelope and a box of foodstuff and made for the open sea. I later ascertained they were going to the St Malo area where our troops were trapped.

The harbour was busy as there were about 80 to 100 Belgium fishing boats, marshalled after a radio broadcast requesting them to go to a British port instead of returning to Belgium, which was in German occupation.

On the following Sunday, we were sitting down to lunch, when the telephone rang. My father answered the call and, leaving his half finished lunch, placed his handcuffs and truncheon into his trouser pockets and drove off to Dartmouth. My brother and I thought this was stange as he never carried his truncheon or handcuffs.

Late in the afternoon, my father returned home and I overheard him telling my mother that he had been to a mutiny at the Dartmouth Guildhall involving the Belgium fishermen.

The Royal Navy had called a meeting of the fishermen to ask them to go to France and rescue our troops from the advancing Germans. They were offered double pay and rations but only sufficient men volunteered to man 3 or 4 boats. These men quickly withdrew their offer when they realised that they were in a minority.

The Royal Navy acted very quickly and they were locked up in the Guildhall and I don't know what became of them.

Within a few days I noticed that all the Belgium fishing boats were moored in lines above the Higher Ferry, awaiting to be converted into minesweepers and formed part of the Polish Navy.

Having seen our own seamen, sailing to the aid of our forces trapped in France, I considered the act of the Belgiums, cowadice.

A plaque is displayed in the St Helier (Channel Islands) Sailing Club, noting the achievement of their sailors sailing to St Malo in France to rescue our forces. This is the only mention I have found to confirm a 'mini' Dunkirk from St Male.

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