On the 10th May 1940 Germany invaded the Low Countries, a precursor to the fall of France. BEF troops fell back to Dunkirk where they were pushed on to the beach awaiting rescue by the Royal Navy.

HMS.Mosquito and HMS Locust were ordered to Nore Command based at Sheerness late May 1940 to assemble for the Dunkirk evacuation (Operation Dynamo). Little is written about HMS Mosquito. She is rarely mentioned where Dunkirk is concerned, even on the Royal Navy web site (like the poor soldiers that were left behind at Dunkirk) Of all of dad's ships this little boat fascinates me the most, only surviving for eight weeks from leaving the shipyard to being sunk. I've tried to get more information on her but much of it seems to have been lost. The best photographs of her class can be found here http://www.fotolibra.com/gallery/338098/river-gunboat/ .

Under the command of Lt. Denis Harold Palmer Gardiner HMS MOSQUITO had made three trips over to Dunkirk from Dover carrying back over 1,000 troops at which point Dad was disembarked after being hit by shrapnel. On the way over on the fourth trip she was attacked by a lone Junker's 87 and damaged by a near miss, peppering her hull, but she steamed on arriving at Dunkirk at 12.30 on the 1st June.

Some 30 French / Belgium troops had embarked from the motor boat Rapid 1. On hearing that the steamship HMS SCOTIA had been attacked HMS MOSQUITO proceeded to the west end of the channel (followed by Rapid 1) to her aid, but was attacked by six or seven aircraft from different directions out of a fleet of around twenty Junker's 87 Stuka dive bombers. Avoiding action was taken and the first three attacks missed but the forth was successful. One bomb exploded in front of the ship throwing up a large quantity of mud / water over her bridge and forecastle. Another scored a direct hit amidships and blew a hole in her boiler / engine room and put her steering gear out of action (jammed). She listed heavily to port . The crew of the pom-pom were all killed or knocked out of action except for Acting Leading Seaman Ronald Thirwall. Although badly wounded in at least four places he kept the one remaining barrel firing until all the ammunition was depleted. The 0.5" gun aft was also kept in action by Able Seaman C.A.L.Hirschfield who went aft and bought the gun into action single handed after all the crew were wounded. With water pouring into the ship the order was given to abandon ship. Two carley rafts were released and two drifters the Lord Cavan (LT680 half way down page under hms vernon ships) and Jackeve (LT116)together with Rapid 1 closed to run alongside, which allowed the survivors to escape as the ship sank in shallow water,with her upper works still exposed.

In a final twist of fate her sister ship HMS Locust (a fine record at Dunkirk) was given the task to send in a demolition party and blow her up as she was proving to be a hazard to shipping. Several gallantry awards were won by the crew and her rescuers in the action . Click on the link below (http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/33/a7612733.shtml) and read of a first hand account.

edited 17/11/15