HMS Codrington
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At the commencement of World
War II, Codrington was Flotilla leader of the 19th Destroyer Flotilla
at Dover, her duties being to keep the English Channel free of mines and
submarines, and to escort troops and stores to France for the British
Expeditionary Force. On 4 December 1939, she took His Majesty King George
VI from Dover to Boulogne, bringing him back to Dover on 10 December.
On 10 May 1940 the German invasion of the low countries commenced and
Codrington was immediately recalled to her station at Harwich. Her first
job was to evacuate Princess Juliana, Prince Bernhardt, their daughters
and suite from Ijmuiden, Holland to Harwich on 13 May.
On 28 May, she was between North Goodwin Light vessel and Kwinte Bank light buoy when she, Jaguar and Javellin picked up 33 survivors from the Belgian ship Aboukir, which had been torpedoed by an E-boat whilst carrying about 200 evacuees from Ostend to the United Kingdom. From this episode she went straight to Dunkirk Harbour when she commenced ferrying the troops to Dover. In all Codrington made eight trips to Dunkirk, between 28 May and 4 of June, four of which were to lift the troops off the beaches.
The total number of soldiers brought back by Codrington was 5,821. On 1 June, she embarked Major General B L Montgomery ('Monty') at Dunkirk and brought him back to Dover. During this period Codrington was attacked by aircraft and shelled from the shore, but was not hit.
