223796 AB. Walter Frank Lunn DSM.Royal Navy Around the spring of 1940, my father Frank Lunn was drafted to the private yacht Ankh. The yacht sailed from Portsmouth arriving off the beachhead at Bray on the morning of 31st May. Captain Howson RN was also transferred to the yacht Ankh which he was to use as his HQ for the rest of the day. Captain Howson ordered 4 of the 9 yachts to the beach at La Panne.
As the yachts drew a depth of 6-7 feet they were unable to get close in shore and therefore the yacht's motor boats were launched so that troops could be ferried from the beachhead to awaiting craft.
It was during this ferrying to and from that Frank and his mate, Fred Barter, carried twenty men at a time instead of the eight that the boat was designed for back to the awaiting yacht Ankh. On one journey back to the yacht Ankh the launch was hit by enemy fire which caused the launch to breakup and sink leaving the soldiers in full kit floundering in the water.
Then, Frank and Fred swam nearly a mile back to the Ankh under heavy fire to free another motor boat and proceed then to rescue the men in the water and then continued to transfer further members of the BEF to the yachts.
In total Frank Lunn & Fred Barter were able to ferry some 400 men to safety!
For this action, under fire, they were both awarded the DSM on the 16th of July 1940 at Buckingham Palace.
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