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Original Text (Annotation: EPW062741 / 1061067)
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ML "San Toy I" of the Southend Motor Navigation Co, - commandeered by the Royal Navy on May 25th, 1940, for Operation Dynamo [the Dunkirk evacuation emergency] - and never returned. Declared a "war loss, circumstances unknown" by the Admiralty in September, 1940. Compensation was not paid to the Southend "Dunkirk little ship" owners who'd lost their only means of livelihood, their boats - until 1946, and then only at "1939 book values", - rather than the "replacement like-for-like" Charter document the Owners forced to SNO Sheerness to sign on 25-5-1940, when it became obvious he was not going to allow the SMNCo ex-RN staff to crew their own craft. '