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May the vessel came under fire from shore batteries off Bray and sustained 15 casualties. Dechaineux received a minor wound to his forehead and a piece of shrapnel tore the back of his trousers In a letter to his wife he remarked "I am very grateful that the ship was heading away from the gunfire, rather than towards it!” On 1 June another 427 men were brought back to Dover.
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445:. Although the 200 kg (440 pound) bomb carried by the plane failed to explode, burning fuel and debris were spewed over a large area. Dechaineux was disembowelled by shrapnel and died a few hours later. He was buried at sea that night. Another 30 crew members died as a result of the attack; among the wounded was Commodore Collins.
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On 25 September 1940 he was given command of the brand new Hunt-class escort destroyer, HMS Eglington. After working up to satisfactory operational capability in Scapa Flow – where the ship and her captain were assessed by RN experts – the last months of the year were spent on North Sea convoy escort
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The next day the destroyer made two trips from
Dunkirk to Dover, bringing out 326 men in the first trip and 359 in the second; one can only imagine the crowding of every interior space and her weather deck by so many men. Two days later another 537 men were safely landed in the British port. On 31
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safely brought the crews of these ships back across the
Channel. Altogether the destroyer brought out a total of 1,649 passengers from Dunkirk during five voyages. The evacuation lasted nine days, and safely brought hundreds of thousands of men back to Britain. Four years later, many would return
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On 26 May the ship was allocated to Dynamo. At first, deployed from Dover, on 27 May the ship patrolled the beaches off
Dunkirk, providing general anti-aircraft cover and protecting against fast E-boat attacks while scores of vessels crossed the mercifully semi-calm Channel in evacuation. The
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for the D-Day landings. Dechaineux had proved his worth during his baptism of fire, not only by commanding the ship through battle, but also through the effective leadership of his men. He was destined for greater things.
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On 3 June the destroyer was directed to take part in
Operation OK, which sank blockships, to provide a temporary wharfage point, in Dunkirk Harbour.
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Dechaineux returned to
Australia later in 1941, as director of operations at the Navy Office in Melbourne. In June 1943, following the outbreak of
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in his memory. It was launched in 1998 in the presence of
Dechaineux's widow, Mary Purbrick, and his son, former RAN Commodore Peter Dechaineux.
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duties, as was 1941, although on 4 October the ship carried out a brief search for a German destroyer reported minelaying off South
Foreland.
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263:(RN), frequently exchanging personnel. Dechaineux spent much of the 1920s training with the RN as a torpedo officer and naval air observer.
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In
September 1932 Dechaineux achieved the rank of Lieutenant Commander. In 1935 he was appointed Squadron Torpedo Officer, on board
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fired at and hit a
Japanese aircraft. Initially, the plane flew away from the ships, but it subsequently turned and dived into
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288:, Dechaineux was attached to the RN Tactical and Minesweeping divisions until April 1940. Then, as the commander of the
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in 1920. In the first half of the 20th century, the RAN worked very closely with the
British
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186:(3 October 1902 – 21 October 1944) was an Australian mariner who reached the rank of
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The US government posthumously appointed Dechaineux an Officer of the
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Captain Emile Dechaineux was decorated with the following honours:
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at the age of 14, graduated three years later, and was promoted to
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Australian War Memorial, "Captain Emile Frank Verlaine Dechaineux"
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Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
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aircraft in what is believed to have been the first ever
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In 1990 the Australian government announced that a new
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On 9 March 1944, Dechaineux was given command of the
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Australian military personnel killed in World War II
831:Deaths by Japanese airstrikes during World War II
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716:"Dechaineux, Emile Frank Verlaine (1902 - 1944)"
816:Royal Australian Navy personnel of World War II
801:Graduates of the Royal Australian Naval College
600:with Bronze Oakleaf for Mentioned in Dispatches
437:. The plane struck the superstructure of the
247:, and an Australian mother. He entered the
224:Dechaineux (second right) on the bridge of
724:. Canberra: National Centre of Biography,
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16:Royal Australian Navy officer (1902–1944)
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846:Australian people of Belgian descent
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721:Australian Dictionary of Biography
656:Australian Dictionary of Biography
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684:(Supplement) no. 35204, page 3745
821:People from Launceston, Tasmania
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836:Officers of the Legion of Merit
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615:Australia Service Medal 1939-45
298:, he made five trips to assist
277:and in June he was promoted to
180:Emile Frank Verlaine Dechaineux
25:Emile Frank Verlaine Dechaineux
726:Australian National University
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347:. From his immediate command,
249:Royal Australian Naval College
208:attack, in the lead-up to the
171:Officer of the Legion of Merit
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387:supported Allied landings at
302:, the evacuation of Dunkirk.
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329:In 1941, he was awarded the
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532:Distinguished Service Cross
331:Distinguished Service Cross
167:Distinguished Service Cross
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416:the landings in Leyte Gulf
410:On 21 October 1944, HMAS
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235:Dechaineux was born in
806:People who died at sea
395:and on the islands of
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366:on 31 December 1943.
362:. He was promoted to
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198:. He was killed by a
192:Royal Australian Navy
124:Years of service
118:Royal Australian Navy
422:, gunners from HMAS
237:Launceston, Tasmania
210:Battle of Leyte Gulf
62:Launceston, Tasmania
598:War Medal 1939–1945
284:At the outbreak of
275:Royal Naval College
668:The Submarine Six.
630:Officer of the US
473:Honours and awards
245:Florent Dechaineux
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231:in September 1944.
735:978-0-522-84459-7
702:, 11 January 1944
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360:Admiralty Islands
306:pleasure steamer
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755:. Retrieved
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74:(1944-10-21)
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796:1944 deaths
791:1902 births
757:22 February
308:Mona’s Isle
64:, Australia
42: 1943
37:Dechaineux
785:Categories
643:References
466:Dechaineux
441:above the
430:Shropshire
356:New Guinea
351:Warramunga
261:Royal Navy
257:midshipman
253:Jervis Bay
148:Warramunga
104:Allegiance
97:Leyte Gulf
86:Leyte Gulf
79:HMAS
55:1902-10-03
744:1833-7538
439:Australia
435:Australia
424:Australia
412:Australia
389:Hollandia
385:Australia
376:Australia
319:Vivacious
295:Vivacious
290:destroyer
279:commander
228:Australia
216:Biography
156:Australia
127:1919–1944
107:Australia
81:Australia
752:70677943
401:Noemfoor
270:Canberra
205:kamikaze
200:Japanese
142:Commands
112:Service/
636:(1944)
537:(1941)
458:Collins
405:Morotai
364:captain
342:US Navy
241:Belgian
239:, to a
194:during
190:in the
188:captain
136:Captain
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443:bridge
418:. Off
383:. The
163:Awards
114:branch
92:Buried
534:(DSC)
464:HMAS
428:HMAS
374:HMAS
349:HMAS
268:HMAS
226:HMAS
154:HMAS
146:HMAS
759:2010
748:OCLC
740:ISSN
730:ISBN
426:and
403:and
397:Biak
293:HMS
132:Rank
69:Died
49:Born
391:in
184:DSC
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