A TAVISTOCK-born man, who was decorated for bravery during the Dunkirk evacuation in world war two has died, aged 86. Rear Admiral Robert ?Bob? Timbrell, was born in the town in February 1920, but soon emigrated to Canada where his father was a railway engineer. Timbrell joined the Royal Canadian Navy and was a 20-year-old sub-lieutenant when he took command of Lord Astor's private yacht, the Llanthony. He set off for Dunkirk with a crew of six Newfoundland woodsmen, two London bus mechanics and a petty officer RN whose equipment consisted of a first world war pistol, an uncorrected magnetic compass and a minefields chart. The yacht made several trips to Dunkirk and came under heavy fire. Timbrell also took charge of a small fleet of trawlers. The yacht rescued 280 men and the flotilla a total of 900. Timbrell's bravery saw him awarded the DSC, the first Canadian of the war to receive the honour. He rose to second in command of a destroyer, and after the war captained a frigate and cruiser, then took command of a Canadian aircraft carrier. He retired as a rear admiral in 1974.