'Incredible welcome' as Little Ships return to Kent after weather delays
Watch: Commodore Kevin Finn, from the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships, describes the week's events and the reception given at Ramsgate harbour.
Dozens of Little Ships have returned to Kent from Dunkirk, after commemorating 75 years since Operation Dynamo.
The fleet had been due to return last weekend, but poor weather conditions returned the sailing.
Hundreds of people lined the harbour wall on Saturday evening to welcome the boats, which had set off for France on May 21st.
Commodore Kevin Finn, from the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships, described the reception as 'amazing' and said the unexpected delays had been a chance to build relationships.
" Friends that we knew we liked became friends that we loved, people we didn't know very well became great friends.
"The people of Dunkirk were amazing and the people of Ramsgate have been incredible, coming out to welcome us home on a Saturday evening."
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ITV News
5 days ago
- ITV News
The Little Ships of Dunkirk: All you need to know about Operation Dynamo
In May 1940, 85 years ago, a military operation began to evacuate British and French soldiers from northern France following the German advance. The mission became known as Operation Dynamo. Around 70 small vessels, including fishing boats, yachts, and pleasure steamers, braved treacherous conditions to rescue over 336,000 troops from the beaches of Dunkirk. Background: In 1940 Germany invaded France and the Low Countries, cutting through British, French and Belgium troops in the process. The Allies were pushed back to the French port of Dunkirk where they were vulnerable to attack with their backs to the sea. Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered the men to be rescued in what became the largest military evacuation in history. Codenamed Operation Dynamo it was co-ordinated from the tunnels deep beneath Dover Castle. Dynamo was a type of electrical generator that had been used there. John Evans was a boy living in Southampton and talks about his memories of seeing troops returning from Dunkirk. The evacuation lasted from 26 May – 4 June 1940, and under intensive firing and bombing 338,000 troops were brought back over the English Channel to ports such as Dover, Margate and Ramsgate . Hundreds of civilian ships were commandeered to help shuttle the stranded troops from the beaches to the deeper waters where larger Royal Navy ships were waiting. These have become known as 'The Dunkirk Little Ships'. Many were privately owned and included fishing vessels, yachts, tugs, motorboats and paddle steamers including the Medway Queen. The operation was a success because of the heroism of the rescuers and the dogged rearguard action that was fought. But the Germans also paused the advance on Dunkirk which allowed many more men to escape. Britain's soldiers, the British Expeditionary Force were trained professionals and their loss would have meant almost certain defeat and surrender early in World War Two. Morale was boosted as tragedy was turned into triumph and the rescue was dubbed by Churchill as ''The Miracle of Dunkirk.'' But the country was at its lowest point following this disaster as its main Allies had been defeated and it had lost much of its military equipment. The invasion it feared that summer never came though. The RAF went on to defeat the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain a few months later and Hitler instead embarked on a mass bombing campaign known as the Blitz. Britain did not return to France until D-Day four years later. How Operation Dynamo unfolded- 20/05/1940 - Winston Churchill orders preparation of vessels to evacuate the British Expeditionary Forces from Northern France. 24/05/1940 - Hitler orders his forces not to cross the Lens-Bethune-St Omer-Gravelines line, allowing the Allied forces more time to reach the French coast. 24/05/1940 - Allied defensive positions are hit by by German Luftwaffe bombers around Dunkirk. 25/05/1940 - More and more retreating Allied units arrive at Dunkirk. 26/05/1940 - Hitler orders his forces towards Dunkirk. 26/05/1940 - The evacuation of Allied forces from the French port officially begins. It's called Operation Dynamo and is based in Dover Castle. 26/05/1940 - Over 850 British civilian vessels assist military forces to awaiting transports. It would become the largest military evacuation in history. 29/05/1940 - More than 72,000 British soldiers had been evacuated from France to ports such as Dover, Margate, Ramsgate and Sheerness. 01/06/1940 - Defense of the outlying region near Dunkirk now passes to French XVI Corps 04/06/1940 - Some 40,000 French soldiers are taken prisoner by Germany at the fall of Dunkirk. 04/06/1940 - The evacuation of Allied forces at Dunkirk officially ends. Over 338,000 soldiers are saved. Little Ships Abdy Beauclerk Abdy Beauclerk was towed across the English Channel by a drifter they arrived at a beach just East of Dunkirk harbour on 31st May. Aberdonia Aberdonia went to Dunkirk where she is thought to have made four trips to the beaches even before they had time to repaint her in battleship grey. Advance Advance was one of the first Little Ships to arrive at Dunkirk - but was one of a group of little ships which were machine-gunned by two aircraft. Alusia Alusia was built as a pleasure boat, but soon after the outbreak of war she was called up for more serious duties as a patrol boat, and assisted in the evacuation of Dunkirk. Angele Aline Angele Aline is almost 100 years old, but there is no record of the number of trips she made ferrying troops from the harbour to the warships anchored in deep water off the coast. Anne Anne was the only 'little ship' to return to Dunkirk in 2010 on her original engines. She is now berthed in Chichester. Aquabelle Aquabelle was delivered to the Royal Navy to go to Dunkirk and as she was fitted with a gun, she went on to defend lighthouses from air attack. Beatrice Maud Beatrice Maud crossed the channel on 31st May and around 260 soldiers, reported to be French, boarded her on 4 June and a British Naval ship towed her in to Dover the following day. Bessie In 1940, Bessie was taken from Wells-next-the-Sea to Ramsgate as part of Operation Dynamo to help evacuate the British Expeditionary Forces from Dunkirk. Bluebird Bluebird made two false starts in getting to Dunkirk. The first time she developed engine trouble. Then, when she got as far as Sheerness, there were too many volunteers and she was left behind. Braymar Braymar suffered major damage, not from air attack, mines or shells at Dunkirk but she was laid up ashore for ten years after the war and completely dried out so that her planks and topsides started to deteriorate.
ITV News
5 days ago
- ITV News
'Incredible welcome' as Little Ships return to Kent after weather delays
Watch: Commodore Kevin Finn, from the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships, describes the week's events and the reception given at Ramsgate harbour. Dozens of Little Ships have returned to Kent from Dunkirk, after commemorating 75 years since Operation Dynamo. The fleet had been due to return last weekend, but poor weather conditions returned the sailing. Hundreds of people lined the harbour wall on Saturday evening to welcome the boats, which had set off for France on May 21st. Commodore Kevin Finn, from the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships, described the reception as 'amazing' and said the unexpected delays had been a chance to build relationships. " Friends that we knew we liked became friends that we loved, people we didn't know very well became great friends. "The people of Dunkirk were amazing and the people of Ramsgate have been incredible, coming out to welcome us home on a Saturday evening."
Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Moment migrant dinghy trying to cross English Channel diverts Dunkirk flotilla of 'Little Ships' as they commemorated legendary WWII evacuation
This is the moment a migrant dinghy forced a flotilla of 'Little Ships' commemorating the legendary Dunkirk evacuation to make way - flanked by a French navy boat. Commemorations of the 85th anniversary of the heroic effort to save British, French and other Allied soldiers from incoming German troops kicked off yesterday - but the pleasure cruisers and speedboats had to make way for an unlikely guest. Their 45-mile trip across the English Channel, recreating the noble effort of May 1940, was disrupted by a demand from Border Force and the French navy to create a one-mile exclusion zone through which a migrant boat could ass. Images show the dinghy, packed with people who appeared to be wearing lifejackets, as they were closely followed by a smaller craft and what appeared to be a hulking Loire-class French navy vessel. Chris Cox, coordinator of the flotilla event commemorating Operation Dynamo, said of the unexpected interruption: 'There was a migrant boat in the water that was being covered by a French naval vessel. As is good proportion, we steered clear and let the authorities look after it. 'For the people in the small boat, they have never done this before and they don't know what to expect. The last thing you want them to do is to try and make for a pleasure boat or Dunkirk Little Ship, which would not be good.' A total of 13 boats carrying 825 migrants made the treacherous journey across the Channel on May 21 - with at least two people dying on one of the crossings. The Operation Dynamo recreation, however, was unhindered on its journey from Ramsgate to Dunkirk, save for the slight interruption from border officials and the French. Mr Cox added that it had been a 'perfect day' for a journey that 'couldn't have been smoother'. He added: 'Churchill asked the people to pray for calm conditions, and I think somebody must have been praying this week for us.' The fleet of 66 vessels set sail from Ramsgate, Kent, at 6am on Wednesday before happening on the new arrivals. The Telegraph reported that sailors were told in a maritime frequency message: 'There is a (French) warship on our head with a migrant (boat) close by. And we've been requested to give one nautical mile distance from that vessel, over.' A French-accented voice, believed to be from the French naval vessel Oyapock, then replied: 'Thank you, sir. Thank you very much.' One observer later said: 'It is one of the most important days in history and they are shoving them out of the way.' The Association of Dunkirk Little Ships organised the flotilla - depicted in Christopher Nolan's epic 2017 film, to ensure 'the legacy of the Dunkirk little ships continues to inspire future generations'. It came as two migrants, believed to be a woman and a child, tragically died in the Channel, as the total to have reached Britain since Labour came to power passed 36,000. The dead were pulled from waters off the Calais coast by the French navy after an overloaded dinghy got into difficulties. French officials said most of the rest of the migrants aboard the inflatable refused rescue and carried on to UK. Refugee charity Utopia 56 said it alerted emergency services to the tragedy, writing on X: '"The boat is broken, two people are dead." This is the information we received during a distress call in the English Channel this morning.' The Home Office confirmed there were 825 arrivals on Wednesday, bringing the total since the general election to 36,811, and a year-on-year increase of 37 per cent. The total includes 13,569 since the start of this year. The latest tragedy unfolded in the early hours, a spokesman for France's Maritime prefecture said. The dinghy which had 80 people aboard was designed to carry no more than 20, it is understood. The unidentified migrants were 'pulled out by a Navy vessel' and sailors 'performed first aid on the two victims, but they were soon declared dead'. Ten other passengers requested rescue, while about 70 others asked to remain aboard the inflatable which continued its journey towards the English coast. A French Navy boat and a helicopter with a medical team on board provided emergency cover. Prosecutors in France have started an enquiry into the fatalities, while judicial police are searching for people smugglers who arranged the crossing. In total, some 17 people have perished on small boats so far this year. A woman died on Sunday night after a dinghy broke up off the French coast. Last year saw a record 78 deaths.
