The Little Ships of Dunkirk were about 850 private boats that sailed from Ramsgate in England to Dunkirk in northern France between 26 May and 4 June 1940 as part of Operation Dynamo, helping to rescue more than 336,000 British, French, and other Allied soldiers who were trapped on the beaches at Dunkirk during the Second World War.
PS Medway Queen, 2016
Walmer lifeboat Charles Dibdin
SB Ena lying in the mud at Hoo, 2018
ST Challenge
The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo and also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, or just Dunkirk, was the evacuation of more than 338,000 Allied soldiers during the Second World War from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, in the north of France, between 26 May and 4 June 1940. The operation commenced after large numbers of Belgian, British, and French troops were cut off and surrounded by German troops during the six-week Battle of France.
British troops lined up on the beach awaiting evacuation
Lord Gort (gesturing, at centre) was commander of the British Expeditionary Force.
Soldiers were strafed and bombed by German aircraft while awaiting transport.
Troops evacuated from Dunkirk arrive at Dover, 31 May 1940