85th Anniversary of Dunkirk with Little Ships

Crowds at Ramsgate Harbour. Credit: Milly Karsten

The little ships went out on May 21 this year.

  The Dunkirk evacuation took place 26 May 1940 – 4 Jun 1940, evacuating more than 338,000 Allied soldiers during WW2 from the beaches of Dunkirk.

Lest we forget.

Source: History Hit

Posted on Facebook page Veterans Foundation

A selection of photos of the Dunkirk small boats that have assembled in Ramsgate for the 85th Anniversary of Operation Dynamo.

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Posted Saturday morning, May 24:

Eighty-five years ago hundreds of sailors aboard Little Ships braved the dangerous waters of the English Channel to rescue 338,000 soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk.

This morning, 64 of those historic vessels set sail once again... retracing their route in tribute to one of the most remarkable rescue missions in military history.

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The 85th anniversary of the evacuation of Dunkirk has been commemorated by 64 of the original little ships, leaving Ramsgate and heading back to the beaches.

At exactly 06:00 on the dot, the first of the historic vessels began moving away from the pontoons inside Ramsgate Harbour. 

Thousands of people had gathered to wave them on their way.

• Little Ships head to Ramsgate as they keep memory of the miracle of Dunkirk afloat
• Dunkirk Evacuation: A crucial but costly chapter during the Second World War
• Dunkirk on screen: Three films to watch during the 85th anniversary

All 64 of the ships leaving had taken part in the famous evacuation of nearly 340,000 British and Allied troops from Dunkirk in 1940.

They'd become trapped on the beaches by the advancing German military.

The call came for help, for ships of all shapes and sizes to rescue them, and 600 answered the call.

Had so many not made it back to Britain, the war could well have been lost. 

SOURCE: bfbsForcesNews with an excellent video of the little ships leaving Ramsgate harbor that morning.