Dunkirk Little Ships Parade

Over 20 Dunkirk Little Ships with gather in London’s Royal Docks over the weekend of May 16th and 17th ahead of their Return to Dunkirk journey to mark the 75th anniversary of the Dunkirk Evacuations.

During the evening of Saturday, May 16, as part of the nationwide Museums at Night festival of arts, heritage and culture, the Dunkirk Little Ships will parade around Royal Victoria Dock.

Little Ship The Silver Queen will offer twilight trips around the docks and there will be the chance to step aboard some of the other ships taking part. In 1940 700 small civilian boats sailed from Ramsgate in Kent to Dunkirk in Northern France under extraordinarily dangerous conditions, braving mine fields, E-boat attacks and Stuka bomb attaches to rescue British and French forces trapped on the beaches, from the advancing German army. These little ships, mostly privately owned pleasure boats, private yachts and fishing boats, contributed to the rescue of over 338,000 men.

Although the Evacuation of Dunkirk was no victory for the British Army it saved the troops to carry on the fight against Hitler - indeed many went on to return to liberate Europe through Normandy and Italy.