Dunkirk 85th anniversary: The RNLI remembers the bravery and courage of its crew
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is marking the anniversary of the Dunkirk evacuation, Operation Dynamo, by looking back at the remarkable journey its lifeboats and crew took 85 years ago and sharing stories of courage
In May 1940, the RNLI followed the Government’s call to send small vessels to Dunkirk to rescue the 340,000 British, French and Belgian troops stuck there. The maritime rescue would later be heralded by Winston Churchill as a ‘miracle of deliverance’. The RNLI sent 19 boats across in total, two crewed by its volunteers and 17 crewed by the Royal Navy.
Ramsgate Lifeboat Station sent the Prudential boat with members of its crew onboard. The boat set off with eight small Thames work boats, known as wherries, in tow. These tiny, river and canal going vessels were used to ferry troops from the beach to the lifeboat.
Margate Lifeboat Station sent the Lord Southborough with a crew of 10. Both boats helped to save a staggering 3,400 people over the course of the evacuation.
Ramsgate's Prudential arrived 2 miles east of Dunkirk in dire weather conditions. 'It was black as Hades and visibility was nil,' said Coxswain Knight, who commanded the boat.
Battling strong tides and dodging enemy fire, boats and wreckage, Ramsgate's crew helped row the wherries to the beach to collect soldiers, while Coxswain Knight and the rest of his crew held the lifeboat steady. By daybreak the visibility improved, the sea conditions worsened but the crew battled on.
They kept going for 30 hours until the last of the wherries, battered by the surf, was too damaged to continue. After a long trek back across the channel to Ramsgate, the crew were in action again, bringing injured troops ashore from other vessels.
Ian Cannon, current Coxswain at Ramsgate Lifeboat Station has a direct family link back to the crew that set sail for Dunkirk 85 years ago.
Ian joined Ramsgate station as soon as he was old enough. He was inspired by his father, double Silver Medal awardee Coxswain Ron Cannon, and his grandfather before him.
The family tradition goes back to Dunkirk as Ian’s great, great uncle, Alf Moody, was second Coxswain when the Ramsgate lifeboat went to Dunkirk. While the younger crew had been called up for military service, the experienced older crew stepped up.
On 30 May 1940, Alf was on the crew that braved the bombs to rescue troops stuck on the beaches of Dunkirk.
Ian says: ‘I wanted to join the RNLI as soon as I could, I joined on my 17th birthday. I was so inspired by my family history, my father, my grandfather and my great, great uncle have all been on crew at Ramsgate.
‘As we celebrate the 85th anniversary of the Dunkirk evacuation, I can only imagine what it must have been like for my Uncle Alf and the other volunteer crew on the Prudential.
‘She was a wooden boat, 48ft, single engine – not very powerful, with no real protection for the crew. There was no real shelter, no seats. They took her across the Channel for two nights. They must have been absolutely exhausted and soaked.
‘I’m so proud of my family history at Ramsgate Lifeboat Station and all the lives they have helped to save.’
Ramsgate lifeboat crew were credited with taking 2,800 men off the beaches in under 48 hours.
The RNLI was recently awarded a grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to research and share stories of courage from the Second World War. The project, called ‘RNLI Stories of Courage 1939-45’ explores the charity's Second World War story.
Hayley Whiting, RNLI Heritage Archive and Research Manager, says: ‘As we mark the 85th anniversary of the Dunkirk evacuation, it gives us an opportunity to remember and share stories of courage from the RNLI. The crews that set sail for Dunkirk all those years ago faced a very difficult journey and we are so proud of their courage and their lifesaving efforts.
‘We know there are more stories from the Second World War connected to the RNLI that are yet to be discovered, we want to find them now before it’s too late.’
Notes to editors
· Please contact us if you are interested in setting up an interview with the spokespeople quoted in this release
· Visits can be arranged to see and photograph the Thomas Kirk Wright lifeboat which went from Poole to Dunkirk, it is housed at Poole Quay Lifeboat Museum
· Visits can be arranged to the RNLI archive in Poole where various war time memorabilia can be seen and photographed which include:
o A signal lamp from a Dunkirk ship with a bullet hole
o A Brodie helmet
o War time era kit
o War time service records
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Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,700 lives.
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Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
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