Page 54 - All About History - Issue 54-17

Little Ships, Great Escape

in seven trips, while Mersey ferry Royal Daffodil The journey begins
sailed 9,500 soldiers to safety across the same 01 It was from Ramsgate that the immortal little ships set 10
number of runs, surviving bomb, machine gun sail. Over 700 pleasure steamers, fishing boats, hospital ships and
and torpedo attacks. more went to the rescue of thousands of soldiers.
Cockle boats of the Thames Estuary also
took up the call, with Vice-Admiral Ramsay
describing their conduct as “exemplary”. Leigh-
on-Sea’s prolific Osborne family put forward six 08
of their cockle boats, each saving approximately
1,000 soldiers. But on the return journey, one of
their number, the Renown, hit a mine and was
destroyed, with the crew — Frank and Leslie
Osborne, Harry Noakes and Harold Graham 04
Porter — losing their lives. Frank and Leslie
were two grandsons of Osborne Bros founder
Thomas George Osborne.
Another Osborne, 19-year-old Eric, and his
cousin Horace, had taken charge of Resolute.
When they arrived at the blazing town, the tide 05
was too far out for them so they sailed over to
the harbour. Drawing alongside the pier, they
encountered a group of soldiers who weren’t best
pleased at the thought of voyaging home in the
cockle boat. But Eric and Horace climbed onto 01
solid ground and convinced some of them, just as
the German bombardment flared up once more.
They threw themselves on board and the journey 02
back to England could begin. Bombers circle
The final push of the evacuation came on 3 June the harbour
when about 26,000 men were brought across the
Voyaging to the town was
Channel, 3,000 of which were picked up by the no simple matter: there
Tynwald, a pleasure steamer from the Isle of Man. were dangers everywhere
for civilians and navy
personnel alike. Around
the harbour, the menacing
Stuka dive bombers posed
a particular threat.

03

Thousands 04
gather at Ferrying
East Mole Rescue at the 05from
Synonymous with the beaches boat to boat
evacuation, this concrete The little ships could get The little ships also came
and wood jetty, running close to the beaches, in handy with transporting
to 1.28 kilometres, was though the shallows troops to larger vessels
where 200,000 soldiers meant that soldiers still like the pleasure ships and
were rescued. The larger had to wade out. Just ferries. The smaller boats
The Upper Thames patrol arrive in London after ships were able to anchor over 98,000 men were were much more nimble
‘Operation Little Ships’ at Dunkirk, July 1940 alongside it. evacuated from them. and could work quickly.

An assortment of vessels took up the call, from a
Notable boats German World War I barge to a Titanic survivor’s yacht

Medway Queen Tamzine Count Dracula Mona’s Isle Royal Daffodil
One of the most popular and Tamzine was the smallest known The German barge could have gone The steamer was the first little The ferry had a very successful
luxurious paddle steamers, it vessel to participate at 4.5 metres down with the Hindenburg in 1918 ship to set sail for Dunkirk. Despite operation, making seven round
was called up to serve in 1939. It in length and is now an exhibit at but for a sailor who released it. The enemy attacks, it safely brought trips and evacuating 9,500
rescued 7,000 men at Dunkirk. the Imperial War Museum. Royal Navy adopted the boat. over 2,634 soldiers in total. personnel, likely the highest figure.

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