'An excursion to hell...'

82 years ago, today ‘Operation Dynamo’ - the evacuation of British Expeditionary Forces and Allies from the beaches of Dunkirk (Dunkerque) was in full flow.

Over a period of 10 days from 26.05 until 04.06.1940 over 300,000 troops were evacuated from Dunkirk’s Mole (jetty) and three beaches to the east of the town - Malo-Les-Bains, Bray, and La Penne.

Over 930 vessels were used in the evacuation - Royal Navy battleships, requisitioned vessels and over 850 ‘little ships’ as they became known, vessels owned by private individuals and companies. Sadly, more than 200 vessels were lost during the operation.

Red Funnel is proudly linked to eight ships that played a part in the operation - six that it owned and two that it would come to own shortly after the end of World War II.

These vessels made at least 14 trips to the beaches and Mole between them, rescuing almost 6,000 troops and returning them to the sanctuary of British ports on the south coast.

Unfortunately, not all our vessels returned home as safely as the troops who were aboard them and at 18:30hrs on 29.05.1940, 82 years ago today, ‘HMS Gracie Fields’ as she was at the time, was hit by bombers whilst she was leaving La Penne beach with about 750 soldiers aboard. She had already brought 281 soldiers back to Margate the day before.

Sadly, eight of her crew died in that attack as well as an unknown number of evacuated soldiers. I have managed to trace the names of three of them. Fortunately, the vast majority of those aboard were transferred to three other vessels and made it safely back to England.

‘Gracie Fields’ finally sank at 01:30hrs on 30.05.1940 and her wreck became the eternal resting place for Third Engineer Officer, Henry Charles Daponte, Asst. Cook, James, Stoker, Leonard Wheeler, Sub-Lieut. Alexander John Glover, Wireman, Eric Tony Gordon, A.B. Herbert Grainge, P.O. Ernest Bell Harris, Ldg. Sea. William Henry Valentine Branscombe, Sjt. Edward Pridham, Pte. Herbert Maile and Cpl. John Thompson Reed and others who yet remain unidentified. May they all Rest in Peace.

Red Funnel is honoured to have been presented with the Dunkirk Little Ships house flag on the 80th anniversary of the evacuation, an honour normally only granted to vessels that took part in the operation.

We are also delighted to have received a plaque from the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships (ADLS) acknowledging the part played by our vessels in ‘Operation Dynamo.’

As J.B. Priestly said on his BBC broadcast to the nation on 05.06.1940, ‘… some of them alas will never return. Amongst those paddle-steamers that will never return was one that I knew well, for it was the pride of the ferry service to the Isle of Wight – none other than the good ship Gracie Fields… But now this little steamer, like all her brave and battered sisters is immortal. She’ll go sailing proudly down the years in the epic of Dunkirk. And our great grandchildren, when they learn how we began this war by snatching glory out of defeat, and then?swept on to victory, may also learn how the little holiday steamers made an excursion to hell and came back glorious.’

So today, when we talk about Dunkirk spirit let us remember, from 82 years ago, the origins of that phrase.

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