![]() Operation Dynamo took time to build a steady flow of ships travelling from the Ramsgate harbour, as convoys were planned and organised to begin the journey. The ship has since been restored, and can be visited on Gillingham Pier where it's now berthed. The former pleasure cruiser made seven return trips from Dunkirk to the English coast, rescuing 7,000 troops and shooting down three German planes which posed a huge risk to the rescue fleet. The 'Little Ships' were a ragtag assortment of boats not made for combat - fishing boats, lifeboats and pleasure crafts, which joined the light warships of the Navy to offer a crucial lifeline to the trapped soldiers on the French beaches.Īmong them was a paddle steamer called The Medway Queen, also dubbed the Heroine of Dunkirk. ![]() The Medway Queen loaded with soldiers evacuated from Dunkirk. With many residents evacuating to safer places than the vulnerable coastline, less than half of the town's population were left.īut the kickstart of Operation Dynamo breathed life back into the town, as brave people volunteered to make the perilous journey across the channel. The seaside town had become a strangely quiet place since the beginning of the war. With its large harbour and Royal Navy shore base Ramsgate was considered the perfect place for a large portion of the 800-strong fleet to prepare. The fleet needed a suitable place to embark – a location close to transport links where civilian rescue ships could be prepared. This meant amassing a huge number of small ships protected by Navy warships and the Royal Air Force. Winston Churchill inspects air raid damage at Ramsgate in Kent, 28 August 1940 ![]() Huge navy ships, which would be able to house many more people, would not be able to get close enough to the beaches to rescue the troops. It was decided the rescue operation could only work with small ships that could get close to the shoreline – but to rescue the sheer number of soldiers there would need to be hundreds of vessels. The plan was named Operation Dynamo, also known as the Dunkirk evacuation or the Miracle of Dunkirk. ![]()
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