River Thames, Staines, Surrey, England, UK, September 2nd 2023. The 28th Annual Veterans Cruise took place over the weekend. The event is organised by the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships (ADLS), and welcomes some of the last veterans from Operation Dynamo, Normandy Veterans, Chelsea Pensioners, Far East Prisoners of War, ladies who served in the WRENS during WWII and Coastal Forces Veterans. The fleet departed from Penton Hook Marina in Chertsey, cruised to Staines-upon-Thames, turned and went back. Pictured: White Wing motor sailor
There could be no better evidence of White Wing's participation in Operation Dynamo than the account by Divine DSM whose book Dunkirk recounts his participation at Dunkirk by sailing in and skippering White Wing with Rear Admiral Taylor aboard on the 2nd June 1940. The Admiral who was in charge of Operation Dynamo's Small Vessels Pool Sheerness, crossed to Dunkirk with the aim of organising the evacuation of the last parties of soldiers from the beaches. Divine writes '' Having the Admiral on board, we were not actually working the beaches but were in control of operations. We moved about as necessary and after we had spent some time putting small boats in touch with their towing boats, the battery off Nieuport began to drop shells on us. It seemed pure spite. The nearest salvo was about twenty yards astern, which was close enough. We stayed there until everybody else had been sent back and then went about pottering looking for stragglers. Divine then recounts that as dawn was breaking, he saw a troop ship alongside the Mole receive a salvo of shells in her boilers and blow up just as she was picking up some of the 1000 French troops waiting to board her. ''It was quite the most tragic thing I have seen in my life'' he writes. White Wing returned with 6 rescued troops.
Size: 4800px × 3200px
Location: Staines-upon-Thames, Surrey, England, UK
Photo credit: © Gillian Pullinger / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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