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: The Nydia motor yacht.
As early as 14th May 1940 the BBC announced that "the Admiralty requests all owners of self-propelled craft between 30ft. and 100ft. to send all particulars within fourteen days" so that they could be requisitioned. This was more an order than a request and by 26th May most of them were called into service. At Dunkirk she ferried troops from the beach to the larger vessels lying offshore and she finally returned full of British and French soldiers. For the rest of the war, she was stationed in Chatham Dockyard.
Size: 4800px × 3200px
Location: Staines-upon-Thames, Surrey, England, UK
Photo credit: © Gillian Pullinger / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 1940, 2023, 28th, adls, allied, annual, association, boat, boats, britain, british, commemorate, commemorating, commemoration, cruise, dunkirk, england, english, evacuated, evacuation, event, fleet, flotilla, great, heroic, historic, history, honour, honouring, kingdom, motor, nydia, operation, remembering, river, ship, ships, small, staines--thames, surrey, thames, troops, uk, united, veterans, war, world, yacht
