Ebb & Flow

I am reposting an article I published two years ago on the coronation of King Charles III, as once again the sturdy fleet of carefully tended and maintained little boats who took part in this memorable historic event, have gathered together and crossed the Channel from Ramsgate. In the past, veterans have taken part in anniversary events but sadly the last known survivor of the evacuation, Duncan McInnes, aged 105, has recently passed away. “He was a Royal Navy telegraphist aboard HMS Saladin, braving enemy fire on seven rescue missions in 1940 during WW2.”, the Veterans’ Foundation.

About sixty of the surviving Dunkirk ‘Little Ships’ crossed the Channel to Dunkirk on May 21st to take part in commemorations marking the 85th anniversary of Operation Dynamo.

Bad weather meant that their return home was delayed for a few days. Some ‘Little Ships’ sailed independently on Friday, May 30th, and several joined a fleet, making their way back to various British ports on Saturday May 31st.

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The Dunkirk ‘Little Ships’ celebrate the coronation of King Charles III…
The super human feat of rescuing 338,226 Allied soldiers stranded on the beaches of Dunkirk between May 26 and June 4, 1940 was described by Winston Churchill as a “miracle of deliverance”. A miracle partly carried out by a fleet of small boats co-opted by the Admiralty in a strategic evacuation known as “Operation Dynamo”. Their role was crucial as larger ships were unable to reach the shore so that the small boats, crewed mostly by volunteers, ran a *shuttle* service, bravely ferrying soldiers out from the beach to waiting ships, returning multiple times under heavy fire. And so mitigating the disastrous military situation.
The memory of their achievement is kept alive by the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships, formed to “preserve for posterity the memory and identity of those ‘Little Ships’ that went to the aid of the British Expeditionary Force in 1940”. The Association has a list of ships known to have taken part in the rescue, many of them still afloat, and organise or attend several events during the year.

On their way…
Though unplanned, I was lucky enough to be perched on a bench in Victoria Tower Gardens as a few of the Little Ships were passing downstream along Lambeth Reach towards St. Katharine Docks Marina, where they were to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III on May 6, 2023.

Moored in St. Katharine Docks Marina…
David Knight, skipper of MARGO II, one of the twenty-seven Little Ships taking part, explained:
“The Association of Dunkirk Little Ships were kindly invited by St. Katharine Docks Marina to spend the weekend of Charles III’s Coronation in London.
The opportunity to spend this momentous weekend on Margo II with a host of very good friends will remain a fond memory for years.
Many of those vessels taking part were from the non-tidal Upper Thames. Bringing these historic old wooden boats down through the Pool of London is never taken lightly. To get from Richmond to Tower Bridge for locking into the marina means leaving shortly after low water at Richmond and navigating through Sion Reach, often with only a few inches of water under us. It must be said that since speed restrictions were put in place above Tower Bridge the wash from the clippers and ribs is much reduced, making the passage much safer and more enjoyable. Everyone made a safe passage down and back up to Teddington with no problems.”
Each of the Little Ships had a panel giving details about them. The largest of the group was GRETA, a Thames sailing barge built in 1891-2, and the smallest was sailing sloop MOONRAKER, built in 1911.

Some of the Little Ships on their way home…
A few days later, more by chance than by design, I happened to be standing on Lambeth Bridge as a familiar shape came into view. Then a mini flotilla of Little Ships. How small they looked on the London Thames, and their vulnerably at sea under the relentless fire they endured at the French coast, serves only to emphasise the courage of those skippers who rose to the challenge.

It’s clear that the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships is thriving, its members keen to preserve their classic boats and to share their history. They take part in a number of events during the year and you can discover their plans for 2023 on the link below. Among them they will be taking part in the 14th edition of the annual Classic Boat Festival, hosted by St. Katharine Docks Marina from September 9 to 10, 2023.

Sources and further information
Explore: The Association of Dunkirk Little Ships for details of those fateful days from May 30th – June 2nd, 1940; information about individual boats; and see Dunkirk Revisited by John Richards.
History and Stories: Operation Dynamo

Follow the Dunkirk Little Ships and St.Katharine Docks on Twitter: @Dunkirk_Ships @StKatsMarina
Also follow some of the boats photographed above:
Breda: @Breda1931
Lady of Mann: @mattcai96961678
Lady Lu/ Ian Gilbert: @Ladylou1936
Margo II: @Margo_II
Naiad Errant: @NaiadErrant

A year in the life of a little willow house growing in Victoria Tower Gardens by the River Thames.

In February 2024 a neat structure appeared at the southern end of Victoria Tower Gardens. With its three toadstool seats it was clearly designed for small people. And they enjoyed it. But they weren’t the only ones, older people took time to sit there too. Respecting their privacy, the images below avoid the identification of anyone and concentrate on the changes to the willow bower itself.

End notes
Managed by The Royal Parks Charity, Victoria Tower Gardens, a Grade II listed park, was created in two stages. “The Government acquired the northern part of the gardens in 1867 to reduce the fire risk to the Palace of Westminster.”* Until then the site was crowded with industrial workshops, factories, wharves, and houses, all in close proximity.

In 1913, “the gardens were redesigned to give the park a more natural look with paths and a central shrubbery.” “In 1956, the shrubbery and trees standing in the lawns were removed, opening up the view, particularly of the Houses of Parliament.”* And it is this view that is now “severely threatened by the proposed construction of a UK national Holocaust Memorial and affiliated Learning Centre, which would dominate the whole southern half of the gardens.”**

The hope of spring

Sources and further information
Victoria Tower Gardens
*The history of Victoria Tower Gardens: ‘Westminster’s Secret Garden Space.’
Article ‘In Praise of Victoria Tower Gardens’.
**Europa Nostra designates Victoria Tower Gardens as one of Europe’s 7 Most Endangered Sites, March 2025.

All images ©Patricia Stoughton