Hannah Cunliffe - Historical Researcher

Extracts from an article published in Maritime Life and Traditions no.9:

Dunkirk 1940-2000  Victory or Defeat?   

"There were shells going off the whole time. We were near a crossroads and they were coming down. The dive bombers they were called, the Junkers 87. They used to dive and release their bomb. They could pinpoint it and a major crossroads with military traffic was a good place to bomb. This Junkers came down, it must have seen one of our ambulances so I got flat, because you’ve only got a second to do it. As it happened the blast went off right near me, I thought I’d broken my eardrums."

Joe Spedding, one-time army medic in an Advanced Dressing Station on the front line of the Belgium border related his experiences from 1940 to me, whilst sitting snugly in his home overlooking the Solent on a cold winter day in early 1999. A veteran of the Dunkirk evacuation, Joe took part in what could be seen as one of the most celebrated and triumphant operations of history. Yet it is not British glory that Joe recalls, but the harsh reality of the past. It is not a period he will forget; blindness in one eye brings a constant reminder.

The bomb dropped by the Junkers 87 did not hit Joe Spedding, but the man beside him on the ground was not so lucky. The force of the explosion blew his leg off. It swung through the air and struck Joe across the face which subsequently blinded him for life. This was the beginning of Joe’s retreat towards the port of Dunkirk and thence back to England.

‘Triumph of an army’ was the headline in the Home News section of The Times on Monday 3 June 1940, which only a few days before had also reported "tired, dirty, hungry they came back – unbeatable".

Reading newspapers of the day, the Operation appears a victory of united forces, with the country rallying to support their men in an hour of need. The Times relates how boys from the age of fifteen rushed to take part, whilst even women wanted to join in, one going as far as to telephone the Admiralty putting on a deep masculine voice in the hope of being assigned a vessel to take to Dunkirk. The report comments that "the only complaints came from those boat owners who could not get themselves on board in time to go in their boats." No wonder the world talked of disaster miraculously turning into triumph. However, these are the success stories, the things that people want to be told when at war, the positive images that the government prefer to present to the nation. We hear about the civilians who very bravely navigated boats across to France to rescue the army, but we do not learn about those who refused to go, or those who went once and refused to go back, thus costing countless lives and dangerously prolonging the evacuation.

For the participants of Operation Dynamo the ‘miracle’ of Dunkirk was seen from quite a different perspective. Far from a glorious triumph, the soldiers came home expecting to be booed and were astonished at their glowing reception. One veteran describes Dunkirk as a "shambolic disaster" and it seems certain that in fact, it could have been little more than this had the weather not been as good as it was. The majority of Little Ships simply were not built for Channel crossings. Many of them were used for nothing more than pottering around the Thames and even some of the larger, more seaworthy craft had only been intended for such trips as a day sail to the Isle of Wight and back.

Without pressure it is doubtful whether many of these vessels would attempt a visit to France and weighed down to overflowing with troops in 1940 it was a most hazardous crossing. As Admiral Ramsay, mastermind of the Operation, later reported "It must be fully realised that a wind of any strength in the northern sector between the southwest and northeast would have made beach evacuation impossible. At no time did this happen".

Where are they now?

The Medway Queen’s biggest problem at present is her hull, which is in an extremely frail state. Her association is making every effort to raise adequate money to replace the ship’s hull plates. It is possible for supporters to buy one square foot of hull plate for £20 for which they will receive a certificate identifying the area which they have adopted. Such schemes as these hold the future of the Medway Queen in their hands. An estimate for cost of immediate work necessary to save the paddle steamer runs to £500,000. The society can already take credit for raising half of this amount, but it is not enough. This vessel with its historic record could even now disappear forever due to lack of funding, despite the energies of its followers.   

2000 is a key year in the history of Operation Dynamo for several reasons. Not only is it the sixtieth anniversary of the evacuation but it also marks the end of the Dunkirk Veterans Association. The veterans are making one final push to visit Dunkirk again this year. Many will sail on Little Ships who they have managed to make contact with, but the branches also organise travel for local veterans and their families

It is easy to appreciate something after it is gone and the various associations connected with the Dunkirk evacuation are trying to prevent this belated recognition. Only last week, I learned that Joe Spedding, whose reminiscences made the evacuation come alive for me is no longer around to tell his story. The disbanding of the Veterans Association is an acknowledgement that before long, others who played a role in the Operation will surely follow.

Click here to read 'To the Tiller Born', another of my articles, published in December Yachting Monthly.