Commemorative service marks 70th anniversary of Dunkirk evacuation

A special commemorative service is being held today at Dover Castle to mark 70 years since the last day of the Dunkirk evacuation.

English Heritage is asking veterans and others attending the service to share their memories of the rescue of troops from the harbour and beaches around Dunkirk in a Memory Box recording booth.

The Memory Box is part of a major project being coordinated by English Heritage to capture the firsthand memories of the days of World War II before they disappear for good. It has launched a nationwide search for veterans and those who played a part in the 10-day rescue of nearly 340,000 troops, Operation Dynamo.

Accounts already submitted to English Heritage include one from Major Patrick Barrass, now 90, who as platoon commander of the 2nd Battalion of the Essex Regiment, fought a rearguard action across Belgium to Dunkirk together with his men. He recalls seeing a destroyer going down with its anti-aircraft gun still firing and a hospital ship being sunk by attacking aircraft.

Lance Corporal Cecil Lush, 91, remembers leading 1,000 men to the beaches of Dunkirk after marching 32 miles in 10 hours. They eventually reached Sheerness in five different vessels, including a paddle-steamer.

“Sadly time is running out for us to get first hand accounts of these desperate days when the situation for our troops seemed hopeless and the threat of invasion by Germany was very real,” said senior English Heritage historian Paul Pattison.

“The evacuation of Dunkirk is one of history’s most significant and moving events and remains a symbol of pulling through against tremendous odds and achieving the unachievable.

“These memories are as important as the bricks and mortar of historic buildings in terms of our heritage and in helping future generations understand the country’s most pivotal events.”

The Memory Box recording booth will be in place at Dover Castle until the end of the year. People who have the written accounts of family members who have passed away are also being welcomed to record the experiences on their behalf.

The memories will form part of a new exhibition, to open next year in the Secret Wartime Tunnels at Dover Castle, the headquarters during the War of Vice Admiral Bertram Home Ramsay, who orchestrated the evacuation effort, which later became known as the ‘miracle of Dunkirk’.