The first weekend in September has become a very important one for the club. It’s when we host the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships on the moorings, and together with the ADLS host a couple of days of entertainment for the Veterans from all the Forces. We also host naval ratings, this year from HMS Collingwood and a contingent from the Irish Guard, all of whom help with crewing and look after the veterans in a most delightful way.
Friday evening started off with a bbq prepared by the ADLS. The food and the drink were flowing, and it was fabulous to see the riverside bar and the lawns packed with people of all ages enjoying themselves.
On Saturday Andrew and I were lucky enough to be invited onto two of the Ships for a trip to Richmond and back. Like all these boats the history is chilling, and well documented on their website. Of our first boat Janthea, we learnt that “After severe machine-gun attacks from the air off Gravelines Janthea arrived at La Panne beach at 1500 and at once began towing whalers full of troops to off-lying ships. The boat then returned to Ramsgate with 21 soldiers aboard. She braved a bombing raid as she left but survived unscathed. On 31st May she went back for more and after ferrying 50 Frenchmen to a larger transport, brought 23 more direct to Ramsgate.”
For our return trip we were hosted by the Commodore of the ADLS on his boat Hilfranor – ” Film footage taken in 1940 show her with a Bren gun fitted astern of the wheelhouse. It is not clear how many crossings to Dunkirk were made by her, but the story goes that whilst there she was straddled by bombs from German dive bombers. With her frames cracked she settled into the shallow waters off the coast of France and was abandoned. One story has it that some French soldiers, desperate to get away from Dunkirk, bailed her out and got her engines going. She made it as far as the Goodwin sandbanks off the coast near Ramsgate where she sank once again. There, she was spotted by a British minesweeper and towed into Ramsgate “. Today her owner is nearing the end of a total refurbishment and she is very splendid with gleaming teak everywhere.
I will let the pictures tell the rest of the story
