‘Little Ships’ remembered at Newport Quay

A memorial cairn, and two plaques, honouring the memory of six boats and their crews who sailed from Newport Quay to Dunkirk in May 1940 during Operation Dynamo, were unveiled on Saturday.

The unveiling on the Quay was the culmination of six years of work by Jodi Smith, granddaughter of William Henry Smith, the Captain of MFH, and Mike Wells, a descendent of the crew of The Bee, two of the ‘Little Ships’ which saved many thousands of lives in World War II.

A plaque naming the vessels and crew members was installed in 1990, but it is now joined by another plaque with details of the rescue mission. Jodi said: “Six years ago we wanted to add a second plaque to explain the original, but, due to Covid, it could not be unveiled in 2020. This gave us time to think and plan for a memorial cairn to display both plaques together.

“I researched and found descendants of the men who sailed on the ships in 1940 and invited them along to the ceremony. In attendance we had four of the ships represented and they met for the first time. It was an incredible occasion and I’m so proud to be part of it.” She also paid tribute to Cllr Lora Peacey-Wilcox, adding: “She was just incredibly supportive from the start, putting us in touch with all the right people.”

The six boats were part of a flotilla of 850 privately-owned vessels who sailed to Ramsgate, with their civilian crews, arriving on May 30/31. From there they made their way to Dunkirk to evacuate troops trapped on the beaches under enemy aerial bombardment. They transferred English, French and Allied troops, many escaping across the Mole, a hastily constructed pier which extended out into the English Channel. Others waded from the shore and stood for hours in shoulder-deep seawater waiting for rescue.

Churchill hailed their rescue as a “miracle of deliverance”, and the operation turned a military disaster into a story of heroism, which raised the morale of the Allied forces at a critical time in the war. Remarkably, the 16 Islanders and four Portsmouth men who crewed the ships all survived the dreadful carnage off the French coast.

The ships and their crews were soon back in the Solent carrying on with their normal task of transporting goods to and from the Island. The new plaque was funded by Newport & Carisbrooke Community Council (N&CCC), and the cairn by public donations.

The unveiling was carried out by Cllr Ian Dore, IW Council chairman and the Island’s Armed Forces Champion. He said: “Operation Dynamo is one of the most daring and courageous operations of the Second World War. A hero is a person who is admired for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. For the families and friends that shed a tear as the silence was observed on Saturday, they should be incredibly proud that their family member more than ticked those boxes.”

Chairman of N&CCC, Vix Lothian, other councillors, guests and members of the public also attended the moving event. Buglers, from Medina Marching Band, played the Last Post and Reveille, with four standard bearers from the Royal British Legion lowering their standards in honour.