More than 50 ‘Little Ships’ which helped to rescue 338,000 British and Allied troops from the beaches around Dunkirk during Operation Dynamo in 1940 have started gathering at Ramsgate’s Royal Harbour Marina in preparation for the 70th anniversary of the evacuation.

A day of commemorations will be held on Wednesday, May 26, as part of Ramsgate’s Dynamo Day, which includes an inspection of the Little Ships and a blessing by the Secretary General and Senior Chaplain of the Mission to Seafarers, along with a reception hosted by the Mayor of Ramsgate.

The small armada will be sailing back to Dunkirk on Thursday, May 27, a journey they only undertake once every five years. They will be accompanied by a Royal Navy frigate, HMS Monmouth, the Ramsgate RNLI lifeboat and 1923 lifeboat, William and Kate Johnston. The ships will sail out at 7am and will return back to Kent between 3pm and 4pm on Bank Holiday Monday (May 31). All times are weather dependent.

If bad weather prevents the Little Ships from leaving on time, they will sail out the following day on Friday, May 28. To find out more about the event, visit www.portoframsgate.co.uk or call 01843 572100. For more information about the Dunkirk Little Ships, visit www.adls.org.uk or www.dynamo-ramsgate.com.