30 Jul Dunkirk ‘Little Ships’ at St Katharine Dock Saturday 1 August

Visitors to St Katharine Dock on Saturday 1 August will be able to see 19 historic vessels that helped rescue Allied soldiers during the World War 2 Dunkirk evacuation in 1940. The boats will be assembled in the dock’s historic centre basin and open to the public 11-5pm when you can meet the owners and learn about their extraordinary role. The Dunkirk evacuation brought home 338,000 Allied soldiers from northern France, between 26 May and 4 June 1940. Around 850 private boats, alongside 20 warships, crossed the English channel to help in the rescue. Although more than 200 vessels were lost during the operation, many of the surviving boats, known as the ‘Little Ships’, remain in private ownership and are carefully preserved today.

St Katharine Dock is on the north bank of the Thames, next to Tower Bridge.