The Little Ships of Dunkirk

In late May 1940, the Dunkirk evacuation runs into an obstacle: the large ships cannot approach the shallow-water beaches, where hundreds of thousands of soldiers wait under the bombs. The British Admiralty issues an appeal to gather all the small boats capable of shuttling between the beach and the ships offshore: trawlers, launches, yachts, pleasure craft.

For you, the owner of a small boat on the English coast, the appeal is a dilemma. To cross the Channel to Dunkirk is to expose yourself to bombardment, mines and enemy fire, in a fragile, unprotected craft. To refuse is to stay safe, but to leave soldiers without rescue.

You may set off yourself with your boat to take part in the rescue. You may lend your craft to the Royal Navy without exposing yourself personally. Or you may decline, judging the venture too perilous for a civilian. Thousands of owners face this choice within a few hours, in the urgency of a national catastrophe.