For those of you who still retain an interest in ww2, the 75th anniversary of the small ships rescuing troops from Dunkirk is this week and after a week of travelling up the thames and stopping at different venues, a flotilla is sailing across to Dunkirk to mark the occasion, after an invite from the mayor or Dunkirk. Bbc covering it today and interviewing the vets.
300,000 troops were rescued from the beaches at dunkirk when the call came for anyone with a boat to sail out and bring back stranded troops. This time about 50 boats will set off from Ramsgate, some with veterans on board.
Where i live we had 6 local cockle boats (trawlers) that answered the call and once at dunkirk for 8 hours under fire they rescued troops from the beach. On the way back full up with troops one of the boats had engine trouble and had to be towed by one of the other cockle boats. But further on the journey the crippled boat hit a mine and sank with all hands. There was a t.v drama about this.
I remember reading about Dunkirk as an eight-year-old during my earliest interest in WWII. An amazing rescue mission involving people from every walk of life; I recall the mention of taxi cab drivers at the helm of crafts; that really stood out to me. The more I read about that bleak time when England essentially stood alone, the more I admire what they accomplished.
They rescued a huge force of French troops from the beaches too. And those men managed to help form a chunk of the overrall allied force for the remainder if the war.
They rescued a huge force of French troops from the beaches too. And those men managed to help form a chunk of the overrall allied force for the remainder if the war.
They had some survivors talking on BBC Radio Four's Today program. One man said how his brother burnt to death on a ship that was bombed & another guy got back & had a panic attack on a train, thinking that the Germans were right behind them & would be in England in a day or two. Born in 1950, what a great time to be born, no wars, no call ups, no one asking me to kill anyone.
I have this great little book by the bit part actor Sam Kydd (it was usually him bringing John Mills a mug of cocoa in a few war films) called, For You The War Is Over... He didn't make it out of Dunkirk & spent the whole war as a P.O.W. And thinking about John Mills, Dunkirk is a fine movie (no false heroics), I'd have thought a spanking new HD version would be released on the 75th anniversary of the event.
I have this great little book by the bit part actor Sam Kydd (it was usually him bringing John Mills a mug of cocoa in a few war films) called, For You The War Is Over... He didn't make it out of Dunkirk & spent the whole war as a P.O.W....
Is that Belfast Sam Kydd? It surely must be ... I recall he was the reception desk wallah at the Air Ministry in 'Reach for the Sky'. Always a Cockney, but broad Belfast accent in real life. He had his own TV series, 'Orlando'.
Is that Belfast Sam Kydd? It surely must be ... I recall he was the reception desk wallah at the Air Ministry in 'Reach for the Sky'. Always a Cockney, but broad Belfast accent in real life. He had his own TV series, 'Orlando'.
Yep, that's the guy, & I remember Orlando as well. Kydd played Patrick Allen's a sidekick in a series called Crane, & Orlando was an offshoot of that, a kids program I (sort of) remember. Sam kydd's day in the sun. His book is good, he was just a private in the POW camp, & it was only the officers that tried to escape, & when they did, the privates paid the price with loss of red cross parcels & no hot water ect. You always get the officers view of life in a POW camp, never the bog standard soldiers. And he had the most low-key escape ever. Towards the end of the war they were marched out of the camp towards Germany. Sam & his friend were at the back of a very long line walking down the road, walking slow 'till they were way behind, they then simply turned around & walked the other way.
Weirdly we had a earth tremor at Ramsgate and surrounding area of kent last night. Hope it wasnt caused by the merlin engine of the spitfire flypast yesterday!
And an unexploded WW2 bomb found next to Wembley Stadium yesterday! I don't know what this is all leading to...maybe a zombie army of Nazis on the march next!!
And for anyone interested in Dunkirk, I gather Christopher Nolan has made a film about it. I expect critics and viewers alike will be united in praise for the jaunty march that will play over the main title, the gentle love theme that will somehow be squeezed in and the CGI recreation of John Mills. Can't wait!
