Watch the remarkable moment GB News star Dougie Beattie arrives in Ramsgate aboard one of the vessels trekking across the Channel to mark the 85th anniversary of Operation Dynamo.
In a heartwarming moment, Britain at its best was on display as members of the public adorned in Union Jack flags welcomed the flotilla home.
The Little Ships sailed from Kent to Dunkirk before heading back today to mark the evacuation of allied soldiers from the French coast between 26 May and 4 June 1940.
More than 338,000 soldiers were rescued and almost 100,000 of those were collected up off from the beaches by the Little Ships which escorted them to larger vessels.
Britain was at its best as crowds welcomed home the boats
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Describing the joyous scenes, Dougie Beattie said: “Sirens have gone off to welcome them back.
“Union Jacks are flying and there are thousands of people welcoming the flotilla back in to show appreciation for what these boats did 85 years ago.
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Kevin Finn,a commodore from the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships, told GB News: 'It's incredibly important we remember'
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“They managed to get the British troops back, it was so vital for that war effort and it would have been a totally different outcome had this not happened.
“There are only around 70 of these boats left. The atmosphere here in Ramsgate is quite wonderful, to be honest. They’re really welcoming us back in and there’s a colour party.
“We’ve been very privileged to travel with them and it’s only when you make this journey you understand what they did 85 years ago. It was civilians who took these boats across very rough seas. You can hear a bugle player and there’s Union Jacks everywhere you look.
“You can see loads of crowds really welcoming everyone back and it’s really quite the sight. On the harbour is the Royal Navy reserves welcoming us back in. It’s a real show of Britishness and the pride they have.
Britons welcome the boats home
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“I am very, very proud to have made this journey today.”
The Association of Dunkirk Little Ships (ADLS) organise the commemorative trip that takes place every five years.
The expedition was cancelled in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic.
The ships were escorted by the Royal Navy and the RNLI while a spectator fleet of modern craft was present in Ramsgate and Dunkirk.
The Little Ships made their first return to the French port in 1965 after former Second World War Spitfire pilot Raymond Baxter OBE floated the idea.
Winston Churchill branded the evacuation the “miracle of Dunkirk” and it is widely regarded as one of the most outstanding displays of fortitude during the Second World War.
Admiral Bertram Ramsay co-ordinated its efforts and he also played a key role in masterminding the Normandy Landings in 1944.
Films such as Christopher Nolan’s 2017 Dunkirk were inspired by the operation.
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