'It's incredibly important we remember': Watch as Dougie Beattie reports from Dunkirk on Operation Dynamo's 85th anniversary

GB News reporter Dougie Beattie reported from Dunkirk as the 85th anniversary of Operation Dynamo was commemorated with the participation of the historic Dunkirk Little Ships.

Kevin Finn, a commodore from the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships, told GB News: "It's incredibly important we remember. 85 years ago there were a quarter of a million troops on the beach and another 25,000 in the rearguard, none of them knowing if they were going to live or die or be rescued."

Finn emphasised the contemporary relevance of the commemoration: "Based on what is happening today, we need to remember what happened then and commemorate that. It's so important to us. The boats are 97 to 105 years of age, so just getting them here is an achievement."

The evacuation saw Poole contribute significantly to the rescue effort, with the Thomas Kirk Wright lifeboat making three perilous journeys to Dunkirk. The vessel departed Poole on 28th May 1940 and was bombed, machine-gunned and damaged during operations just 40 yards from German barrage positions.

Leading Seaman Huntingdon recorded her final return: "Loaded with French soldiers, she comes under fire from German troops on the shore at close range – but no one's hurt, though she is seriously damaged with one engine burnt out and water a foot deep in her hold."

The lifeboat now resides in Poole's Old Lifeboat Museum. Anne-Marie Clark, a Poole Lifeboat volunteer, said: "We shall never forget the part that the small flotilla, that left Poole Quay played, 85 years ago."