The evacuation from Dunkirk on the French coast was hailed in Britain as an extraordinary achievement and the ‘little ships of Dunkirk’ swiftly entered the mythology of wartime brave deeds.
British soldiers wade out to a waiting destroyer off Dunkirk during the evacuation.
Troops evacuated from Dunkirk on a destroyer about to berth at Dover, 31 May 1940.
Troops evacuated from Dunkirk enjoying tea and other refreshments at Addison Road station in London, 31 May 1940.
Some of the 'little ships' used during the evacuation of Dunkirk being towed back along the River Thames past Tower Bridge, 9 June 1940.
German forces moved into Dunkirk hours after the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force. Here German officers inspect a memorial on the sea front at Dunkirk.
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Mrs Grace helps her son Michael to try on a new pair of shoes at the Clothing Exchange in Gypsy Hill, as her 18-month-old daughter, Ann Pearl, looks on. On the right of the photograph, Sheila Giles holds up a skirt to herself, to check the sizing. According to the original caption, Mr Grace was invalided out of the Army and now has a baker's round, and Sheila's father works in an ammunition factory.
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