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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Two Civil Defence workers, probably of the National Fire Service, discuss the morning's events as they walk away from a devastated area, following a V1 attack in the Highland Road and Lunham Road area of Upper Norwood. The male worker carries a cage containing a cockatoo, which has survived the attack. To the right of the photograph, the row of houses remains intact, but all are completely without windows. On the left, some rubble and debris can be seen.
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