Memorial details

Memorial type
Other memorial
District
Southend On Sea
Town
Leigh On Sea
County
Essex
Country
England
Commemoration
Second World War - civilians
Maker
MR CYRIL SMITH (Sculptor)
Ceremony
  • Unveiled
    Date: 29 May 1972
    Attended by: Local Clergy/Dignitaries
Lost
Not lost
WM Reference
22521

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Current location

At junction of Broadway
Church Hill and Elm Road.
St Clement's Church
The Broadway
Leigh On Sea
Southend On Sea
Essex
SS9 2DE
England

OS Grid Ref: TQ 84158 85839
Denomination: Church of England

View location on Google Maps
Description
Square Plinth bearing a depiction of the prow of a sinking boat, representing the "RENOWN", a "Bawley" (cockle boat) on which the men died. The boat is being enveloped by a canopy representing a giant wave, two uprights form a letter 'V'.
Inscription
IN TRIBUTE TO THE/ FISHERMEN OF LEIGH/ WHO WENT TO/ DUNKIRK 1ST JUNE 1940/ AND IN MEMORY OF/ THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ (NAMES)/ GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS/ THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE/ FOR HIS FRIENDS
Inscription legible?
yes
Names on memorial
Noakes, Harry
Osborne, Frank
Osborne, Leslie
Porter, Harold Graham
See details for all 4 names
Commemorations
  • Second World War - civilians
    Total names on memorial: 4
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 4
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: Surname, forenames
    Order of information: Undefined
Components
  • Plinth
    Measurements: depth 600MM, width 610MM
    Materials: Granite - Cornish
  • Memorial
    Measurements: height 2300MM
    Materials: Synthetic Material
Listing information
Condition
History
SOME SLIGHT VETIGRIS ON THE CANOPY
Costs

Site: £350

Trust fund/Scholarship
No
Purpose: Unknown or N/A
Sponsorship
Public
Reference
  • leigh-on-sea.net/leigh_dunkirk.html- During World War II it was necessary to evacuate the British Expeditionary force (created in 1908) and other allied forces from Dunkirk (Dunkerque) who were cut off by the German forces. An armada of civilian and naval boats, RAF fighter cover and poor judgment of Hitler halting his forces advance - saved 198,000 British and 140,000 French and Belgium troops. The Leigh cockle men formed part of this brave armada of mercy - this is their story. "The conduct of the crews of the cockle boars was exemplary, probably none had been under gun-fire before and certainly none had been under navel discipline. In spite of this fact all orders were carried out with great diligence even under shell-fire and air-craft attack." (Vice-Admiral, Dover) Admiral Ramsay - Official Report for Operation Dynamo. The Navy was commandeering small boats to undertake one of the greatest rescue attempts of all times, thirty miles across the North Sea at Dunkirk. They requisitioned far more than a few boats as on the 31st May 1940 - the labourers of the sands, as they were called, set sail with their boats to Dunkirk, on a brave mission of mercy. Six boats set sail on the 31st May: - Renown - Harry Noakes Crew Reliant - Tony Meddle Crew Endeavour - Robinson Crew Leticia - Authur Dench Crew Resolute - Harry Osborn Crew Defender - Harvey Crew (with sub-lieutenant RMVR Soloman) Not only were they later to demonstrate immense courage under fire, they showed courage as fishermen - most had never left the estuary to enter the unpredictable waters of the channel for the 30 mile journey to Dunkirk (Dunkerque). For the best part of 8 hours these fishermen in their 6 boats fetched 100's of men from the beaches and harbours of Dunkirk. Only when they could do no more did they start their fated return journey home. On the journey back the Renown broke down with what is believed to be engine problems. The Leticia helped the crippled boat and eventually a trawler took on the troops, and started to tow both boats. The Renown and its crew bravely fought the sea elements and the earlier German onslaught, however the fated ship hit a mine and all hands were lost to the sea. Leigh lost four brave men, Frank Osborne, Leslie Osborne, Harry Noakes and Navel Rating Harold Graham Porter. Authur Dench’s Account During the penultimate ferrying trip from the small fishing boats to the larger ships out at sea: a shell burst between the last boat and us. We turned back to go out, but the signaler that we had on board, and who had only been “out” for about six weeks and never been under fire, said “We’ve got to go in again” (to rescue more soldiers) So we went in. Soon we saw another boat coming up behind us. It was the Renown, and, yelling that they had engine trouble, they made fast to our stern. . . We towed them (the trawler towing Letitia, which in turn towed Renown), 3-5 fathoms (5.5m to 9m) of rope being the distance between us. That was 1.15 am [1 June]. . . Tired out, the engineer, seaman and signaler went to turn in, when, at about 1.50 am, a terrible explosion took place, and hail of wood splinters came down on our deck. In the pitch dark, you could see nothing, and we could do nothing... except pull the tow rope which was just as we passed it to the Renown about three quarters of an hour before. (Ref. Dunkirk, Fight to the Last Man by Hugh Sebag-Montefiore) Leigh's War Memorial - Leigh Church Quoting Arthur Dench's son John, from the 2004 BBC Dunkirk series - "Any of them boy's who went to Dunkirk - who answered the call - they weren't in the army or navy, they just answered the call - all of 'em were hero's" Data Bank In nine days - starting on the 26th May 1940 at 6:57pm, 338,226 French and British soldiers were taken off the beach by a ragtag fleet of over nine hundred vessels. Despite the success of this operation, over forty thousand French troops were abandoned and taken into captivity after a valiant rearguard action. 1,000 Dunkirk citizens died during air raids on 27 May The British Expeditionary force left behind approximately: - 416,900 tons of stores / 76,000 tons of ammunition / 20,500 motorcycles / 63,800 vehicles / 2,500 guns. The British lost 235 ships of various types - 61 ships were disabled. The last ship to leave Dunkirk was The Shikari, an old destroyer in the Royal Navy. The Little Boat: The Resolute The Bawleys were broad-beamed, flat-bottomed gaff cutters, typically of some 36ft length, designed to be beached at high tide on the sandbanks, while the fishermen got out to gather cockles and shrimps for the London market. They were therefore ideal for the shallow waters off Dunkirk. At sea they could drop their lifting centreboards for better sailing and their powerful Kelvin petrol/paraffin engines made them less dependent on sail when it suited them. The Resolute was built for Cecil Osborne by Hayward's at Southend in 1927 for £375. She was gaff-rigged, with a main, jib and foresail and had a 16ft bowsprit. Her gaff was held to the mast by large wooden hoops and her sails were made of the traditional red cotton. She would go cockling from Easter to October and shrimping in the winter. Reference: The Association of Dunkirk Little Ships - www.adls.org.uk/ . Winston Churchill Churchill was prime minister for only 14 days when the evacuation took place. Churchill called the evacuation of Dunkirk a “miracle of deliverance,” and the “Dunkirk spirit”. He also wrote about Operation Dynamo in his book The Second World War, that was published in 1949: - Ever since May 20, the gathering of shipping and small craft had been proceeding under the control of Admiral Ramsay, who commanded at Dover. After the loss of Boulogne and Calais only the remains of the port of Dunkirk and the open beaches next to the Belgian Frontier were in our hands. On the evening of the 26th an Admiralty signal put Operation Dynamo into play, and the first troops were brought home that night. Early the next morning, May 27, emergency measures were taken to find additional small craft. The various boatyards, from Teddington to Brightlingsea, were searched by Admiralty officers, and yielded upwards of forty serviceable motor-boats or launches, which were assembled at Sheerness on the following day. At the same time lifeboats from liners in the London docks, tugs from the Thames, yachts, fishing-craft, lighters, barges and pleasure-boats - anything that could be the use along the beaches - were called into service.
  • The video of the 80th anniversary service at St Clement's Church on 1 June 2020-www.facebook.com/saintclementleigh/videos/2577381565925353/
  • SOUTHEND STANDARD 1 JUNE 1972
  • ESSEX COUNTRYSIDE VOL 20 NO 189 (OCTOBER 1972)
  • The Leigh boats involved were the Endeavour, Renown, Reliant, Letitia , Resolute and Defender- all crewed by experienced fishermen who had never been out of the Thames Estuary. The Endeavour's rudder was smashed in the rescue and the Letitia and Renown damaged. All were at Dunkirk for 8 hours. The Renown hit a mine and all hands lost, but the soldiers aboard had been transferred to a larger vessel
  • Leigh Times 23 July 2017- LEIGH cockle fishermen played a valiant and key role in the evacuation of British Soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk during the Second World War. Ordinary local seamen decided that they would take part in a covert rescue mission, called Operation Dynamo, and in the process managed to save many troops, ferrying them between outlying ships and the beaches of Northern France. The original team of boats, the Letitia, The Endeavour, the Resolute, the Reliant, the Defender and the Renown, set off on May 31, 1940, at 00.30 hours, travelling across the Channel with a convoy commanded by the Navy. It was believed that their appearance as cockleboats would provide a good disguise, as they appeared for the entire world like ordinary French sailing vessels, and would not be detected by the enemy. Not only were they later to demonstrate immense courage under fire, they showed courage as fishermen - most had never left the estuary to enter the unpredictable waters of the channel for the 30 mile journey to Dunkirk. Amongst them they saved thousand of troops, and having achieved their mission, they set sail for Leigh. It was on their return that tragedy struck, as fisherman Arthur Dench explained: “We saw another boat coming behind us, it was the Renown. Frankie yelled that they had engine trouble. They made fast to our stern and we towed them, about three and a half fathoms of rope being the distance between us. He continues that they sailed in into the night, when, “at about 1.50 am, a terrible explosion took place as the Renown went over a mine.” Arthur Dench continued: “a hail of splinters came down on our deck. In the dark, we could do nothing except pull in the towrope.” Tragically, her crew of four perished in the explosion. Arthur said: “They knew nothing of war, they went to save, not fight. They had done their work and now suddenly on their way home there came annihilation.” A memorial service has since 2015 been held annually on June 1 at St Clements Church to commemorate the lives lost on the Renown: Frankie and Lukie Osborne, Harry Noakes and Harold Graham Porter. A memorial sculpture of a sea crest and the prow of the sinking Renown in St Clements church commemorates the tragic loss of these four lives. The inscription reads “In tribute to the fishermen of Leigh who went to Dunkirk 1 June 1940 and in memory of those who gave their lives. Grater love hath no man than this that a man lay down is life for his friends.” Despite the tragic loss of the Renown, the Letitia and the Endeavour are still sailing, and the latter starred in the upcoming Hollywood film ‘Dunkirk,’ with her current skipper having sailed over to Normandy for the filming. A poem written by a sixteen-year-old boy who went out with the boats to Dunkirk used to hung for years in Dench’s cockle shed in the Old Town (and is still in the Billet) before going into the possession of Mrs Margo Knock. In the poem, poet Bob Rawlings describes the expedition, and the fateful destruction of the Renown by a mine, as follows. Letitia LO 220 at Dunkirk The Letitia was put out to sea From the little old fishing town of Leigh On an errand of mercy she didn’t shirk To the hell loosed beaches of Dunkirk To a place they’d never been before, The fisherman left their homely shore Five boats did sail with them that day On the fateful remembered end of May When the shores of Dunkirk were in sight The ferries came bombing with all their spite Into the harbour they found their way To save our Army for a better day Man upon man they saved that night From the jaws of death and sorrowful plight With shells and bombs almighty near They stayed at work without a fear With rescue finished, back home did go The boat Renown they took in tow Their course was on a Nor-West Line When Renown was struck down by a mine To Ramsgate they did wend their way In the early morning of Saturday Into that harbour it was thought Was best to make their sad report Back home at Leigh they safely reach To their loved ones waiting on the beach Maybe again they’ll sail their way But for a cruise I hope to say

This record comprises all information held by IWM’s War Memorials Register for this memorial. Where we hold a names list for the memorial, this information will be displayed on the memorial record. Please check back as we are adding more names to the database.

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