Boat festival marks 80th anniversary of Operation Dynamo

THOUSANDS of boat enthusiasts and spectators attended the Thames Traditional Boat Festival last weekend, which featured the largest fleet of Dunkirk Little Ships in the history of the event.

About 20 of the group of private boats, which were involved in the evacuation of allied soldiers from Dunkirk during the Second World War, paraded along the river on Saturday and Sunday to mark the 85th anniversary of Operation Dynamo in 1940.

Visitors lined the banks along Fawley Meadows to cheer and clap as the fleet sailed past.

Unfortunately, some of the war plane flyovers were cancelled, including Sunday’s Hurricane flypast because of poor weather and the Lancaster Bomber display caused by mechanical problems.

On land, there was a display of vintage bicycles,  including penny-farthings and other vehicles such as Jeeps and Land Rovers.

On Saturday evening, an illuminated parade of boats went past, which saw a record number of entries.

Amphibious cars drove up and down the River Thames and Alaska, the oldest passenger steamer, owned and skippered by Peter Green, gave tours.

He said: “We have been busy all weekend. We’re pretty much full every trip. It’s because we’re probably the warmest and driest place in the festival, if the weather is really bad, people gravitate to us.

“When it was pouring down with rain on Saturday, we were full.”

John Calvert, from Goring, who attended the festival with his wife, Sally, took part in the display with L’Orage, which saved the lives of 34 soldiers during the evacuations.

He said: “If you look at the sail past and you look at the crowd, all the clapping and cheering, it’s lovely to show the boats off.

“We bought L’Orage in 2009. It was owned by the late Raymond Baxter. It was in an extremely bad state, almost derelict and three guys spent nine months getting it ready for the following year’s crossing to Dunkirk.

“Her restoration involved lots of new planks, new varnish and a new wheelhouse as well as converting the interior.

“Coming here and being able to have a drink with the other owners is lovely. We’re like a big family.”

Ross and Suzanne Ahlgren, of The Loddon in Wargrave, have been coming to the Trad for the last six years with their boat Chin Chin.

The couple also own Llanthony, a 77ft long Dunkirk Little Ship which they purchased last year. It played a crucial role in the 1940 evacuation, saving 280 soldiers.

It was not used in this year’s display because of fears the water level was too low for its size but took part in the trip with the other ships in May from Ramsgate to Dunkirk to remember the rescue of more than 330,000 Allied soldiers.

Mr Ahlgren said: “She saved a whole lot of people but then she was blown up and hit. She was a bigger boat so she was an easier target.

“She was sailed back to the UK and fixed up and used as a coastal patrol boat before she was bought by Lord Astor. The parade was amazing. We went all over Dunkirk and to see this ocean full of motley armada of ships where none of them are the same made me feel emotional. Two-thirds of the way, they let us sail around the whole fleet.

“Lady Judy McAlpine wanted to have it here so everybody could see it but the Thames was so low we were worried.”

Mr Ahlgren said he used Chin Chin, a 1936 slipper launch to give people rides along the river. He put down his love for the festival to the eclectic mix of people.

He said: “When you’ve got a little one like Chin Chin, you can go up all the time and just show people.

“It’s only 25ft to 30ft long so it’s a really easy boat to have. We replaced a lot because the engine and its beds had to be redone.

“It had a diesel engine and I wanted it to be authentic so we found an original engine and got it working. For the last four years, we haven’t really had to do anything besides keeping it polished.”

Chef Paul Clerehugh’s pop-up Crooked Billet restaurant sold drinks and food and hosted live music.

On Friday, quartet Art Themen, from Henley, performed jazz and blues music and the Dung Beatles performed Sixties and Seventies hits from the Beatles.

On Saturday, One Love Reggae took to the stage followed by the Hornets, a Sixties influenced rhythm and blues band and, on Sunday, the Errol Linton Blues Band performed and Clearwater Creedence Revival closed the festival.

Tess and Mark Ferguson, from Highmoor, brought their 1908 Thames Canadian Canoe Cymba,  which they also entered on its 100th anniversary in 2008.

They bought it in 2003 from Gillian Nahum, who founded Henley Sales and Charter after it had been restored by Peter Freebody, based in Hurley in 1992 and was used as a blueprint.

Mrs Ferguson likened the festival to Goodwood Revival. She said: “Everybody has got a common interest. They’re passionate about boats and it’s the most incredible setting.

“When you think you have Henley Royal Regatta, Henley Festival, the Trad and then Rewind Festival, there is nothing like it. Henley is so unique.” Henley photographer Richard Pinches was accompanied by Josh Thatcher, Tony Edmonds and Benedict Pinches to exhibit Willys MB civilian Jeeps from 1942 and 1943.

He was forced to cover them up on Saturday morning because of rain showers which caused bogs to appear across the fields.

Mr Pinches said: “Both are special forces and designed for slightly different operations in the desert, both working many, many lines behind enemy lines to cause bloody mayhem, destroying fuel dumps, aeroplanes, as well as reconnaissance and gaining intelligence about enemy movements across all of the north African desert.

“The weather this morning [Saturday] was awful but mid-afternoon we decided to have the full display out because hopefully it won’t rain tonight.

“We’ve always supported the trad and it’s got an increasing presence for military vehicles. It’s lovely to exhibit and get the public to interact with us.

“We do weapon demonstrations and we talk to them because there are lots of relations of veterans who recognise the vehicles and say their dad, or grandad or great grandad was there so it’s great to have those conversations.”

Sales assistant Bo Meyiwa ran a stall alongside Terry, Jacob and Alan Wilson of the Henley Distillery.

Miss Meyiwa, 27, said sales weren’t impacted by the downpours over the weekend and had sold more than 50 bottles by Sunday morning. Their most popular flavour of gin was raspberry peach, which is in its first summer following its launch.

She said: “In the true British culture, the rain has not kept people away. I think I’ve met the most people here than I’ve every met in my whole life.

“It has been really nice seeing all the boats go by and the wafts of bacon rolls in the morning.

“They’ve shied away from our stall until the rain is gone and come back out again. They’ve absolutely loved it.

“We’ve had a mixture of people buying bottles to take home and a a mixture of drinks to have while they are here.”

Mrs Nahum was selling a selection of traditional boats at Fawley Meadows.

She said: “I’ve been coming since 1991 and the show started in 1977. We’re meeting lots of customers who’ve bought from us before and we’ve got a few boats for sale in Henley. It has been really busy. We’ve sold two boats so far off the stand which is great and taken quite a few enquiries. People have come from outside the area, the Cotswolds, the coast, wherever, they all say what an amazing event it is.

“We’ve had a lot of people say that of the major summer events in Henley, this is their favourite.

“The current organising committee has created a good mixed for everyone. There are antiques, lovely cars and it’s a bit like Goodwood Revival but where the emphasis is on the river.”

Duncan Crawford, from Tadley, took part in the amphibious vehicles parade with his green 1943 Ford GPA, which his children have affectionately named Kermit.

He said: “We have pretty much given it a full restoration.

“Everything was stripped down to its chassis and built back up again and I just about got it finished for the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

”Two years ago, it was part vehicle. I was lucky to be offered one at a price I could afford through purchasing a vehicle of the old guy and then, when he passed, his son offered me this.

“It was a dream come true. I never thought someone like me could own one because they’re quite valuable and rare.

“There are probably only about 10 or 15 in the UK. They’re quite fragile and need a lot of caring.

“They are normally in museums and you don’t often have the opportunity to do this.”

David Bushnell, 51, owner of Bushnell Marine Services in Wargrave and a Royal Waterman, won an award for his 1923 slipper launch.

He said: “I’m absolutely thrilled. It was a lovely opportunity when it came along to buy her. We’re a custodian for the next generation, really and I’d never had a wooden boat before.

“It’s the first time I’ve entered. She was built at Andrew’s Boathouse in Bourne End. Woottens did a big restoration on her in the late Nineties. It’s used for leisure, mainly and it has been handed down quite a few times over the years.”

Adam Toop, co-chairman of the festival, announced the winners of the various prizes given out to boats on Sunday alongside Lady McAlpine.

He said: “I think we’ve done four seasons this weekend which means it’s probably going to snow in the next 15 minutes.

“For those who were here last year, I said that when I started working for this amazing event, I thought the biggest threat to traditional boats was glass fibre and I overturned that thinking but thinking now that it is the Environment Agency with its failure to maintain locks, their failure to remove sunken boats. Frankly, they’re failing on every single count.

“It seems to have got even worse. It’s the Environment Agency that allows water companies to pour all of the effluent into the river. My second biggest problem is that I don’t want my dogs to swim in the river anymore and I don't want my children to reach into the water as we try and use the boats. It is becoming more serious.

“On Friday the BBC were reporting that there was a 60 per cent increase in major deposits of effluent in 12 months.

“In 2024, the Henley Sewage Treatment Works dumped 950 hours of raw sewage into this stretch of river.

“Here is a group that is highly invested in the health of our river and our season is quite short.

“We are a hugely powerful voice with a vested interest in this waterway and others.”

He thanked Michael Shanly, Grundon and their new sponsors, Rivertime Boat Trust, which provides river cruises for people with disabilities, Ballards estate agent and the traders.

He also thanked Mrs Nahum for sponsoring pontoons Dennett Boat Builders, C&M Boat Repairs, Solent Cycle Club and Lady McAlpine.

Mr Toop, who lives in Henley and works in telecommunications, recalled that Lady McAlpine had forgotten her passport for this year’s return to Dunkirk, which she had been specially invited to and it had to be “hurriedly” delivered to her at Ramsgate.

He said: “Judy decided to fully embrace the spirit, believing that as per the original Operation Dynamo, no passport would be required to be let on the beaches of France.”

He announced the winner of each category who went on stage to receive trophies of different shapes and sizes.

Phil Christodoulou, 59, won best in show for his boat Quisisana, a 30ft Thornycroft Dunkirk Little Ship.

He said: “I’ve had her for three-and-a-half years now, of which she had a two-and-a-half-year restoration.

“I’m a little bit lost for words more than anything because of all those amazing boats out there, it’s wild to think I have won.

“I never imagined I would do this in my wildest dreams.

“For me, it’s about her keeping on telling the history of our Dunkirk Little Ships and keeping it alive.

“We lost our last known Dunkirk veteran at 105 this year.

“She is one of the rare boats which has a photograph of her with the veterans on board and there were 17 Coldstream Guards on her last return into Dover.

“I’ve just done the anniversary tour and I got to take a Coldstream Guard. It was so emotional.”

Lady McAlpine, who is also co-chairman, said: “I look around and I see so much work has gone into so many beautiful creatures.

“I know nothing about boats but I do know a lot about people and people with a massive amount of enthusiasm who are going to keep us all going.

“If you lot haven’t joined the National Transport Trust yet, you damn well ought to because it’s about conserving British Transport Heritage.

“It’s very important and we have to keep all of these going.”

The commentary was given by Bill Dormer, who took over from Jan Stanton, who did her last festival last year.

He was supported by Anne Jensen, Mark Lewis and Jane Percival.