Buy Dunkirk and the Little Ships | Royal Museums Greenwich Shop
10% off* for subscribers | Free UK delivery over £50 | 10% off* for Members
Dunkirk and the Little Ships

Dunkirk and the Little Ships

£9.99 Sale

An illustrated guide to the history of the famous 'Little Ships' and their role in the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940, which saved hundreds of thousands of British soldiers from capture by German forces.

During 1940 the German army swept with devastating speed across the Low Countries and into northern France and drove Allied forces back into a small pocket around Dunkirk. Without a swift withdrawal across the English Channel, the latter faced certain death or capture. The evacuation plan - Operation Dynamo - initially calculated that 45,000 men might be rescued, but between 26 May and 4 June 338,226 men were in fact brought back to England.

Naval historian Philip Weir shows how this was made possible by a vast armada of disparate vessels including destroyers, minesweepers, fishing vessels and, most famously of all, the privately owned 'Little Ships'. He explores the vessels' various roles within the evacuation, and their subsequent fates, including preservation and participation in commemorative return runs to the port, which now take place every five years.

Phil Weir is a historian specialising in the Royal Navy in the first half of the twentieth century. In his PhD from the University of Exeter in 2007, he examined the development of British naval aviation between the wars, and has written for the Navy Records Society, History Today and Time. He has also contributed to both television and radio programmes, most recently appearing on the BBC's 'Who Do You Think You Are?' He lives in Exeter, UK.

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Shire Publications (29 Oct. 2020)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 112 pages
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.7 x 0.6 x 21.06 cm
+ Read more - Show less
  • Subscribe to save 10%*

    Sign up to our newsletter for a 10% discount off your next order. You'll also be the first to discover new products, promotions and inspiration. *Exclusions apply, please see Terms and Conditions.

    Subscribe now

  • Members save 10%*

    Museum Members receive 10% off shopping both online and at the museum sites. *Exclusions apply, please see Terms & Conditions.

    Join as a member today.

  • FREE UK Delivery for orders over £50

    Christmas Ordering and Dispatch

    Over the holiday season, we experience a surge in
    orders and customer inquiries, for these reasons, we have adjusted our expected
    processing and fulfilment times.

    Our Christmas UK standard processing and fulfilment time is 5-7 working days. 

    Our Online Shop dispatch
    team will of course do our very best to dispatch orders sooner, where possible.

    We recommend ordering as early as possible, for the
    best chance of receiving it before Christmas. We appreciate our customer's
    patience during this busy time as we are a small team.

    Standard Delivery: Place orders by 18 December

    Our UK FedEx 1-3 day delivery service will be
    available, excluding Custom Prints, Personalised Clothing, and Online Only
    Telescopes. Place
    order by 19th December.

    Orders placed after these dates can be dispatched
    but delivery in time for Christmas cannot be guaranteed. Royal Museums
    Greenwich cannot accept responsibility for orders placed after these dates
    being received after Christmas.

    All UK orders (excluding personalised clothing) are sent using a tracked service.

    Excludes Custom Prints (those which are customised by choosing a
    size and frame), online-only telescopes, and pre-orders,
    as these are subject to their own delivery terms.

    Custom Prints (those which are customised by choosing a size and frame) and personalised clothing take a little longer to fulfill due to being made to order. Order by 8th December.

    Please see our Delivery & Returns page for more information and last order dates.

    Online-only telescopes are shipped directly from Celestron. To have the best chance to receive in time for Christmas, please place your order before 12 noon on 16th December.

    FREE Standard UK delivery for all orders over £50 (Royal Mail)

    For all other orders, we offer Standard UK delivery for £4.95 per order (Royal Mail).

  • International Delivery Information

    Christmas ordering and dispatch

    We recommend ordering as early as possible, for the
    best chance of receiving before Christmas. We appreciate our customer's
    patience during this busy time as we are a small team.

    Dates shown are for standard orders (excluding custom and online exclusive items).

    Shipping Destination

    Recommended Last Order Date:

    Europe and of the world: Place order by 7th December

    USA & Canada orders: Place order by 13th December

    Delivery rate varies by country and value of order, and starts from as little as £6.95. 

    Please allow 5-7 working days for standard orders to be dispatched.

    Custom Prints (those which are customised by choosing a size and frame) and personalised clothing take a little longer to fulfill due to being made to order. Please see our recommended last order dates for these items on our  Delivery & Returns page.

    Online-only telescopes: Place order by 12 noon on 16 December.

    Orders placed after these dates can be dispatched
    but delivery in time for Christmas cannot be guaranteed. Royal Museums
    Greenwich cannot accept responsibility for orders placed after these dates
    being received after Christmas.

    We send using a Royal Mail/FedEx tracked delivery service (excluding personalised products). Please allow 7-10 working days to receive after we have dispatched.

    Please see our Delivery & Returns page for all information.

  • Returns Policy

    For all returns, please contact us as soon as possible using the contact form, expressing your wish to return. Please wait for confirmation from one of our team before returning.

    Custom Prints (those which are customised by choosing a size and frame) and personalised clothing are made to order and therefore we are unable to offer a refund or exchange, unless they are faulty.

    Please see our Delivery & Returns page for full information.

  • Every purchase supports the work of Royal Museums Greenwich

    All proceeds from all purchases made on the Royal Museums Greenwich online shop support the work of the museum. 

    Should you wish to, you can now add a voluntary donation to your order. All donations, big or small, will make a difference.

    Thank you for your continued support.