A busy Sunday in Teddington today with the Chestnut Avenue Parade in Bushy Park and also the long-awaited unveiling of the Dunkirk Memorial at Teddington Lock!

I walked down to the Lock this afternoon to watch the ceremony, along with many other Teddington people. 

It was a bit chilly on the banks of the Lock but it stayed dry for us and for Prince Michael of Kent who arrived on a boat from the Ham House direction of the river. 

He is the Honorary Admiral of the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships and had come to unveil the Memorial.  The Lady Mayoress was also in attendance as were the RNLI.  Importantly some war veterans were also in attendance smiling and waving cheerfully.

If you aren’t familiar with the story – just behind the Lock used to stand Tough’s Boatyard, now home to The Wharf restaurant and apartments.  In 1940 Douglas Tough put together a small fleet of 100 Little Ships that sailed to rescue Allied troops trapped in France.  The operation was called Operation Dynamo.  Many men were rescued and the Little Ships played a big part in the operation ferrying soldiers to larger ships whilst under constant attack from the German air force.

It’s taken a long time for the Memorial to be placed in Teddington and Douglas Tough’s grandson was very proud that the Memorial was being unveiled. The Memorial is made from black granite, designed by the former Olympic rower Richard Knight, based in Kingston.  It has been partly funded by The Environment Agency who are owners of Teddington Lock.  Here’s the words on the memorial:-

How Teddington’s Little Ships

helped win the Second World War

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In the Spring of 1940 allied troops

were trapped between the German advance

at the sea at Dunkirk in Northern France.

The evacuation of those troops ‘Operation Dynamo’

was helped by private boats which crossed

the Channel and whilst under constant attack

from the Luftwaffe ferried men from

the shallow beaches to larger ships offshore.

Douglas Tough assembled 100 of these Little Ships

at Tough Brothers boatyard

which once stood opposite this plaque.

During the 10-day operation they helped in

the rescue of 335,226 British and French troops

who were saved to fight another day.

Wartime leader Winston Churchill called this

“A miracle of deliverance.”

If you have any photographs from today, please add them to the Gallery on the website.