Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Forces from the beaches of Dunkirk in May 1940, remains one of the most critical moments of the Second World War. As the BEF was pushed to the shores of France, a call went out from the Admiralty. They needed little ships.
Amongst those so-called little ships was a boat called "Sundowner." Her commander, Charles Lightoller, had many a close call during his three decades at sea. At 38, he survived one of the worst maritime disasters in history: the sinking of the Titanic. He, his son Roger, and sea scout Gerald Ashcroft departed from Ramsgate to head toward the melee.