Speaker: Dr Helen Doe, University of Exeter

The RNLI mustered nineteen of its lifeboats in response to the urgent call for help to rescue troops trapped on the beaches of Dunkirk. The plan was for all the lifeboats to be manned by their highly experienced crews. However, only two of them, those from Ramsgate and Margate, were manned by RNLI volunteers. On arrival at Dover, to their dismay, the other crews were sent home and replaced by naval crews. The reasons behind this last-minute crew switch arose from misunderstandings and cultural differences between the volunteer led charity and the navy. It was a low point for the RNLI and an embarrassment, but they were not alone as this paper will illustrate.

About the speaker: Helen Doe has published extensively and among her books are The First Atlantic Liner and SS Great Britain: Brunel’s Ship, her Voyages, Passengers and Crew. Helen’s latest maritime book is One Crew, the book to mark the bicentenary of the RNLI. She gained her PhD at the University of Exeter where she taught for some years. She is a government advisor to ‘National Historic Ships’ and Chair of the ‘British Commission for Maritime History’.

This event is open to the public and free to attend both in-person and online (via Zoom). In-person spaces are limited, so register now to secure your spot!

For those joining online, the Zoom link will be sent by email two days before the event.