RNLI remembers heroes who rushed to rescue at Dunkirk

COLOURISED PHOTOS SHOW FACES OF THANET CREW WHO HELPED SAVE THOUSANDS

- By ELLIE CRABBE

PICTURES of a Thanet RNLI crew and the lifeboat they used to helped rescue allied troops in Dunkirk have been newly colourised to mark the 85th anniversary of the evacuation.

Coxswain Edward Drake Parker and his crew from Margate Lifeboat Station followed the Government's call to send small vessels to Dunkirk to help rescue some of the nearly 340,000 British, French, and Belgian troops trapped there after retreating from German forces in May 1940.

The RNLI has had two of its images from the time painstakingly cleaned and colourised using digital technology to mark the bravery of the crews that took part in Operation Dynamo, which began on May 26, 1940.

Coxswain Parker, who was 53 years old when he led his crew to the French coast, was awarded a Distinguished Service Medal for his services at Dunkirk.

He said of the operation: "Margate lifeboat crew were standing by in their favourite pub, playing a quiet game of darts, when I was called down to the boathouse.