At the heart of Poole’s VE Day commemorations, the Poole At Dunkirk 1940 exhibition at Lighthouse highlights the part played by local people and their vessels in the largest evacuation in military history.

Curated by Poole Maritime Trust with the support of a range of local organisations, the exhibition tells the stories of the people of Poole who were involved in Operation Dynamo in May 1940 when more than 338,000 Allied soldiers were rescued from the beach at Dunkirk in the face of the advancing enemy. 

Features a newly commissioned video as well as photographs and memorabilia, the Poole At Dunkirk 1940 exhibition was formally opened by the Mayor Cllr Pete Miles on Saturday and can be seen for free at Lighthouse until Tuesday 27 May.

“Poole and the people of Poole played a significant role in the evacuation of France beginning on 26 May 1940 and in particular The Miracle of Dunkirk,” says Jack Hawkins, Trustee of Poole Maritime Trust.

“It is worth remembering on this 85th anniversary that without this epic event there would have been no Victory in Europe 80 years ago. Poole Maritime Trust is commemorating this with the exhibition in recognition of the bravery and sacrifice that the people of Poole made.”

The exhibition includes details of the arrival of small Dutch and Belgian ships in Poole Harbour in the run-up to Dunkirk, loaded with some 3,000 refugees fleeing the Nazis. These boats, or ‘skoots’, went on to play a significant role at Dunkirk, joining the flotilla of ‘little ships’ – fishing boats, ferries, yachts and Poole’s lifeboat the Thomas Kirk Wright – that set out for Dover and, in some cases, on to Dunkirk. 

Poole At Dunkirk 1940 is curated by Poole Maritime Trust with the support of Lighthouse Poole, Poole BID, Dolphin Centre, RNLI, The Keep Museum Dorchester and National Trust Brownsea Island.