RNLB ''Guide of Dunkirk'' (ON 826) is a
35ft 6in Self-righting motor-class lifeboat whose construction was funded by the
Girl Guides in 1940. She was self-righting and designed for launching from a beach. As one of the
Little Ships of Dunkirk she was used in the
evacuation of Allied soldiers from Dunkirk in
World War II. Between 1941 and 1963 she was stationed in
Cadgwith, UK as a lifeboat. In 1963 she passed into private ownership.
Before Dunkirk
The £5,000 needed to buy a lifeboat was one of the targets of the
Guide Gift Week appeal of 1940. Money was donated by Guides throughout the
British Empire from their salaries or, for those too young to work, by earning money doing odd jobs.
''Guide of Dunkirk'' was built by
Rowhedge Iron Works
Rowhedge Ironworks was a shipyard situated on the River Colne, and in the village of Rowhedge, in the English county of Essex. It existed from 1904 to 1964, and built a number of coastal vessels, including VIC type Clyde puffers and ferries for ...
near
Colchester, UK, and was unnamed when she was called into service straight from the builder's yard for the Dunkirk evacuation on 1 June 1940. She had the designation ON 826.
Dunkirk
At the Dunkirk evacuation, she made two crossings. Her crew was made up of men from
Walton-on-the-Naze and
Frinton-on-Sea
Frinton-on-Sea is a seaside town and (as just Frinton) a former civil parish, now in the parish of Frinton and Walton, in the Tendring district of Essex, England. In 2018 it had an estimated population of 4,837. In 1931 the parish had a populati ...
,
Essex, under
British Naval command.
On her first trip, she was used to ferry soldiers off the beaches to larger ships waiting offshore. She was badly damaged by machine gun fire and a rope became wrapped around her propeller. She was towed back to England stern first.
On her second trip, she was hit by shellfire and extensively damaged.
After Dunkirk
In May 1941 she was stationed at
Cadgwith in Cornwall as a
Royal National Lifeboat Institution
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, as well as on some inland waterways. It i ...
(RNLI) lifeboat.
In 1947 she was named ''Guide of Dunkirk'' in honour of her history so far.
In 1963, the Cadgwith lifeboat station was closed and ''Guide of Dunkirk'' was sold into the private ownership of John Moor and renamed ''Girl Guide''.
Retirement
The boat is now ashore in
Mevagissey, Cornwall and has remained in her original condition as when she left RNLI service.
See also
*
Historic RNLI Lifeboats
Since its inception, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has provided lifeboats to lifeboat stations in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Once past their operation life, the boats have mostly been sold by the RNLI and purchased for domes ...
References
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guide Of Dunkirk
Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting
Girlguiding
Water transport in Cornwall
1940 ships
Little Ships of Dunkirk
Self-Righter-class lifeboats