Paddle steamer saviour
Campaigner helped bring Medway Queen back from brink
The Maidstone man who launched the campaign to save veteran paddle steamer the Medway Queen has died at the age of 73.
It was Marshall Vine who spotted the rotting vessel more than 30 years ago and embarked on a mission to restore one of the heroines of Dunkirk.
She was one of the famous Little Ships who rescued thousands of troops from the beaches of Dunkirk during the Second World War.
And Mr Vine was determined that the Medway Queen should not come to an inglorious end, forgotten and chained to a wall at Chatham Dockyard.
Mr Vine, who was born and lived in Maidstone, embarked on a mission to restore the paddle steamer, calling for volunteers to help him save her before she ended up in the scrapyard – and it heralded the start of the Medway Queen Preservation Society which now has more than 500 mem- bers worldwide with Mr Vine as president.
The Medway Queen is currently undergoing final restoration work at Gillingham Pier having spent five years in dry dock at Bristol for essential repairs to her hull.
Mrs Chambers, who knew Mr Vine for 40 years, said: “Everyone said at the time it can’t be done. It was an impossible task. But Marshall was determined. He was a leader. He never gave up.”
Mr Vine, who suffered from cerebral palsy, was the first chairman of the society and held the post until his deteriorating health forced him to relinquish it.
His other great enthusiasm was for railway and steam transport. He was an active member of the Kent and East Sussex Railway and was involved in the Scout movement taking groups on canal holidays.
Mr Vine’s funeral will be on Wednesday, August 31 at 1.15pm at Vinters Park Crematorium, Maidstone. All welcome, no flowers. Donations by cheque to the Medway Queen Preservation Society.