Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
The little hero of Dunkirk stars in Hollywood movie
One of the heroes of the great evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940 is featured in a big budget movie tipped as the blockbuster of the summer.
New Brittanic was among the flotilla of Little Ships that answered the desperate call for civilians to speed across the Channel and pluck under fire Allied troops from the beaches of the French port.
Captain Walter Read, his son Joe, 15, and a deckhand spirited the most men away to safety – some 3,000 of the 338,000 saved.
The 54ft craft has since been lovingly restored by her owner of nine years, Greg Mcleish, and is moored at Swale Marina on Conyer Creek, near Teynham, where he lives on a boat.
The 56-year-old skipper joined other veterans to ‘audition’ for Dunkirk, which is receiving fivestar reviews ahead of general release on Friday.
Greg soon found there was great interest in his boat from writer- director Christopher Nolan and his film crew.
“There was a buzz on their walkie talkies with them saying New Brittanic will be a lead boat,” said Greg.
“It was manna from heaven. I could hardly believe it.
“I was at the helm and given instructions as I steered the boat around the waters off Dunkirk, taking on soldiers. In 1940, New Brittanic took 200 on board at a time.
“Captain Read was ordered to stay for three days because she was so useful shuttling the troops to bigger boats.”
Greg was invited to the London premiere of the film last week where he rubbed shoulders with stars including Kenneth Brannagh, Mark Rylance, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy and 1D’s Harry Styles making his acting debut.
“It was an amazing evening – very surreal,” he said.
New Brittanic, a familiar sight in Faversham Creek, will also have a starring role in another hotly anticipated war film Darkest Hour, starring Gary Oldman as Churchill, Lily James and Kristin Scott Thomas, due for release in November.
Greg is also hoping a song called Operation Dynamo, the code name for the evacuation, he has written for a forthcoming album will be featured in the movie.
He has been working on his CD Hooked On You at London’s famous Air Studios with top session musicians to realise a long- held ambition. Lyrics contain local references to “Let’s go down Conyer creekside” and “There’s a church on Teynham hill”.
“It was a very organic thing,” said Greg, whose music hero is American gospel blues singer Blind Willie Johnson.”
“I have done a lot of research and hope it will be a success.”
See What’s On for cinema details