A hero’s return
Dunkirk ‘Little Ship’ saved 600 troops… now it is being rescued thanks to a £404,000 Lottery grant
SHE helped save the lives of more than 600 Allied soldiers from the beaches of northern France. Now one of the Dunkirk ‘Little Ships’ is to be rescued herself.
Skylark IX will be restored thanks to a £404,400 National Lottery grant and will become a floating museum.
The refurbishment will be undertaken by boatbuilding specialists working with recovering drug addicts as part of a skills development programme operated by Dumbarton-based charity Alternatives.
Skylark IX was built as a passenger cruiser for 75 people in 1927 and was called to the aid of stranded Allied troops in Dunkirk in 1940 as part of the secret Operation Dynamo. After the war, the vessel was operated for 33 years by Sweeney’s Cruises on Loch Lomond, where she later fell into disrepair and sank in 2010.
Now raised by the Royal Navy following a veterans’ campaign, Skylark IX lies at the Scottish Maritime Museum in Irvine, Ayrshire.
Lucy Casot, head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in Scotland, said: ‘The Skylark IX is a part of Scotland’s Second World War history and we are delighted that thanks to players of the National Lottery she will be saved to share her incredible story.
‘As part of her recovery others will recover too, learning skills that will help secure them a better future.’
The project will include ten paid traineeships leading to qualifications in woodworking skills. Once restored, Skylark IX will share her story with the help of community volunteers during a sail on the Clyde from Bowling, Dunbartonshire, to Dumbarton Castle.
Anne Dyer, of the Skylark IX Recovery Trust, said: ‘Today is a great day for us all. Not one day did we ever believe we could not face this huge challenge and in true Dunkirk spirit we never gave up. The support from the community has been huge and our vision to continue the Skylark story will ring out for generations.
‘Skylark’s first mission was to save Allied forces at Dunkirk and today she will save lives by allowing clients from Alternatives alongside a boatbuilding school at the Scottish Maritime Museum to bring the Dunkirk “Little Ship” to life again.’
‘Part of Scotland’s wartime history’