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Boat builder to restore Dunkirk lifeboat

Chloe Parkman
BBC News, South West
@abbeyboatbuilder EX RNLB Guide of Dunkirk in Cornwall. The vessel is on a slipway out of the water. The vessel is white, blue and red. Pedestrians are watching as the boat is removed from the water. Boats are in the water in the background. Properties overlook the water.@abbeyboatbuilder
The Guide of Dunkirk was built in the 1940s

A boat builder from Devon is set to restore a vessel that helped evacuate soldiers from Dunkirk.

From 26 May to 4 June 1940, hundreds of vessels sailed through heavy enemy fire to rescue more than 338,000 British and Allied troops from the beaches of Dunkirk as part of Operation Dynamo.

Boat builder Abbey Molyneux, originally from Exeter, said the Guide of Dunkirk lifeboat, which has spent 40 years in Mevagissey, in Cornwall, would be transported to her boatyard in Norfolk for the restoration.

"She saved thousands of lives on the run to Dunkirk and we're now going to try and restore her," she said.

National Historic Ships Registry A black and white image of the Guide of Dunkirk navigating through water. A man is steering the vessel. The vessel has three sails. National Historic Ships Registry
The Guide of Dunkirk will arrive in Norfolk on Friday

Ms Molyneux told BBC Radio Devon the Guide of Dunkirk was in "perfect condition".

According to the RNLI, 700 civilian vessels, now known as the Little Ships of Dunkirk, made the crossing along with 19 RNLI lifeboats.

"They used all sorts of different boats and the Guide of Dunkirk was very popular, as were a lot of lifeboats because they've got a very shallow draft," Ms Molyneux said.

"They saved thousands and thousands of lives because they were the boats that could get closest to the shore to rescue the soldiers."

National Historic Ships Registry A black and white image of men standing in front of the vessel. The men are lined up in a row and are covering the vessel's name. They are wearing hats, life jackets and long coats.National Historic Ships Registry
Ms Molyneux said lifeboats were a key part of the evacuation

She added: "These little lifeboats were a key part of the whole evacuation."

Ms Molyneux, who has restored up to 30 Dunkirk little ships, said she hoped to restore the vessel back to its original condition and take it back to Dunkirk in the future.

The Guide of Dunkirk will arrive in Norfolk on Friday.

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