Memories of Dunkirk: Archive Radio Interviews

May 31, 1940: Bernard Stubbs reports from Dover as ships return from Dunkirk and the troops disembark. He then follows the soldiers onto trains as they head home.

June 3, 1940: British Expeditionary Force (BEF) members share their experiences of being at the front line as the Germans broke through.

June 4, 1940: Edward R. Murrow files a news report on Winston Churchill's statement, made in the House of Commons earlier that day, on the Dunkirk operation.

June 5, 1940: Novelist, JB Priestley, pays homage to the small boats of Dunkirk.

June 6, 1940: Minister of Shipping Ronald Cross recalls the events of the past few days at Dunkirk, describing the 'armada' and a Ramsgate factory where men dropped their tools to sail into the dangerous waters across the Channel.

June 8, 1940: Pathe News cameraman Charles Martin describes being aboard a boat attacked by German gunners and sprayed with bullets.

On May 30, 1940 the lifeboat crews of Margate were called into action to rescue troops from Dunkirk. Coxswain ED Parker describes how his men went from their favourite pub to the hellish waters of Dunkirk.

Captain J Fryer, master of tugboat Foremast 87, recounts how he received orders to go to Dunkirk on May 30, 1940. He maneuvered several ships under heavy barrage and collected troops troops along the way.

John Bridges describes in vivid detail what it was like to be at Dunkirk with his small but orderly battalion, witnessing chaos on the beaches and struggling to get away.

Twenty years later, members of the forces, survivors of bombed boats, and ordinary citizens recall their roles in the mass evacuation from Dunkirk.

Paul Reynaud, who served was Prime Minister of France when Germany invaded, shares his memories of the Dunkirk evacuation and its significance.

The story of Dunkirk is retold 40 years later via vivid eyewitness accounts and news extracts from the era.