Dunkirk Photos Never Seen Before
These great photographs of John Mills and the filming of “Dunkirk” at Rye and the local district in 1957 were brought into “Rye’s Own” by a local lady. They were taken her mother who was obviously a very good photographer. They lay hidden in a photograph album for the past 50 years and have come to light just in time for the V. E. Day parade.
The film, one of the greatest War epics ever made, reflected with great accuracy the desperate evacuation made from the open beaches of Dunkirk in June 1940. The small ships from the south east coast, including boats from Rye, helped the Royal Navy evacuate 280,000 from Dunkirk under the noses of the German Air Force and Army.
The rescue of these men, the backbone of the British Army, gave Britain a nucleus of men to rearm and re-group for the battles that lay ahead.
Rye’s Own May 2005