A flotilla of “Little Ships” crossing the English Channel to commemorate the Dunkirk evacuation was forced to divert so Border Force could escort a migrant boat.
The fleet of 66 boats set sail from Ramsgate, Kent, to Dunkirk at 6am on Wednesday to commemorate the 85th anniversary of Operation Dynamo.
It was intended as a “poignant tribute to the bravery and sacrifice” of the Dunkirk evacuations, where 1,000 British pleasure boats were used in the rescue of more than 300,000 Allied soldiers from the Nazi advance.
But the commemorations were disrupted when Border Force and the French navy demanded that the flotilla be diverted to provide a one-nautical mile exclusion zone for a migrant boat.
The small boat, which had been launched from northern France, was being escorted across the Channel by the French navy and UK Border Force.
It comes as two migrants died on Wednesday attempting to cross the Channel in a boat packed with 80 people.
Wednesday was also estimated to be a record day for migrant crossings so far this year with more than 800 arrivals.
Marine traffic audio heard by The Telegraph revealed that the “Little Ships” were told: “There is a [French] warship on our head with a migrant [boat] close by. And we’ve been requested to give one nautical mile distance from that vessel, over.”
A French voice, believed to be from the French navy, was then heard saying: “Thank you, sir. Thank you very much.”
One observer said: “They have asked the British ships to get out of the way. It is one of the most important days in history and they are shoving them out of the way.”
Marine traffic maps showed a French warship and the French navy vessel Oyapock in the vicinity of the flotilla as it crossed the Channel.
The Association of Dunkirk Little Ships (ADLS), which organised the voyage, had said it would ensure “the legacy of the Dunkirk little ships continues to inspire future generations”.
This year’s crossing marks the first time the little ships have made the journey since 2015.
The flotilla was being escorted by ships from the Royal Navy and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).
‘Sacrificed lives’
Chris Bannister, who owns a boat that served as a tug during the Dunkirk evacuation, said: “If we don’t carry out the commemoration like we are today, then the people who have sacrificed their lives many years ago, the memory of them, will stop.”
The rerouting of the flotilla came after a woman and child died trying to cross the Channel overnight, according to the French coastguard.
A rescue operation began after the pair became unconscious on a boat carrying nearly 80 migrants, which left the shore from Gravelines, northern France.
A French navy ship set out to make contact with the boat to recover the two people and 10 others who needed help. Crew from the vessel performed first aid, but a medical team later confirmed their deaths.
All those rescued were taken to Calais, while the remaining migrants on the boat continued their journey towards British waters under French navy surveillance.
The “Little Ships” were volunteered to or requisitioned by the Government to be used in the evacuations and crewed predominantly by Royal Navy personnel.
Soldiers from Britain, the Empire, France, Belgium, Poland and the Netherlands were evacuated across the Channel.
The operation prompted Winston Churchill’s “We shall fight on the beaches” speech in the House of Commons as the evacuation was completed on June 4 1940.
The Home Office was approached for comment.
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