Reply to comment
We have recently been informed of the sad demise of one of the Little Ships. Skylark IX slipped under the surface of the River Leven in Balloch, Dunbartonshire, Scotland at the weekend. She has been taking Dunkirk Veterans to scatter poppies on Loch Lomond for thirty years and locally there is much support to see her raised and restored.
Skylark IX was built in 1934 by Bolson & Sons in Poole, and was one of the 11 Skylark vessels. Former owner John Sweeney, in a quotation from our local paper The Lennox Herald, said that she could carry 100 people at a time but from Dunkirk she carried about 150 people and made four trips.
Apparently the present owner would be quite happy to donate the boat if she can be raised and restored, perhaps by a charitable trust.