Queen Diamond Jubilee Pageant – River Thames, Sunday 3rd June 2012
Dunkirk Little Ships Assembling For Queen's Jubilee
1 March 2012 - The Association of Dunkirk Little Ships (ADLS) is pleased to announce details of
its participation in the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant.
In the week leading up to the Pageant, 42 Dunkirk Little Ships will make their way to Barn Elms
Reach on the Thames near Putney. From there they will assemble into the largest single class of
powered boats taking part in the Pageant before heading downstream immediately behind the
Royal Section. A further 5 Little Ships will be taking part in the Avenue of Sail.
The boats taking part will be coming from all over Britain and share a common link in having
assembled to assist Royal Navy and Merchant Navy vessels in evacuating the 338,000 British
and French troops from Dunkirk in 1940 (twelve years before Her Majesty ascended the throne).
While a great number of the 700-odd ships that took part in the evacuation have been lost, many
have survived and are lovingly cared for by their present owners.
The gathering in June will be the largest since the Little Ships returned to Dunkirk in 2010.
On behalf of the ADLS, its Commodore Mr Richard Basey said: "We are very proud that such a
large proportion of the surviving Little Ships are able to take part in the Thames Diamond Jubilee
Pageant. We wish Her Majesty The Queen the very best in this her Diamond Jubilee Year.
Members are very much looking forward to taking part in this spectacular celebration of her reign
and the maritime history of Great Britain and the Commonwealth."
Following the Pageant on Monday the 4th of June, the Association will be holding its annual
service commemorating Dunkirk at West India Dock in East London. Members of the public are
welcome to attend.
The Association of Dunkirk Little Ships (ADLS) is pleased to announce that three Dunkirk Veterans will travel abord the Liittle Ships during the Pageant. Despite their advance years, these threegentlemen, namely Reg Vine, Vic Viner and Harry Kidney are determinded to be aboard aboard our Little Ships for the Pageant and their personal stories are availble in the Press Release section of this website. .
The organisers of the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant have today (20 May) released the final details of the 1,000-boat tribute to Her Majesty The Queen’s 60-year reign.
The largest public event of the Diamond Jubilee weekend and potentially the largest live public event ever held in London, the Pageant will take place on Sunday 3rd June on the river from above Battersea to below Tower Bridge. The flotilla itself will be over seven miles long and – including mustering, dispersal and the avenue of sail – will include some 25 miles of Thames river bank. The flotilla will pass under all 13 Central London river crossings, from Battersea Bridge to Tower Bridge, and will take at least 75 minutes to pass any given point.
This unique spectacle, inspired by a rich history and tradition of entertainment and theatre on the Thames, will include up to 20,000 participants on the water and up to a million spectators on the river banks and public spaces. The major broadcasters expect the global audience to number in the billions.
It is the intention of the Pageant organisers to return the River Thames and its immediate environs to the public for the day, with large parts of the central London embankments and many central London bridges effectively pedestrianised. A detailed interactive map is now available at: www.thamesdiamondjubileepageant.org
This map also contains the location of up to 50 large viewing screens in London, designated areas for disabled access, historic landmarks, public transport information and public conveniences. For more specific travel and traffic information, the public are advised to visit www.tfl.gov.uk/diamondjubilee. Driving in central London on Sunday 3 June is not recommended.
Organisers have made bridges available to the riparian London Boroughs for allocation to local residents and also to a number of charities associated with the Pageant. These initiatives have helped organisers to make secure all or part of every bridge as The Queen and the Royal Squadron passes underneath. The precise bridge arrangements are:
##Battersea and Chelsea bridges will be open for pedestrians from 0700hrs until early evening. Both bridges will be closed to traffic and are expected to be very crowded.
##Albert Bridge will be closed to all traffic and pedestrians starting from 0700hrs until early evening and is designated for invited guests from charities and the riparian boroughs.
##Tower Bridge will be closed to all traffic and pedestrians from 0700hrs until early evening and will host guests from the riparian boroughs as well as private events hosted by the City of London.
##Millennium Bridge and Jubilee footbridges will be closed and will host guests from the charities and riparian boroughs as well as members of the media
##Vauxhall, Waterloo and London bridges will be open to traffic and pedestrians, apart from central section bridge closures as the flotilla passes underneath them at points between 1500 and 1730. They are all expected to be very crowded.
##Southwark Bridge will be closed to pedestrians, but not to traffic.
##Lambeth, Westminster and Blackfriars bridges will be closed to traffic and pedestrians, but each will have north and south facing viewing screens, with both ends of each bridge open to the public. However, members of the public will need to be counted on to the bridge to comply with capacity and subject to bag searches to maintain security.
While some bridges are open to moving pedestrians and traffic, only members of the public, invited by the charities and the riparian boroughs, who have been security accredited in advance, will be able to use them as spectator areas.
The bridges and riverside areas along the Pageant route will be decorated with flags and bunting for the event. The Pageant organisers are encouraging riverside properties – both business and residential – to ‘dress’ their buildings with Jubilee decorations, to add to the celebratory atmosphere on the day.
Vessel mustering will take place from mid-morning between Hammersmith and Putney Bridges. Boats at the head of the flotilla will be passing under Putney Bridge at around 14:30. The Pageant will officially start at around 14:40 as the Royal Jubilee Bells start ringing and the floating belfry slips its moorings in the Battersea Park area and takes its position as the lead vessel. Immediately behind them is the man-powered section with 265 rowed vessels including Gloriana , rowed by 18 oarsmen and women including Sir Matthew Pinsent, Sir Steve Redgrave, Paralympic champions and disabled British Servicemen. The man-powered section ‘toss oars’ in salute to The Queen as they pass her.
Her Majesty The Queen and other senior members of the Royal family will embark the Royal Barge - the Spirit of Chartwell - at Cadogan Pier at 14:30; they join the flotilla immediately behind the man-powered section at 15:00. They will have travelled from Chelsea Harbour on board HMY Britannia’s R oyal Barge attended by Paul Ludwig, The Queen’s Bargemaster. The rest of the flotilla, all motor powered sections, will form up behind The Queen, travelling at a speed of four knots. At 15:00, bells in churches along the riverside – and up and down the country – will ring out in response to the Royal Jubilee Bells in their floating belfry.
The Royal Barge will halt when she reaches the Royal Naval base, HMS PRESIDENT, just down river of Tower Bridge at around 16:15, and Her Majesty The Queen will watch the rest of the flotilla as it floats past. The bascules of Tower Bridge will open in salute and will stay open for the rest of the Pageant.
The Pageant will be brought to a close with a fitting finale at around 17:30 as the last vessel in the flotilla, the Symphony, carrying members of the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Royal College of Music Chamber Choir and playing rousing patriotic music, floats between the historic boats in the Avenue of Sail and passes under Tower Bridge.
The Dunkirk Little Ships in the flotilla will disperse and their passengers disembark from West India Docks, where large crowds are also expected to greet the captains and crews as they reach their final destination.
For more information about the ADLS contact:
Mr Jason Carley, PRO, email pro@adls.org.uk
For further information or to keep up to date on the ADLS' participation in the pageant please
refer to www.adls.org.uk, or follow us on twitter @Dunkirk_Ships.
Further information for journalists about the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant, contact:
Michelle Lavipour, Executive, Pagefield, 020 3327 4058, michelle.lavipour@pagefield.co.uk
Stephanie Shepherd, Executive, Pagefield, 020 3327 4065 stephanie.shepherd@pagefield.co.uk
Information and press materials about the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant are available from
www.thamesdiamondjubileepageant.org
The following Little Ships will participate in the Pageant sail past:
* Aberdonia
* Anne
* Aureol previously Kitty
* Bluebird of Chelsea previously Blue Bird
* Breda previously Dab II
* Brown Owl previously Wairakei
* Caronia
* Chumley previously Chalmondesleigh
* Devon Belle previously Seymour Castle
* Elvin
* Fedalma II
* Ferry Nymph
* Gainsborough Trader previously M.F.H. (Master of Foxhounds)
* Gay Venture
* Gentle Ladye previously Jong
* Hilfranor
* Janthea previously Reda
* L'Orage previously Surrey
* Lady Gay
* Lady Isabelle
* Latona
* Lazy Days
* Lurline of Ipswich
* Mada previously Fleury II
* Maid Marion
* Mary Jane
* Mimosa
* MTB 102
* New Britannic
* Nyula previously Betty
* Papillon
* RIIS I previously White Heather
* Ryegate II
* Silver Queen previously Fermain V
* Southern Queen
* Thamesa previously Minnehaha
* Tom Tit
* Wairakei II
* Wanda
* Wayfarer
* Sundowner
* White Marlin previously Fervant
The following Little Sips will be in the Avenue of Sail:
* BLUE BIRD of 1938 previously Bluebird II
* Stenoa previously Cecil and Lilian Philpott
* Tahilla previously Skylark
* Endeavour
* Angele Aline
The following Class V Little Sips will participate on a commercial basis:
* Jeff
* Kingwood
* Princess Freda
See also http://www.adls.org.uk/t1/content/annual-commemorative-cruise-incorporat...
Last revised 17 May 2012
ADLS Boats Involved
