The ADLS Veterans Cruise is a longstanding event in the ADLS annual calendar and was born from an event first started in 1991 by Rev. John Richards. John organised an event in conjunction with Turks Launches taking members of the Dunkirk Veterans Association for a trip on the river. In 1993 John was unable to continue with the event and the ADLS Committee suggested that it should be taken over by the ADLS and Sandy Evens (then owner of NAIAD ERRANT) was given the task of organising the event to be held in September 1994 in conjunction with Weybridge Mariners Club (WMC), to bring together members of the Dunkirk Veterans Association (consisting of those servicemen and women who had been rescued or captured at Dunkirk in 1940) and the Little Ships. As the years progressed the number of actual members of the Dunkirk Veterans Association (DVA) diminished and following the disbanding the DVA in 2000, the Veterans Cruise was broadened to encompass Veterans from other WWII campaigns. In 2005 Ian Gilbert (PAPILLON 05- 2015,  LADY LOU 2015- present )  took over the organisation from Sandy, Ian and Karina Gilbert continue to organise this event which is more popular than ever.   

 

In more recent years, the Veterans Cruise has been expanded further to include Veterans of more recent conflicts such as Falklands and the Gulf and service related organisations such as War Widows.  The Veterans Cruise remains one of the most important ADLS events and garners considerable support from ADLS members and associated organisations and Thames-based boat clubs.