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Exclusive by Martin Jefferies
Portraits by Paul Dennis

The crucial role Ramsgate played in the heroic Dunkirk evacuations will be remembered today, exactly 70 years since an order was given to rescue more than 300,000 soldiers from the French coast.

A number of special events are taking place at the town's Royal Harbour, where around 50 "little ships" are moored ahead of their return to Dunkirk at 7am tomorrow (Thursday).

Hundreds of naval and civilian craft gathered at the same spot in May 1940 before they were dispatched to Dunkirk as part of Operation Dynamo.

Some of the brave men who risked their lives in the top secret mission are expected to join the 70th anniversary celebrations.

They include Fred May, who was just 15-years-old when the steam tug he worked on as a boy cook was called into action.

Incredibly, he should never have been caught up in the evacuations. The crew had sent him ashore to collect fresh fish, with no intention of waiting for him to return. But, sensing something was wrong, Fred dashed back to the boat and hid in the kitchen, determined to help out despite the horrors he feared may lay ahead.

In our moving audio slideshow above, Fred, who now lives in Broadstairs, recalls the terrifying scenes that still haunt him to this day.