| Code | DS/UK/20189 |
| Name | 1940 Dunkirk Veterans' Association; 1953-2000; British service veterans organisation |
| Variations of Name | DVA |
| Dates | 1953-2000 |
| Place of Birth/Origin | Leeds, England (formed) |
| Relationships | Notable members:
Harold Robinson MBE - Honorary general secretary,
Reverend Leslie Aitken MBE -first and only 'Padre',
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh - Patrons,
General James Steele, General Ashton Wade, Brigadier General James Gawthorpe, Squadron Leader Douglas Bader, Donald Kaberry (later Lord Kaberry of Adel) |
| Biography | The 1940 Dunkirk Veterans' Association was an association of British service veterans "who served at Dunkirk and other ports of evacuation between 10 May and June 1940" that is in the Dunkirk evacuation of 1940, including those who were taken prisoner. Associate membership was available to those "otherwise not qualified, but who had assisted at the ports of evacuation".
Five veterans who had been on the Dunkirk Beach or in the vicinity fighting, met in the bar of the Queens Hotel, Leeds. They wanted to foster the spirit of comradeship and support experienced during the evacuation and support fellow veterans who had fallen on hard times.
The association started to arrange pilgrimages to the beaches and towns from which troops had been evacuated including Dunkirk, De Panne, Bray Dunes and Calais. During the first pilgrimage by 45 veterans in 1954, they realised that the local towns and population were still suffering deprivation and shortages. Subsequently, DVA members arranged food parcels for the local population. Remembrance services were held on beaches and in villages. Official 1940 DVA organised pilgrimages continued every year until 1988 then became locally organised by branches until the 60th anniversary in 2000 when the association was disbanded. |