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Original Text (Annotation: EPW016549 / 2003397)
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TSMV "Britannia 1" 75ftft l.o.a., of the Southend Britannia Co. Ltd. of 118 Hartington Road. Owned and Operated by the Myall Family. Board of Trade "Steam 6" Passenger Carrying Certificate to carry 250 persons for Coastal Cruising, trips were made to such Ports as Clacton, Ramsgate, and Margate. Built from the same moulds as the SMNCo's "New Prince Of Wales 1" by Haywards Boat Yard alongside the Kursaal, on land which later became the Kursaal Coach Park, and launched for 1923 Holiday Season. Cost, £8,000 approx.. First in Service at Southend, May, 1923. Taken to Dunkirk by a Naval crew under Command of a very junior RNVR acting sub-Lieutenant. Ferried troops from Dunkirk Harbour and from beaches out to larger ships offshore. Survived Dunkirk operation, and spent rest of WW2 as Riverine minesweeper, in Nore Command* attached to HMS President, and based at Cliffe. [*Ref -see "The Red List" for September, 1940 , et seq.] For an explanation of the circumstances of ALL the 36 Southend "little ships" that took part in the Evacuation from the Dunkirk beaches - read "To Rescue Our Soldiers", - [a 12 page intro. is available to view at] - a copiously-illustrated 180page non-fictional account with explanatory appendices, available for £15.99 from . '
