Barton represented in Diamond Jubilee River Pageant

Barton upon Humber will be represented next Sunday in the  Diamond Jubilee Thames Pageant thanks to Elvin, one of the Dunkirk "little ships."

The Elvin was built in 1937 at Clapson's boatyard at Barton on Humber as a gentleman's motor yacht and sold by Hyland's cruisers of Wakefield in 1937 to her first owner Mr E L Vincent (hence Elvin) who kept her at Lowestoft .

When Elvin answered the appeal for boats with a shallow draft she set sail on May 31 1940 but on arrival at Ramsgate the drew of four, a retired sailor, a writer and two fishermen were told to return to their home port.  On their return they received new orders to set sail again for the Channel and after picking up a Naval officer they crossed over to France on the evning of June 1, laying off the entrance to Dunkirk harbour until first ight when they rescued 25 French and eight British soldiers sailing back to Ramsgate as no warship could be found to take them.

In 1955 she was bought by a Portuguese aristocrat who cruised her in the Med and off the Atlantic coast. She came back to England in 2008

By 2008 she was in a sorry state and bought by Hwyel Perkins who undertook major restoration work and in 2010 she returned to Dunkirkto mark the 70th anniversary of the rescue mission.

The Elvin will be sailing alongside other Dunkirk Little Ships in Group Four of the Pageant which will see a spectacular flotilla of 1,000 vessels making the seven-and-a-half mile journey from Battersea Bridge to Tower Bridge