Sgt Charles Kemp didn’t get to Dunkirk. Having become separated from the rest of his regiment, he endured three weeks in occupied France before making his escape from Cherbourg. Had he been caught, I wouldn’t be writing this, as Sgt Kemp was my grandfather. So when I think of it, I think of the 338,000 men who were rescued from the hell that was Dunkirk as the lucky ones. But in such desperate times, anyone who survived was lucky, and without this luck, what might have become of the world is unthinkable. As the incredible exploits of those men is brought to life by a major Hollywood blockbuster, we tell the full story of the miracle of Dunkirk from page 34.
Elsewhere, we have our usual mix of lives and times long gone. We unravel how changes in Victorian society gave us the classic seaside holiday (p60); go on the march with Bonnie Prince Charlie (p24) as the Scottish prince sought to claim the throne; and slap our collective foreheads at the ten biggest mistakes ever made (p46). Enjoy the issue!