Dame Vera meets the crowds

The boats were survivors of the make-shift fleet which helped save the lives of 338,000 British and Allied Forces troops during nine days in May and June, 1940.

Earlier, Dame Vera, 81, was guest of honour at a special celebration lunch.

She, was joined by more than 100 war veterans and assorted dignitaries, who sang along to records of her wartime hits such as We'll Meet Again.

Frank Thorley, owner of the Royal Harbour Restaurant which held the lunch celebration, said: "Dame Vera was fabulous, an absolute darling.

"She is still a knock-out with the troops and was only too happy to stop and chat to everybody."

Heroism

The singer was just 21 when the troops were plucked to safety from the beaches at the French port, where they were surrounded by advancing Nazi forces.

The then Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, described the evacuation as a "miracle".

Dame Vera said she did not learn until later of the amazing rescue.

"To be honest it was just another blur in all the bombing as far as I was concerned," she said.

"I was so busy dashing around London from the theatre and to my radio broadcast, Sincerely Yours.

A ship returns from Dunkirk

"But when I found out what had happened, like everyone else, I thought it was so tragic for those that did not come back.

"And also it was so wonderful and brave of the crews of the Little Ships to go over and rescue so many of our boys."

Dame Vera Lynn is set to unveil a Dunkirk memorial plaque in Ramsgate on Monday afternoon.

The plaque, in honour of the East Kent Dunkirk Veterans' Association and the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships, will have pride of place at East Kent Maritime Museum, at the Royal Harbour, Ramsgate.

The ceremony comes a day after surviving veterans of Dunkirk shared their memories with the Prince of Wales at the last official commemoration of the heroism of the operation.

One veteran, Walter Darvill, 81, from Pontefract, West Yorkshire, collapsed and died as he joined hundreds of fellow ex-servicemen for the Dunkirk commemoration.