Dunkirk 1914 - 1918
 

I have a little photo album that seems to have belonged to a WW1 pilot. On the back of one of the photos he even, very kindly, gives his unit:

"With the RNAS, No 1 Wing, 2 Squad, Dunkerque".

San anybody say if the attached photos are of Dunkirk? It is possible that the unit moved around.

Was Dunkirk bombed in WW1? There is a photo of a sunken ship and also at least one of a bomb crater.

Did Dunkirk have big guns for defence? The airmen seem to be sight seeing at some sort of gun emplacement.

i live and was born at DUNKERQUE ( DUNKIRK ) and my grand father who as starded the collection was born 10 kms to DUNKERQUE.

i was to young , 48 years old , but i never see the bridge, the lighthouse is unknow too....

but DUNKERQUE was totaly bore during WW2 and i was born in 1961....

sorry i can not help more . the only thinks i know from my grand father was that RNAS was based in DUNKERQUE during WW1 to protect the harbour of german attack (plane and zepelin)

there are a lot of naval wreck , but from operation dynamo in 1940 (little chips) :(

Thank you for your reply. Of course, I knew about the Dunkirk evacuation of 1940, but I didn't realise how heavy the fighting was.

Did you see the little boys standing near the servicemen in one of the pictures? It looks as if many French boys copied your grandfathers example and asked for badges!

If you do not recognise anything in the photos I posted either the fighting must have been really severe, or this RNAS unit was also based somewhere else?

I now attach an aerial view of a coastal town, taken from the album. Maybe you recognise the coastline? In any event you will find it of interest - if it is Dunkirk.

If this is the case I have an enlarged scan that I would be happy to email to you. It is too large to be added to this post.

i am not 100% sure (only 95%), but i think it's my town DUNKERQUE :)

i recognize the chrurch (ST ELOI) the place right of the church ( place JEAN-BART), le start of the harbour (quai des hollandais)

below in this site the picture of my town :(...after the end of WW2
http://images.google.fr/imgres?imgur...%3D2%26hl%3Dfr

i was very pleased if you can send me a nice scan of this picture...perhaps my grand father is on the pictures you send ;) is 10 years old at the beginning of WW1. during WW1 for little french boys , cap badge are like football picture for our childs today :) and tommys are very kind with them.