The unexpected appearance of a historic photograph on Twitter last week of The Beatles arriving at Teddington TV studios in July 1964 revived many memories as well as raising many intriguing questions.

What were they doing in Teddington, what was the name of the boat and where is she now?

Teddington Nub News slipped on its Sherlock Holmes head-wear and began investigating!

On the specific day, July 11th 1964 John Lennon was 23, Paul McCartney would have been 22, George Harrison was aged 21 and legendary drummer Ringo Starr was the senior Beatle at 24.

They were heading to Teddington TV studios for a live appearance of the summer version of Thank Your Lucky Stars called Summer Spin. The show would normally have been pre-recorded in Aston, Birmingham but a strike by studio technicians meant the recording could not go ahead.

The fab four – as they were known - flew from their home city Liverpool to London early in the morning, following the northern England première of A Hard Day's Night the day before.

They arrived at London Airport at 3am and, following a few hours' sleep, travelled to ABC Television's Teddington Studios by boat on the Thames.

And the boat? It's a story in itself.

She is now called the THAMESA and is a remarkable ship.

She was designed by William McMeek and built in Cowes, the Isle of Wight in 1936 by boat builder J. Samuel White four years BEFORE the first Beatle, Ringo was even born. Back then, she was called the MINNEHAHA and used as a pleasure yacht for cruising in the Solent.

She was made of teak, weighed FIFTEEN tonnes and was 40ft 6ins in length and 10ft 3ins beam.

During her trials as Minnehaha the unremarkable verdict on her was: 'every comfort that is really seaman like and reasonable is provided.'

She was commandeered for Operation Dynamo during World War II to assist in the mass evacuations from the beaches and harbour at Dunkirk between 26 May and 4 June 1940.

She was part of the massive armada which became known as The Little Ships which carried 338.226 Allied soldiers home. Over 800 private boats and 20 warships took part.

During the evacuation the ship's wheelhouse was badly burned but the ship was later discovered in Ramsgate Harbour.

She was then towed back to Teddington by Douglas Tough, of the famous boatyard Tough's, then at Ferry Road opposite the Angler's pub and then renamed as TIGRESS 111 and deployed as a tug after the wheelhouse had been rebuilt and the aft cabin removed. Douglas himself had requisitioned boats from the local area to join Operation Dynamo.

Douglas Tough bought the boat from the yard in 1944 and she was converted back into a motor yacht and renamed again this time as THAMESA and sailed by Douglas and his family on the Thames. Sadly, Douglas passed away in 1967.

In 1950, just ten years after the evacuation she was given special permission by the Navy to return to Dunkirk for the first of many reunion ceremonies of The Little Ships. Thamesa also led the fleet back to Dunkirk for the 2010 reunion ceremony.

Douglas's grandson, John Tough, the current owner of Thamesa, now quietly moored in Chiswick and still wearing her winter cover also revealed to Teddington Nub News that his father's boatyard also took the Beatles to the studios in February the same year….in a police launch.

John said: "My father's boatyard also brought them to the studios in February 1964. That time they used one of the police boats that the yard was building at the time. This was their first UK engagement after they returned from the Ed Sullivan Show in America, at the height of Beatlemania.

"Dad said that he had a phone call from the manager at the studios on the morning off their arrival to ask if the yard could provide a boat to take them from our yard in Manor Road to the studios. The problem was that since early that morning crowds had been building up outside the studio's gates, and the police were concerned that they would not be able to safely get in.

"As you can see in the photo, there are crowds on the suspension bridge - the police had to stop people getting on the bridge as there were concerns about overcrowding and the fact that the bridge was sagging under the weight. The width restrictions you can see now on the bridge were put in following this."

In their February appearance at Teddington Studios they were guests on the Mike and Bernie Winters show Big Night Out. The programme was filmed before a studio audience in the evening where the Beatles joined in a comedy sketch involving coming back through a mocked up CUSTOMS area with boxes of cash and they mimed to six of their greatest songs Ally My Loving, I Wanna Be Your Man, Til' There was You, Please Mister Postman, Money (That's What I Want) and I Want to Hold Your Hand. It was broadcast on Saturday 29 February 1964.

A remarkable black and white YouTube clip from the shows Teddington Lock footbridge jammed with hundreds of screaming fans as well as a sign on a pontoon at the rear of the studios saying 'Welcome Home Beatles'. They then jumped into a chauffeur-driven vintage car for the short drive to the studio entrance.

Watch these amazing clips of The Beatles arriving at Teddington Studios in February 1964 HERE and HERE

Read all about the history of the Thamesa here at The Association of Dunkirk Little Ships: HERE