Teddington war veteran, Stanley Holtom, relates his childhood adventure when he took part in the Dunkirk Little Ships rescue mission in 1940 in a RNLI 200 Voices podcast.

The podcast is one of 200 being broadcast to celebrate the charity's bicentenary on 4 March 2024. An episode is being released every day for 200 days, exploring captivating stories from the charity's history, through to the current day.

Stanley tells how he and childhood friend Peter, both aged only eight, visited Tough's boatyard in Teddington, the current site of the RNLI Lifeboat station.

Stanley said: "I am pleased to share this story of my accidental boyhood adventure, especially as it started just down the road in Teddington where today's lifeboat station stands I am grateful to the RNLI for all that it does to saves lives at sea and on our river."

There they found themselves on one of the Dunkirk Little Ships flotilla sailing out of Teddington, then on Ramsgate and across to Normandy. His fascinating experience included nearing the beaches, avoiding enemy bombardment and bringing ten soldiers home to England. The stuff of true boys' adventures.

The RNLI has been saving lives at sea since it was founded in 1824 and in that time, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 144,000 lives. Funded by voluntary donations, and with lifeboats crewed by specially-trained volunteers, the RNLI is a unique rescue organisation with a remarkable 200-year story to tell – many highlights of which are shared through the podcast series.

Available across all podcast platforms and the RNLI's website, listeners can hear from survivors, supporters, volunteers, lifeguards, celebrity ambassadors, historians and many more from across the UK and Ireland – and beyond.

The 200 Voices series also includes celebrity ambassadors such as The Sixth Commandment actor Timothy Spall, Gavin and Stacey actor, Ruth Jones, Irish musician Phil Coulter, gold medal Olympian Sir Ben Ainslie and BAFTA-winning actor, Joanna Scanlan.

Listen to Stanley's story and the other RNLI's 200 Voices wherever you get your podcasts or at https://rnli.org/about-us/our-history/2024/200-voices.