Recent news broadcasts and front-page headlines have made much of comparisons between the Royal Navy's evacuation of civilians from Beirut and 'Dunkirk'.

The BBC have had so many complaints about the inappropriateness of the comparison that they have stated their agreement that the evacuation under fire of 340,00 troops from the Dunkirk beaches should not be linked with current events in Lebanon.

They also pointed out that the parallel was first made by Foreign Office Minister Kim Howells.

One cannot but at this Government whose initial attitude to history was 'it's over' but who now drag WWII events into everything, starting with Blair's now-legendary remark about the USA 'standing shoulder-shoulder with Britain in 1940...'

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

Does this mean we're going to get another invoice?

Thinks.......instead of just Caribbean bases this time, would Bush take the Caribbean. After all, we don't need it now we have Poland .

No.9

Please no we just paid off the last one.

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Man of the Year 1942

Regards, Richard

As for biggest evacuation, I dont know the numbers but the Cyprus evacuation of British Nationals must rate pretty highly from the Turkish invasion times. The forces had a secure house, well really a base for deserted wives in Corsham Wiltshire at the time and it was full to bursting point just with evacuated service families. Thousands of tourists too were taken out by military and civilian transport, including armed convoys on the roads to Akrotiri from Famagusta. It would be interesting to see the munbers involved there linked to the present Beirut evacuees, we have very short memories in this country these days..Especially the French if they think they will be ok in Lebanon again...multi national force...being hit by both sides..They will be in and out within a year after deaths from both sides start hitting them..Have no leaders got a sense of history or even any sense anymore...

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Prepare to repel borders.
William L. McGonagle, MOH, U. S. Navy, Commanding Officer, USS LIBERTY 1967.

Errr...evacuess ? What evacuees ? Forgotten all about them already.... [img]redface.gif[/img]

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson