Michael E. Wills spotlights civilian courage at Dunkirk

Historical author and sailor Michael E. Wills has released May 1940: Destination Dunkirk: The Mission of a "Little Ship," a book focused on the civilian crew of the Bee during the 1940 evacuation. The book aims to preserve the human story behind Operation Dynamo and the ordinary mariners who helped rescue more than 330,000 Allied troops.

Why it matters: - Michael E. Wills is preserving a lesser-known part of Operation Dynamo: the role of civilian mariners who helped evacuate Allied troops from Dunkirk in May 1940. - The book centers on ordinary harbor workers, not military leaders, and frames bravery as a human decision made under extreme risk. - The project helps keep firsthand memories and archival details from being lost as wartime witnesses disappear.

What happened: - Wills wrote May 1940: Destination Dunkirk: The Mission of a "Little Ship" about the vessel Bee and its civilian crew. - The book focuses on May 1940, when the evacuation at Dunkirk helped rescue more than 330,000 Allied troops. - Wills said he wanted to tell the story on a human scale rather than focus on broad troop movements or high-ranking generals.

The details: - Wills grew up during World War II in the household of his great-uncle, Bill Trowbridge, who inspired the character Ben Bainbridge in the book. - As a child, Wills spent time with his uncle at home and at the local harbor. - Wills met harbor crew members, including the ship's engineer and men who had sailed to Dunkirk. - Many of those men rarely talked about the war, and details of the evacuation were seldom shared. - Wills said: "A story that is not told, dies." - Wills said he felt an increasing duty not to let the story die as he approached the end of his life. - Wills had access to the personal diary kept by the Bee's engineer, a rare primary source. - He cross-referenced the diary with official Admiralty records. - The research aligned personal observations with ship locations, vessel losses, and casualties across the Channel. - Wills also drew on his experience as an amateur sailor and his knowledge of the English Channel. - He used that background to describe tides, weather, and the challenges of handling a small vessel in open waters. - The crew of the Bee was unarmed and had no military training. - Wills said: "An act of bravery by people, anywhere, who are prepared to risk all, for others, requires a special kind of courage."

Between the lines: - The book pushes back against the cinematic version of Dunkirk that emphasizes fleets, fighters and strategy over individual civilian sacrifice. - By combining a personal diary with official records, Wills is trying to give the narrative both emotional texture and historical credibility. - The story also reflects a broader wartime pattern: ordinary workers often made extraordinary contributions that were not fully recorded at the time.

What's next: - Wills is positioning the book as a lasting record of the Bee crew's role in the evacuation. - The author spotlight suggests further attention to maritime history and the civilian participants who supported the Dunkirk rescue. - Readers can follow Wills on LinkedIn, Facebook and X.

The bottom line: - May 1940: Destination Dunkirk reframes Dunkirk as a story of civilian courage, not just military scale.