The Dunkirk spirit is a phrase used to describe the tendency of the British public to pull together to overcome times of adversity. It came into use following the evacuation of allied troops across the English Channel by a flotilla of civilian pleasure boats at the Battle of Dunkirk in 1940. In nine days, 338,226 French and British soldiers were taken off the beach by a ragtag fleet of over nine hundred vessels. The evacuation was codenamed Operation Dynamo. The English Channel ( French:La Manche) is the part of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the island of Great Britain from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. ... This article is about a Second World War battle in 1940, for the 1658 battle of the same name see Battle of the Dunes The Battle of Dunkirk (French: Bataille de Dunkerque) was a major battle during World War II which lasted from around May 26 to June 4, 1940. ... During [[World War II]], Operation Dynamo was the name given to the evacuation from Dunkirk conducted from 27 May to 4 June 1940. ...

The St George's Cross flown from the jack staff is known as the Dunkirk jack, and is only flown by civilian ships and boats of all sizes which took part in the Dunkirk rescue operation. St Georges cross The St Georges cross, a red cross on a white background, is the national flag of England and has been since about 1277. ... Flags are particularly important at sea, where they can mean the difference between life and death, and consequently where the rules and regulations for the flying of flags are strictly enforced. ...