The man who has been at the helm of Falmouth's St Nazaire commemorations for over 30 years, was rewarded for his dedication by the town council last week.
Eric Dawkins, former clerk to the council and the South West representative of the St Nazaire Society, was presented with an engraved glass bowl by mayor, Grenville Chappel, at the final meeting of the council ahead of this week's elections.
"Eric has been running the St Nazaire parade for more years than I care to remember so I thought it was about time we asked Eric to come along and see us," said Mr Chappel. "I don't know how many more years Eric intends to do it, but I thought it was time we gave him something to remember us by."
It is not the first time Mr Dawkins, 87, has been recognised for his work coordinating Falmouth's St Nazaire parade and memorial service. In 2015, he was presented with the Commander’s Commendation from the 3rd Commando Brigade, Royal Marines, after that year's commemorations.
Addressing councillors last week, Mr Dawkins said: "Without your support, not only financial but also allowing the town clerk, Val (Rogers) and Emily (Middleditch) to assist, we would not have the remembrance service that really places Falmouth at the forefront of remembering those brave fellows that went on that raid. I do thank this council sincerely for leading the way in remembering Operation Chariot."
This year marked the 75th anniversary of the raid which saw 622 sailors and commandos leave Falmouth on a "suicide mission" to the French port. HMS Cambeltown was packed with explosives and disguised as a German gunboat and was accompanied by a fleet of 16 armed vessels to destroy the port's submarine base.
The raid was a success but 168 men were killed. As a result, five Victoria Crosses and 60 other medals were awarded, with 51 men mentioned in Dispatches.
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