the loss of perhaps 6,000 men. The last British troops left France on 25 June, the day the French Armistice came into force. "Dunkirk Spirit" British press later exploited the successful evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940, and particularly the role of the "Dunkirk little ships", very effectively. Many of them were private vessels such as fishing boats and pleasure cruisers, but commercial vessels such as ferries also contributed to the force, including a number from as far away as the Isle of Man and Glasgow. These smaller vessels—guided by naval craft across the Channel from the Thames Estuary and from Dover—assisted in the official evacuation. Being able to move closer into the beachfront shallows than larger craft, the "little ships" acted as shuttles to and from the larger ships, lifting troops who were queuing in the water, many waiting shoulder-deep in water for hours. The term "Dunkirk Spirit" refers to the solidarity of the British people in times of adversity. Dunkirk Medal A commemorative medal was established in 1960 by the French National Association of Veterans of the Fortified Sector of Flanders and Dunkirk on behalf of the town of Dunkirk. The medal was initially awarded only to the French defenders of Dunkirk, but in 1970 the qualification was expanded to include British forces who served in the Dunkirk sector and their rescue forces, including the civilians who volunteered to man the "little ships". The design of the bronze medal included the arms of the town of Dunkirk on one side, and "Dunkerque 1940" on the reverse side. See also 1940 Dunkirk Veterans' Association References Notes Citations Bibliography Further reading Franks, Norman. The Air Battle of Dunkirk (2008 [1983], William Kimber, London) Holland, James. The Rise of Germany. New York, NY: Atlantic Monthly Press, 2015. Holmes, Richard, ed. "France: Fall of". The Oxford Companion to Military History. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. . Hooton, E.R. Luftwaffe at War; Blitzkrieg in the West. London: Chevron/Ian Allan, 2007. . Keegan, John. The Second World War. New York: Viking Penguin, 1989. . Kilzer, Louis. Hitler's Traitor: Martin Bormann and the Defeat of the Reich. New York: Presidio Press, 2000. . McEwan, Ian. Atonement. London: Jonathan Cape, 2001. . McGlashan, Kenneth B. with Owen P. Zupp. Down to Earth: A Fighter Pilot Recounts His Experiences of Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain, Dieppe, D-Day and Beyond. London: Grub Street Publishing, 2007. . Murray, Williamson