SIR: Thanks to all concerned. A number of people telephoned or wrote answering my BEN queries about the Isle of Man boats that were remembered with great fondness. And John Hudson's 'Wakes Weeks' book published in 1992 has splendid photographs of Lady of Mann and Ben My Chree in it. There is also a picture of the North Wales St Tudno in Mr Hudson's interesting 'Wakes Week' book.

I'm told that 13 of the 16 Isle of Man vessels headed for Dunkirk in 1940, one vessel belonging to the Isle of Man Steampacket Co was 'raked by machine gun fire', many received injuries and some Dunkirk flotilla boats, including King Orry III and TSS Mona's Queen III, were sadly sunk.

Some of the steam packet ships served in World War One, surprisingly. T S Tunwald played a great part in rescuing survivors from a torpedoed US liner in 1917 (The New York) and P S Monas Queen rammed and sank a U-boat!

The Isle of Man boats had a tremendous history indeed!

I believe there used to be model I.O.M. boats on major rail stations like Manchester Victoria, Preston and Bolton. The Bridlington 'Yorkshireman' is pictured in 'Wakes Week'.

Mr Kenneth Lucas,

Park Road,

Hindley,Wigan.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.