Exhibition commemorates Manx ferry sunk at Dunkirk

The Mona's Queen sank in late May 1940

An exhibition gallery highlighting the story of a Manx vessel sunk by a mine during the Dunkirk evacuations has gone on display.

Twenty-four crew members died when the Mona's Queen, which was one of three Isle of Man Steam Packet Company vessels lost, sank on 29 May 1940.

The display at Port St Mary Town Hall, which features family heirlooms, is on show until 5 June.

Curator Michelle Haywood MHK said the presentation outlined the "bravery and service" of the men who died.

The gallery features family heirlooms which have not been on public display before

The Mona's Queen was one of eight Steam Packet vessels to take part in the evacuations, which together rescued a total of 25,000 British troops.

The collection, which explains how the ship was requisitioned for war service, includes original blueprints and silverware that would have been previously used by the Steam Packet.

Also on show are personal items loaned by the families of the crew, some of which are on public display for the first time.

The display features silverware used on the ships before they went to war

The exhibition also features a letter from crewman Wilfred Crellin, which was sent from Dover dated the day before Mona’s Queen was lost.

The letter arrived on the island on the same day as the telegram that told his family he had been killed when the ship sank.

Dr Haywood said the stories told in the display highlighted the "huge amount of bravery and service from that time that isn't often recognised".

The exhibition also features footage from a recent trip to the wreck site of the vessel by a group of divers from the Isle of Man.

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