The last known surviving boat from Operation Aerial, a lesser-known World War II evacuation in France, has been fully restored after being discovered abandoned in a field. The vessel, designated RFC113, was integral to the evacuation efforts following the Dunkirk operation in 1940, during which it helped rescue hundreds of thousands of Allied soldiers.

Built in 1938 by the British Power Boat Company in Hythe, Hampshire, RFC113 took part in Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of more than 338,000 troops from Dunkirk between May 26 and June 4, 1940. After this, the boat was redeployed for Operation Aerial, which evacuated close to 200,000 servicemen from the French coast in mid to late June 1940, earning the vessel the nicknames “Little Dunkirk” and “Churchill’s Second Miracle of Deliverance.”

Crewed largely by volunteers from Jersey, RFC113 played a key role in rescuing Allied forces, including involvement in operations at St Malo alongside the destroyer HMS Wild Swan. During this mission, the boat assisted demolition teams tasked with destroying port facilities before the town was overtaken by German forces. Following its evacuation duties, RFC113 served as an Air Sea Rescue boat, supporting training exercises and later took part in the Normandy invasion as a dispatch vessel, ferrying personnel and equipment after D-Day.

Despite its significant wartime service, the vessel’s condition declined over the decades. After multiple changes in ownership and name—also known as Esther Barbara and Makaira—the boat was found in 2012 at Pembroke Dock, Wales, in a dilapidated state outside the former Sunderland Flying Boat Trust. Jon Blair, a 65-year-old retired automotive expert, purchased RFC113 on eBay and spent 14 years painstakingly restoring it. Blair, who initially sought a vessel to use on the River Thames, described the boat’s neglected state as “somewhat unrecognisable” and said the restoration project often stalled due to financial constraints.

The restoration process involved stripping the boat down to its bare structure and gradually rebuilding it. Blair was assisted by friends skilled in restoration work, including a castle restorer. He expressed satisfaction with the final result, emphasizing the vessel’s historical importance.

Records indicate the boat was offered to the Admiralty in the early stages of the Second World War by Captain John Heron Storey of 113 Squadron, a decorated First World War veteran, underscoring the vessel’s military provenance.

Historian Richard Hellyer, who contributed extensive research on RFC113, highlighted concerns about preserving wartime heritage, noting that the generation of WWII veterans is aging and calls for renewed interest in the history represented by such vessels. The restored craft is now housed in Port Solent, Hampshire, with plans to present it during upcoming commemorations in northern France. RFC113 stands as a rare, tangible link to the crucial evacuation efforts that saved countless lives during the early stages of the Second World War.