The seaside town of Ramsgate, Kent played a central role in events of Operation Dynamo, in 1940 – better known as the Evacuation of Dunkirk. Hundreds of ‘little ships’ made the 75km journey across the channel from Ramsgate and other nearby ports to assist with the ultimately successful evacuation to safety of more than three hundred thousand British soldiers.

85 years on, Ramsgate Harbour is the assembly point for more than 70 of the original little ships from that daring operation. These historic boats will be docked in Ramsgate harbour from 16^th-21^st May before making a symbolic voyage across the channel to Dunkirk. A huge variety of events are taking place around the harbour to mark the occasion – and organisers wanted a range of impactful printed products support, promote and educate visitors.

Local volunteer, and former Fujifilm employee, Steve Pankhurst knew exactly who to turn to for impactful visual prints. He made a call to his former colleagues at Fujifilm Wide Format Inkjet HQ in nearby Broadstairs.

Adam Moore, Product Manager at Fujifilm WFIJS comments: “We were delighted to support this important local event, free of charge, with a range of striking wide format prints. We’ve produced soldier silhouettes for display in local shop windows and pubs around the harbour, each features a QR code linking to more information about the individuals depicted. In addition, we’ve printed large panel graphics for the Ramsgate Harbour seafront. Everything was printed using our own Acuity Prime L and Acuity Prime Hybrid printers. In total, we produced 25 soldier silhouettes and 30 2440mm x 1220mm re-usable panels on aluminium composite for harder wearing. The panels featured five separate designs by the charity Standing with Giants, who specialise in military-themed commemorative installations. The Fujifilm team produced and delivered the prints with a two-day turnaround.

Steve Pankhurst adds: “As a former Fujifilm employee, I know all about Fujifilm print quality, and I knew we could rely on them to produce graphics befitting this important occasion. They certainly delivered. We have 19 shops and pubs displaying soldier silhouettes around the harbour area and High St, as well as places like the Navy Club, Royal Thames Yacht Club and Ramsgate Railway Station. On these images are QR codes through which people can learn the story of the evacuation.

“Fujifilm has also produced a series of graphic panels for us, which we’ve displayed around the harbour and along the route of the Civic Parade, which took place on Tuesday 20^th of May as part of the commemorative events. The panels show a visual representation, over five images, of the troops queuing on the beaches, getting into the boats, crossing the Channel, preparing to disembark and finally arriving home. All the images are black and white except the final ‘Welcome home’ image, which has colours in the wording representing the colours of the ribbon on the Dunkirk medal, the medal given to all who took part in the evacuation.

“This is a significant anniversary of a historic event of huge significance for our town and for the nation. We’re grateful to Fujifilm for helping us to present it in the best way possible.”