Rain cloud was Doug’s silver lining

Friday 9th May 2008, 9:29AM BST.

A FORMER soldier who will march in today’s Liberation Day church parade said he owes his life to heavy rain.

Douglas R. Proctor, 89 (pictured), was one of 14 people rescued from the beach at Dunkirk in May 1940 in a clinker-built Thames lighter.

‘The boat got stuck overnight on the Goodwin Sands and we couldn’t get off until high tide the next day,’ he said. ‘It rained and German planes were unable to fly. If they had done, we’d have been a sitting target. The current was so strong we had no chance of swimming off and we were only allowed to light one cigarette between us at a time.’

The men were eventually landed safely at Ramsgate.