Paddle Steamer P.S Medway Queen Maritime Art Blank Card by Naval Artist Roger H. Middlebrook GAvA

Built by Aisla at Troon, Scotland in 1924, PS Medway Queen entered service with the Medway Steam Packet Company to operate around the South and South-East coasts of Britain. She was present at the 1938 Fleet Review where she gave harbour tours and was converted to oil firing not long after. During the Dunkirk operations she made seven round trips, the record for any vessel involved, saving 7000 troops while her crew earned four gallantry medals and shot down three enemy aircraft . Known forever more as the “Heroine of Dunkirk” she attended a second Fleet Review in 1953 and was not finally retired until 1963.

With her retirement she was offered for scrap but the Belgian scrap merchant refused to break her up after learning of her war-service and resold her for use as a nightclub. To safeguard her long-term future the Medway Queen Preservation Society was formed in 1984 to purchase and restore the ship and at the time of writing this is on-going with support from the National Lottery.

In Roger H. Middlebrook’s maritime painting she is seen during her pleasure cruising days on a calm summer evening.