AN Alvechurch man is looking forward to relaunching an historic boat more than 65 years after it played an important role in the Second World War.

Stan Rzeznicznak, of Redditch Road, has spent four years, with the help of friends, restoring the classic boat Forty Two and said he hoped to have it ready for a launch ceremony later this year.

"I bought it and started restoring it. It was falling apart but this is the fifth year I have been doing it," he said.

Forty Two is known as a Little Ship of Dunkirk, a term given to private boats that were commandeered during the to evacuate Allied troops from the besieged French port as larger ships could not penetrate to the beaches.

She was originally built in 1936 as a gentleman's yacht and was used for pleasure until May 1940, when she was taken into service for the daring evacuation.

Called Operation Dynamo, between May 28 and June 4 the Little Ships evacuated 385,000 British and French soldiers from under the Germans noses.

After this, Forty Two was used for armed patrol service, sent out each evening to keep watch for any invasion.

The yacht found herself in many encounters, including coming under fire from German ME109s fighter aircraft and a run-in with a U-boat.

In November 1945, she was sold back to her original owner and her history remains sketchy after that point but in 1950, she took part in a commemorative return trip to Dunkirk to mark the 10th anniversary of the evacuation.

The first meeting of the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships was held in 1966, aiming to keep as many of the vessels afloat for as long as possible and to "preserve the Spirit of Dunkirk" and the organisation has gone from strength to strength.

More than 150 of the Little Ships have been traced and are members and commemorative return trips to Dunkirk were made in 1950, 1965, 1975, 1980, 1985, 1990 and 1995.

The association also meets every year for an annual commemorative cruise and wreath laying ceremony and Mr Rzeznicznak said he hoped to finish the boat this year ready for an official launch and visit from the association.

"It's moored in Worcester at the moment. It's nearly finished but there's just some bits left to do," he added.

"It's very interesting as there's so much history around it, especially the run-ins with the Germans."