Veteran ex-soldiers gathered in Oxford and marched into the past to remember one of the most famous chapters in British military history - Dunkirk.

More than 100 campaigners from the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry who fought on the French beaches, lined up on parade at Slade Barracks, in Headington, Oxford, on Saturday, February 21.

They swapped stories of heroism and disaster, reminiscing about how Hitler's blitzkrieg pushed the British Tommies back to the beaches and into the sea, where soldiers waited to be rescued by the famous "Little Armada" of boats and the Royal Navy.

The veterans told their stories and heard lectures on the role of the Ox and Bucks at Dunkirk from leading military historians - one of whom was award winning author Dr Gary Sheffield.

"As the panzer units smashed their way through the Allied armies, the Ox and Bucks fought several heroic actions that contributed to the miracle of Dunkirk - the evacuation of thousands of troops from the beaches by the little ships and the Royal Navy," he said.

John Stack, 87, from Long Wittenham, was a sergeant in the military police who spent days rowing soldiers from the beaches to the boats and ships.

He said: "I rowed up to eight soldiers at a time in a dinghy-type boat for 36 hours. It was exhausting and dangerous and I had no food or drink for days."

Mr Stack said he was impressed with the recent BBC television drama-documentary about Dunkirk. He said: "It was first class. It captured the event and brought home to viewers the horrors of war."

But Mr Stack's views led to a "war of words" with another veteran Bill Small, 84, from Sugworth Lane, Radley. He was with the 4th battalion Ox and Bucks and was captured after defending the town of Cassel, about 20 miles from Dunkirk, while trying to hold back the German offensive.

He said: "I think the programme was rubbish because it did not reflect the sacrifices made by those with the Ox and Bucks. We did not feature and did not even get a mention."

Dr Sheffield said: "Their stories are fascinating. As historians we can learn only so much from official documents. Hearing the men who fought at Dunkirk tell their stories adds another dimension to history."