It was a bright sunny day when hundreds of incredibly brave men set off in boats from Falmouth bound for France on what they were told was a "suicide mission" to carry out an audacious raid to destroy a french port.

But it would later became viewed as a turning point in the second World War.

The heavily defended port of St Nazaire was destroyed when, fighting off enemy German fire, the men managed to blow up the old destroyer HMS Campbeltown which had been packed with explosives and disguised as a German ship.

Operation Chariot on March 28, 1942, led to the deaths of 168 of the 622 men who left Falmouth and the capture of many more. It also resulted in 89 decorations being awarded for the raid, including five Victoria Crosses.

At the time, Earl Mountbatten of Burma said: "Surely, by far, the highest number of VCs ever awarded for a single operation, and this is the measure of the heroism of all who took part in that magnificent enterprise."

Before they set off the men had been told by their commander that the job was dangerous and he didn't expect anyone to return.

Therefore he didn't want anyone married or with family responsibilities to go and anyone who felt they could not go was given the option to stand down.

Until 2008 the service took place around a small memorial stone in Church Street car park, with just a handful of people attending.

Mr Dawkins, who has organised the parade for three decades, was instrumental in expanding it and relocating it to the Prince of Wales Pier.

It came about after presenter Jeremy Clarkson fronted a programme about the raid and said all there was to show for it was "a lump of concrete in a car park in Falmouth".

The new memorial was unveiled by the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall in July 2008. It features oval benches containing the story of the raid and inserted into the pavement leading to the memorial silhouettes of the five Victoria Crosses with the winners names and ranks on.

Veterans of the raid on St Nazaire, three of whom were held prisoners of war with the Duchess of Cornwall's father, attended the rededication service and were humbled by the experience.

Lt Colonel Bob Montgomery, Major General Corran Purdon and Dr Bill Watson, were all held at Spannenburg Castle with Major Bruce Shand.

In Falmouth cemetery there are three graves belonging to veterans, Johnny Johnson from Falmouth, Able Seaman Bill Savage, who was killed while engaging shore batteries with the quick-firing "pom-pom" gun of Motor Gun Boat 314 and for which he received a posthumous Victoria Cross and Tom Parker, a LDG motor mechanic.

Bill Bannister, from Plymouth, was a leading stoker on gun boat 314 and each year he would lay a wreath on his grave prior to the memorial service.

But Mr Bannister, the last surviving veteran in the South West, died earlier this month. The 98-year-old was due to be presented with his Legion d'honneur medal.

Mr Dawkins said: "I was president of the Royal British legion and set up a service at the old memorial. In those days the veterans were able to travel down. I also organised an annual reunion. It is not recognised as much here as it is in St Nazaire. All the children in France know the history.

"Jeremy Clarkson made reference to a lump of concrete being the only thing to remember them. We pressured the town council to put in a better memorial and moved the service to March, nearer the date of the actual anniversary.

"We started with half a dozen around the memorial on a windy November and now have around 150 people attending. I have seen it grow. It is very important for Falmouth as it was the departure and return place."

Mayor Grenville Chappel said the service was a very important occasion for Falmouth: "The men left from Falmouth and came back to Falmouth. Being involved in minor skirmishes in the navy myself, I know there wasn't much chance of any of them coming back.

"It was suicidal. You really feel for these men and what they did. The 75th is a landmark. It is a very big event."

Johnny Johnson - A Falmouth veteran

Johnny Johnson, who was captured as a prisoner of war after he and his fellow commandos were forced to jump from their fire-ravaged boat, died in 2001 aged 81.

Johnny Johnson only just survived the raid, but spent years in a prisoner of war camp.

For many years he cleaned the memorial stone in the car park and would prepare flowers in planters in preparation for the service.

His son David said: "Dad was always keen to keep the memory alive of the ultimate sacrifice that his fellow comrades made. After the ceremony each year; it was poignant to note, that Dad would stand for a while looking out into the harbour in quiet reflection with his own thoughts.

"I am extremely proud of what dad and his comrades achieved. Also, we have deep gratitude to Falmouth Town Council, the St Nazaire Society and Eric Dawkins, who maintain the annual service of remembrance."

Johnny wrote down some recollections of the raid.

He said : "In August 1940 I volunteered to join the Commandos. My commanding officer thought I had an aptitude for blowing things up so I was sent on a course to learn about explosives."

After two years training he said they still "had no idea" why they were specifically looking at dock installations and how to lay demolition charges. They travelled to Falmouth and joined an assault force and for 13 days were not told anything about the operation.

"By this time the Campbeltown had been well-prepared for her last mission," he said. "The explosives had been loaded. We spent the time in physical training, swimming, climbing the cranes in the dock in full gear and rucksacks.

"One morning our commander called us together. His opening words were, 'well chaps, this is it, St Nazaire'. We were briefed as to the various jobs. He ended with the words 'I have been ordered to say this is going to be a dangerous job, in fact he didn't expect anyone to come back. Nobody had to go on this operation if he did not want to go.

"For a while there was complete silence, Then from every throat came a mighty GURCHER. We were told to write our last letters. We were given a scale model of the dock installation and the knowledge we gained would prove invaluable."

He said the day they set off was "bright and clear" and they were waved off by dock workers. "We were close enough for me to see my father-in-law and wave. I yelled 'see you Saturday'. I did see him on Saturday; a Saturday over three years later."

As they approached St Nazaire he said the nerves set in. He was lying flat on the deck with 80lbs of explosives behind one-inch thick armour plating. As the signal was given to drop the German flag and run up the white ensign the Germans opened fire.

"Over a hundred guns of the shore batteries and countless small arms went into action. It is difficult to describe the intensity of the barrage.

"The Campbeltown's sides were alive with bursting shells and casualties were now heavy. All the little ML's were doing a magnificent job in engaging the enemy, but they were out-gunned. One by one they caught fire and were sinking."

The commandos on Campbeltown continued to fight, with Johnny's group laying their charges and detonating them.

The order was given to abandon ship, but the water by this time was a burning pool of petrol. He decided to try to swim to the furthest shore a mile away, thinking it was in unoccupied France.

However cold and exhausted he decided to let the tide carry him and he slipped into unconsciousness. He was found washed ashore and taken to a German aid post and had adrenaline injected directly into his heart.

Once recovered, he was taken to a concentration camp.

After the war he worked at the telephone exchange and then became a local painter and decorator for many years, right up to when he passed away.

He was married to Jean for 59 years. She died in 2014. They had five children Kay, Susie, Chris, Debbie and Dave. He is buried in Falmouth Cemetery.

Operation Chariot

In January 1942 the German battleship Tirpitz moved from the Baltic to the Norwegian coast and there was a very real danger it would break into the North Atlantic and wreak havoc on allied Atlantic convoys.

Four separate attempts to bomb the ship failed and a different strategy was required. As the ship needed dry-docking before being deployed it went into St Nazaire and the idea emerged to destroy the lock gate at the port and prevent it from getting through.

It was the most heavily defended area along the whole German occupied Atlantic coast and sandwiched between the River Loire and the waters of the outer harbour of St Nazaire, an area of less than one-square mile.

The outline plan was simple – pack a vessel with explosives, approach the docks at speed, supported by troops who would disembark and blow it up before destroying as much of the port as possible.

HMS Campbeltown, which was originally an American destroyer called USS Buchanan, was stripped, armour-plated, packed with explosives, disguised as a German gunboat and was to be accompanied by 16 motor launches (ML) and two destroyers.

At 11.30pm on March 27 five RAF squadrons began bombing runs to divert attention away from the sea, but bad weather meant they hit other targets as well as military ones. This unusual behaviour raised concerns with the Germans.

Less than three hours later the convoy crossed the mouth of the Loire estuary and, despite an attempt to deceive the Germans, they opened fire. The convoy was still two miles from the dock gates.

HMS Campbeltown lowered the German flag and raised the white ensign and the intensity of German fire increased. By now all the ships were in range to return fire. Campbeltown was hit several times and increased her speed.

Only two of the MLs landed their commandos, but faced heavy fire. Onshore fighting was ferocious and close-quartered. Many of the little boats burst into flames as their fuel tanks were hit.

Campbeltown cleared the estuary and drove through the torpedo barrier and into the dock gates. At noon on March 28 the explosives finally detonated. It killed the 40 German officers who had gone on board and 400 other soldiers on the quay.

The dock gates were destroyed and not repaired until after the war. The following day delayed torpedoes activated, causing further damage and German casualties.

In total 168 of the 630 British commandos and sailors were killed and a further 214 became prisoners of war.