Son’s fury over Dunkirk film snub to hero pier master Kenneth Brannagh’s character is based on

THE story of a brave pier master who evacuated thousands during the Battle of Dunkirk has been retold by this summer's epic film - but a name change has left his family furious.

Hero Commander James Campbell Clouston helped more than 200,000 soldiers get off the beach before his boat was hit by German bombers.

The film depicting the 1940 battle sees Sir Kenneth Branagh play a character based on the courageous commander but instead uses the name Commander Bolton.

Commander Clouston's son Dane, 78, got in touch with the film's producers in January to ask if his late father could be credited but was told it was not possible to honour every hero.

Mr Clouston, whose father died when he was a baby, : "I was quite upset he is not referred to by his proper name.

"I understand it would be impossible to use everybody's names correctly in a film but he was the one pier master, there was no other person in that role."

In a letter to Emma Thomas, a British producer, the former navy officer wrote: "How would you feel if it were your father, whom you had never known? And what would he have thought about it?"

The father-of-three asked for a mention that it was he who was the "one and only" pier master for that week.

Mrs Thomas, married to the film's director Christopher Nolan, said all the characters were fictionalised to respect the "real-life heroes".

In a letter to Mr Clouston, she added: "We are not changing that fictional name due to the fact that our character was inspired by the stories of several different men."

Nolan told USA Today: "Clouston has an incredible story we could not do justice to in the film.

"I am hopeful it will inspire people who are interested to look into the stories of the real people who were actually there."

Nearly 70,000 British soldiers lost their lives during the Battle of Dunkirk, when Allied troops were surrounded by the German army.

The allied evacuation in 1940 became one of the most defining moments  in the war, with the “miracle” of Dunkirk saving more than 300,000 lives.

Commander Clouston ran the evacuation efforts for five days and nights, returning to Dover on June 1, 1940, before volunteering to go back for the final night.

But the boat the 39-year-old was in was bombed and sank. He received a posthumous Mention in Despatches - where heroic acts are described in official reports.

He had two sons and left behind his wife Gwyneth, who died aged 96 in 2003.

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