‘My grandad saved Britain from military disaster at Dunkirk’

“Admiral Ramsay was a shy, methodical, meticulous man. With that mix of skills, he was able to lead and coordinate Operation Dynamo,” said Will Ramsay.

Will is the grandson of Admiral Bertram Ramsay, who oversaw the evacuation of some 338,000 Allied soldiers from northern France after they were surrounded by German troops during World War Two.

The 1940 Dunkirk evacuation, which lasted nine days from 27 May to 4 June, was called by then Prime Minister Winston Churchill a “miracle of deliverance”.

But it followed what he said was a “colossal military disaster” that could have knocked Britain out of the war.

“As they were planning the evacuation, Admiral Ramsay and his team were under incredible pressure,” Will told the BBC.

“The Germans were advancing day by day – time was very much of the essence.

“Just imagine that so many lives are dependent on your decision-making. How tough that must have been and how little sleep they must have got,” he continued.

Will said his grandfather led the evacuation from Dover Castle, Kent, sleeping in a bed next to his desk in a small office.

He told the BBC the name Operation Dynamo came from a room where the evacuation was planned which once housed a dynamo, a machine generating electricity.

Will said his grandfather was “well placed” to lead the rescue as he knew the English Channel, having commanded a ship in the Dover Patrol during World War One.

His ability to delegate decision-making was another key part of the operation’s success, he added.

“The success of the operation clearly wasn’t just him,” said Will.

“It was an amazingly large team effort… that made it such a great success,” he said, mentioning the civilians who ferried troops from the shore, naval personnel who risked their lives and the British and French soldiers who put up the defensive line to save others.

“They anticipated being able to bring back 40,000 troops, but in reality they brought back 338,000 men,” he said.

“In doing so they saved the core of the professional British Army.”

After the evacuation, Will said his grandfather received an “amazing number of letters” praising the feat, including one from a soldier’s mother that read “please don’t reply, but thank you for saving my boy”.

“It made him feel incredibly proud,” he said.

“But he still could not rest,” added Will. “He had to continue the defence of Britain.”