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Dunkirk 1940: The Making of the Miracle – English Heritage's online event tells the story of the evacuation day-by-day.

From an underwater telephone line, an inspiring Vice Admiral and a dedicated Wren to a hot cup of cocoa, English Heritage is calling on the public to recognise the unsung heroes of the ‘Miracle of Dunkirk’.

Exactly 80 years ago an operation controlled from Dover Castle in Kent rescued 338,226 soldiers from the jaws of defeat in France. 

To mark the anniversary, the charity will host an online event on Twitter (@EnglishHeritage), recreating the tension and unfolding events of the evacuation day-by-day from 26 May – 4 June.

Still regarded as one of the most successful rescue missions in history, the operation codenamed ‘Dynamo’ brings forth visions of lines of men on the beaches of France and Belgium and the ships that came to their aid.

It is often overlooked that behind the frontline were a group of men and women who, there but for the grace of circumstance, made this mission a success from deep underground, in the Secret Wartime Tunnels at Dover Castle.

With its list of unsung heroes, English Heritage hopes to shine a light on those who worked tirelessly in the shadows to save the lives of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers of the British Expeditionary Force and Allied troops trapped in the harbour and beaches of Dunkirk.

Click here for the full press release