Footsteps of WWII · Britain

Dover Castle Secret Wartime Tunnels

Headquarters · 26 May – 4 Jun 1940

The story

Tunnels cut into the chalk below Dover Castle during the Napoleonic Wars were turned in 1939 into an air-raid shelter, then a naval command centre and an underground hospital. From here Vice-Admiral Bertram Ramsay planned and directed Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force and French troops from Dunkirk between 26 May and 4 June 1940. Working with a scratch fleet of warships, ferries and small civilian boats, his staff brought about 338,000 men back to England, far more than the 45,000 first hoped for. The operation is said to take its name from the room that had housed an electrical generator. The tunnels later served through the war as a headquarters guarding the Channel.

What to look for

Guided routes take you through the tunnel complex: the Operation Dynamo galleries with projections telling the evacuation story, the operations rooms, and the reconstructed underground hospital. The medieval castle and Great Tower stand above, with views across the Channel to France on clear days.

Plan your visit

Castle open daily 10:00–17:00 (last entry 16:00); winter hours may be shorter. Book online to save money. The Operation Dynamo section of the tunnels is currently closed for maintenance; the Underground Hospital is open. Check the website before you go.

Nearby sites

• Battle of Britain Memorial, Capel-le-Ferne · 9 km
• RAF Manston Spitfire & Hurricane Memorial Museum · 25 km
• Batterie Todt (Atlantic Wall Museum), Audinghen · 37 km
• Blockhaus d'Éperlecques · 69 km
• East Mole (Jetée de l'Est), Dunkirk · 74 km
• Malo-les-Bains evacuation beach, Dunkirk · 75 km

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