And we're here at Dover Castle

And we're going back in time

to May 1940

less than a year

after the start of the

second World War. We're going to meet

Vice Admiral Ramsay in his

underground headquarters to find out

how he helped our troops during WWII.

Looks like we have a message to deliver.

What are you two boys

doing in here? This is no place for children.

Please sir, we were asked to give you this message.

Well, thank you boys. That will be all.

Sir, what's happening?

Well, we are trying

to organise the evacuation from

Dunkirk. That means that

we're trying to help our troops withdraw

from the northern coast of France.

I'm afraid it's all rather top secret, I can't really

tell you very much. What's your role here Sir?

Well, I'm a Royal Naval Officer

and I'm in

command of the thousands

of men and women who work here in this

command centre.

When were these tunnels built, Sir?

Well these tunnels were built over a hundred

years ago in the Napoleonic War.

Not too long ago

we started using them as

a bomb shelter, then we started

to use them as a command centre and later

as a hospital. What's happening

in these tunnels? We're trying to

organise the withdrawal of

the troops from France you see

We're trying to organise ships

and blankets, food

water,

medical supplies and

lots of the troops when they get here are going to be

exhausted or even wounded.

What happens to the soldiers when they get back?

Well, they'll be put onto

trains and sent to wherever

they're from in Britain

they'll be able to spend a few weeks

maybe with their family.

After a week or so, they'll return

back to their units. Do you live in these tunnels?

For the moment, yes.

There's an awful lot of work to do

But I do have a room at

the end of one of the tunnels with a little window

and I can see the harbour so I can see what's

going on out there

I imagine once this is all over I'll return back to

the Officer's quarters back at the castle.

But I do have my own home you know

in south of Scotland. Are we safe

here? These tunnels are really quite

a long way underground, deep within the

White Cliffs here so

no bombs can reach you

We saw a lot of ships in the harbour

on our way here today

Yes, those are the ships that we're trying to

organise to get over to France

to evacuate the troops you see

I saw some of the boats are

ordinary, not war ships, why's that?

Quite simply we don't have enough

transporters or war ships to do the

job, so I'm trying to organise

as many civilian vessels as I

possibly can to get

them over there and see what they can do

see if they can be useful

How do you even track all of the boats going in and out

of the harbour? That's a very good question

It's very difficult to communicate

with a lot of these small boats, particularly

the little ships

so we use a system of flags

to communicate - called Semaphore - I'll show you

Follow me this way.

Right boys, down here

What are they doing? Well these fellows

are doing that thing I told you about earlier.

Semaphore - signaling with the flags.

With these flags we'll be able to communicate

with the ships down in the harbour.

So, gentlemen if you wouldn't mind - D

O

V

E

R

There we are chaps

Dover. Want to have a go?

Right, pass over the flags then chaps

They'll give you a hand, but are you ready fellows?

Ready? D

O

V

E

R

Excellent work. What do you think chaps?

They were alright weren't they.

Thank you very much for bringing me the message

It's much appreciated

I'm afraid I've got to get back to work now so

Thank you very much

Carry on.