Admiral
Appointedmand the evacuation from Dunkirk, operates from Dover
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1940 in Great Britain — Page 6
Explore 642 historical events and records for Great Britain in 1940.
Historical records for Great Britain in 1940
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 642 unique records.
642Unique records
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May
Battle of Narvik
Plans the final Allied attack while evacuation planning begins.
Evacuation
It is planned to evacuate 10,000 from Calais, Boulogne-sur-Mer & Dunkirk every 24 hrs
Narvik Assault Planning
Plans the final Allied attack while evacuation orders are kept secret.
Operation Dynamo
Orders the Admiralty to round up shipping in order to evacuate the BEF
Operation Dynamo
It is planned to evacuate 10,000 from Calais, Boulogne-sur-Mer & Dunkirk every 24 hrs
Operation Dynamo
Commands the evacuation from Dunkirk, operates from Dover. A conference considers "emergency evacuation across the Channel of very large forces"
Emergency Powers
Secures emergency powers to mobilise national resources for war.
State of Emergency
Parliament grants Winston Churchill and his Government wide emergency powers
Supreme War Council
Attends another crisis meeting as German forces reach the Channel.
Supreme War Council
Returns to Paris as German forces approach the Channel.
Supreme War Council
His army's situation drives urgent Allied discussions.
Battle of Narvik
Authorises Operation Alphabet to evacuate Allied forces from northern Norway.
Calais Decision
Orders Calais to hold out to aid the Dunkirk evacuation.
Narvik Evacuation Planning
Works on evacuation planning after the campaign in France worsens.
Operation Alphabet
Prepares British land forces for withdrawal from the Narvik area.
Operation Alphabet
Receives orders to prepare evacuation while the Allied attack on Narvik continues.
Operation Alphabet
Churchill's government authorises the evacuation of Allied forces from Narvik.
Operation Alphabet
Authorises evacuation of Allied forces from northern Norway as the battle in France worsens.
Operation Alphabet
Works on the military implications of evacuating Allied forces from Narvik.
Operation Alphabet Authorised
Authorises evacuation of Allied forces from northern Norway.
British Expeditionary Force (BEF)
Puts evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from North West France into action
British Expeditionary Force (BEF)
Receives orders to withdraw the BEF to Dunkirk
Operation Dynamo
Authorises evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk.
Operation Dynamo
Puts evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from North West France into action
Operation Dynamo
Receives orders to withdraw the BEF to Dunkirk
Supreme War Council
Takes part in cabinet discussions connected with the council meeting.
Supreme War Council
Meets Reynaud as Dunkirk and possible Italian mediation are discussed.
Supreme War Council
Participates in British deliberations on France and Italy.
Supreme War Council
Discusses possible Italian mediation during the Dunkirk crisis.
War Cabinet Crisis
Rejects seeking peace terms through Italian mediation.
Battle of Narvik
Balances Narvik operations against the worsening Allied crisis in France.
Evacuation
The last of the 338,000 British, French and Belgian forces evacuated from Dunkirk. Evacuation from Dunkirk begins
Operation Dynamo
Secrecy is lifted when submission for large numbers of private vessels are allowed
Battle of Narvik
Allied command supports the successful recapture of the town.
Battle of Narvik
Receives news of the Allied recapture of Narvik.
Battle of Narvik
Receives news that Allied forces have recaptured Narvik from Dietl's troops.
Capture of Narvik
Allied command supports the successful recapture of Narvik.
Capture of Narvik
Auchinleck's Allied command supports the successful recapture of Narvik before the wider Allied evacuation.
Dunkirk Evacuation
Monitors the evacuation as large numbers of troops are rescued.
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.