THE LONGEST WAIT

Of the nearly 340,000 troops saved during the week-long evacuation, over 230,000 were saved from the Harbour and mole while 98,000 were lifted directly from the beach. Not everyone was so lucky – 3,500 British troops were killed during the evacuation and a further 40,000 became German POWs. It’s estimated that around 579,000 tons of equipment was left to the Germans, including tanks, artillery and an assortment of ammunition, supplies and motor vehicles.