Dover in the 20th Century

Dover's twentieth century history has been dominated by the two World Wars.

World War One

During the 1914-1918 war Dover became one of the most important military centres in Britain. Vast amounts of men crossed from Dover to France.

The harbour was home to the Dover Patrol, a varied collection of warships and fishing vessels which protected Britain's vital control of the channel. The first bomb to be dropped on England fell near Dover Castle on Christmas Eve 1914.

Regular shelling from warships and bombing from aeroplane and zeppelin forced residents to shelter in caves and dug-outs. The town became known as 'Fortress Dover' and was put under martial law.

World War II

During the 1939-1945 World War, Dover again became a town of considerable military importance. In May 1940, over 200,000 of the 338,000 men evacuated from Dunkirk passed through Dover filling the town and railway station with soldiers, sailors and airmen. Vice Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay controlled the evacuation from his headquarters in tunnels beneath the castle.

Both shells and bombs fell on Dover causing 3,059 alerts and killing 216 civilians. 10,056 premises were damaged and many had to be demolished. Dover became a symbol for Britain's wartime bravery, the centre of East Kent's 'Hellfire Corner'.

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