Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay: Dunkirk mastermind museum approved Published duration 9 February Related Topics World War Two

image copyright Getty Images image caption A museum in honour of Admiral Ramsay has been approved in the Borders

Plans have been approved for a museum at the family home of the man who masterminded the evacuation of Dunkirk.

Operation Dynamo, which saw the rescue of more than 338,000 Allied soldiers, was run under the command of Vice-Admiral Bertram Home Ramsay.

A former garden store will be converted at Bughtrig House in Coldstream to create the museum in his honour.

Those behind the plan believe Ramsay's death before the war ended may have contributed to his relative obscurity.

They hope the new museum could help raise his profile.

Who was Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay?

image copyright Getty Images image caption The admiral was commander in chief for the Allied invasion of northern France

Born in London in 1883, Ramsay became a midshipman in the Royal Navy as a teenager and went on to command a destroyer in World War One.

He became a rear admiral in 1935 and retired as a vice-admiral in 1938, acquiring the estate in the Borders around the same time.

His retirement would not last long and with the collapse of the Allied front in northern France in 1940 he was put in charge of organising the evacuation from Dunkirk which earned him a knighthood.

By 1943 he was appointed naval commander in chief for Operation Overlord, the projected Allied invasion of northern France.

The ships under his command landed one million troops in France in one month starting from D-Day in June 1944.

He had been made an admiral shortly before the invasion.

Ramsay would die the following year, killed a plane crash in January 1945.

Why do they want a museum?

image copyright Getty Images image caption Admiral Ramsay, standing second from left, will have his story told in the museum

The trust behind the plans want to address his low profile compared with some other wartime leaders.

A small museum could help to tackle that by raising awareness of his work.

It would tell the story of the man who led the naval operations of the Dunkirk evacuation and the D-Day landings.

The impact of World War Two on the Berwickshire area would also be examined.

Is he honoured anywhere else?

image copyright Getty Images image caption A statue in his honour already stands at Dover Castle

"He wasn't a person who naturally sought publicity for himself - he wasn't that sort of man," his son said at the time.

He had already received the Legion of Merit from America and the Legion d'Honneur from France.

What has been approved?

image copyright Lisa Jarvis image caption The new museum will be created at a store in the gardens of Bughtrig House

The plans allow for the creation of a small museum in a garden store currently described as being in a "poor state of repair".

As well as the display in honour of Admiral Ramsay on the ground floor a small letting bedroom, shower room and kitchenette would be created to allow visitors to stay overnight.

The council has attached a condition to the approval to ensure it is only ever used for short-term stays.