Robert Timbrell, who became the first decorated Canadian naval officer of the Second World War for his bravery in rescuing British troops in 1940, has died.

At the age of 20, Timbrell skippered a ship that was commandeered to evacuate as many troops as possible from a 16-kilometre stretch of beach at Dunkirk in France across the English Channel from Dover.

The rescue that followed is one of the greatest in human history.

Robert Timbrell took part in one of the greatest rescues in history, the evacuation at Dunkirk.

Thousands of British and allied troops had been pushed back to the Channel by a powerful German army and were in danger of being captured. A call was made for all vessels that could float to make their way to the French coast.

Timbrell's vessel, the Llanthony, which was one of 800 private boats commandeered by the British navy, rescued hundreds of British troops. It was hit by the Germans when it crossed the Channel the first time. But the crew was able to repair the boat and make two more trips.

The boat carried 300 men to safety. Crews on four fishing trawlers also under Timbrell's command saved another 600.

With the help of 222 warships, more than 338,000 Allied troops were saved from the clutches of the German army in the rescue operation, which British prime minister Winston Churchill in 1940 called "a miracle of deliverance."

Timbrell received the Distinguished Service Cross.

After the war, he went on to command several other ships. He was eventually promoted to the rank of rear admiral and served as the head of the navy before retiring in 1973.

Timbrell, who was originally from Vancouver, had settled in Nova Scotia.