- Contributed byÌý
- Researcher 235872
- Article ID:Ìý
- A1926605
- Contributed on:Ìý
- 28 October 2003
The undernoted 'Memories of Dunkirk' (originally entitled 'War 1939 to 1940') concerns my father-in-law, Joseph Bradley, Lance Corporal 7683803, Corp of Military Police. He wrote this in about 1976 for our sons (his grandsons).
Joseph was 38 when war was declared, but was part of the original conscript because of his job as an AA man. Nevertheless, after Dunkirk he served through to the end of the war, initially in London as a Despatch Rider and finally in Liverpool.
Memories of Dunkirk
By Joseph Bradley, Military Police
I arrived in France, 3 September, 1939 and stayed until May 1940. I moved a lot over of France because we had motorised trucks. Lights were all on. In May I was on leave and arrived home for 7 days.
On my return to France I was sent with a lot of men to a Rest Camp until the Companies were formed.
About the third week in May, Germany started the battle - we could not rejoin our units.
3am one morning, we were told to move - only the Sergeant-Major knew where to. We were 30 miles north of Brussels. No petrol, so we set fire to the trucks. Our walk to Dunkirk had started. There were about 200 men in camp. A single line of us took one side of road, and another line took opposite side.
If we heard any guns we hid under hedges. We had a long way to go, so slowly we walked. Any Military Camp or Canteen we saw, we went in. We often found tins of meat and potatoes - that’s how we got food. After three and a half days of distant gunfire we arrived at Le Panne1 a few miles from Dunkirk. Shops and houses were on fire. We all felt tired out. A man in uniform tried to turn us off the road - French was spoken, which I did not know. Our Sergeant Major knocked him down and we all walked over him. 2
On the beaches were hundreds of soldiers. We saw boats out at sea and lifeboats drifting in on the tide. Our Sergeant Major told us to wade in and get into the boats. A sailor on shore waded in and joined us. I was given an oar as he sculled behind. War ships were passing us with men aboard. In the distance we could see Dunkirk Pier. Guns were firing and smoke was everywhere, but we did not know what was really going on. The ship was a small fishing trawler, the sides were only two foot off the water and it was packed with soldiers. I was last out of the lifeboat and fell into the sea, but I swam to the side and was helped on board. Crossing the Channel, we were bombed and bombed, but all missed. We saw three planes dive into the sea. It was about 8 hours until we saw Dover.
A train, fourteen coaches long, was waiting and every man had a seat, no standing was allowed. Off we moved and after about ten miles we stopped at a station, where we were given tea and scones.
We arrived at Clapham Junction and spent three quarters of an hour there. I arrived at Pernew Downs (sic), where we had to bath or shower. The camp was new, with large tents and proper beds. After a meal we were ordered into bed, and the doctors checked us all head to foot. We had a week in bed under orders, another week walking the camp and then I was sent to Frome, Somerset, and met my unit which was reforming. So that was that.
2ÌýVerbally, JB said that they believed the ‘Uniform’ was sending them towards rather than away from the Germans.
© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.
Story with photo