- Contributed by听
- HnWCSVActionDesk
- People in story:听
- Albert George Smith.
- Location of story:听
- Rickman's Worth, England
- Background to story:听
- Civilian
- Article ID:听
- A5559627
- Contributed on:听
- 07 September 2005
My father's name was George Frederick Barton Smith. He was in the Royal Armoured Corps and his number was 14533871.
It was around the time of Dunkirk and a policeman knocked on our door. I was 8 at the time and I answered the door. The policeman said, 'Hello son, is your father in?'. I was scared so I just ran into the kitchen, my father said, 'What's up?' so I told him there was a policeman at the door. My dad went out and was talking to the policeman for a long time. When he came back he said he couldn't tell what they spoke about. All he said was that he had to somewhere the next day (Saturday). He went to the Home Guard Station in Rickman's Worth and that was the last we saw of him for 14 days.
During those 14 days my mom kept going to the policestation and asking where Fred Smith had got to. They didn't have a clue! Mom was out of her mind with worry as were the 5 other wives in the street whose husband my dad had been to see that Friday evening.
Many years later he told us what had happened:
he had had to go to the Home Guard Station to pick up his rifle, he took a thermos flask with him and a packet of sandwiches and a change of underwear. They then had to go to Brentford where the canal joined the Themes and wait for boats to pick them up. They then changed onto bigger boats and then sail to Dunkirk to help rescue the men stranded on the beaches. In total he went over 11 times. When he returned home 2 weeks later, all he stood up in was his trousers, shirt and boots. The shirt he had on wasn't even his, he had given his to another soldier who needed it, as well as his trench coat and all his other clothes. He had even given his socks away! He had lost his beret in the water. He didn't even look like my dad when he got back. He was all gaunt and his eyes looked wide and sad. Luckily the other 5 men from our road who went with him returned safely as well.
This story was submitted to the People's War site by Jacci Phillips of the CSV Action Desk at 大象传媒 Hereford and Worcester on behalf of Albert George Smith and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.
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