大象传媒

There is no disputing the evacuation of 338,226 troops from the beaches and harbour surrounding Dunkirk in 1940 was an amazing feat. It is a fact that is often covered on films and documentaries covering the event.

What isn't mentioned is the fate of the tens of thousands of captured troops of the British Expeditionary Force who were not so lucky. My Brother, William (Bill) Wilfred Crisp was a gunner in the Royal Artillery who was not fortunate enough to be rescued at the time of the evacuation. As the remnants of our shattered army was arriving in British ports my father received the dreaded telegram from the War Office informing us that Bill was 'Missing in Action'. No heroes' welcome for him, no family reunion for us.
His fate was a mystery among only bad news. He was one of the 68,111 missing, killed or captured.
The focus at the time was on the 'miracle'.

The reason for my story is to highlight the plight of my brother and his many comrades who were captured. From the channel ports of France the prisoners were marched, ie on foot, to prison camps in Poland and eastern Germany. A story in itself, one that is not often told.

Bill ended up as a Prisoner of War in Stalag XXIB in Poland. He remained there for three and a half years until his medical repatriation in 1944 after contracting Tuberculosis in the camp. He died in 1956 as a direct result of this illness.

I hope you take my story not as criticism, but as a pointer to another facet of Dunkirk. One that had shattering impact on familes across the world.

I will never forget those days, I hope my comments will ensure that others will not forget them either.

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