大象传媒

I was not around during WWII - I was born in Glasgow in 1960. However I have a deep respect for those who fought and endured. These are my recollections of other's stories told to me. Errors are mine - not theirs.

I am embarrased to admit I no longer remember John's last name but when I met him in Scotland in 1978 he was working as a storeman at an outdoor education center and he retired a few years later. We used to yarn to pass the time during quiet moments and John would talk about many things but not the war.

Around New Year everyone had been having a little Christmas cheer and John was a little teary eyed. He had just come back from his regimental reunion - something which he NEVER missed - "even if it would cost me my job" is how he put it.

We had all just attended an update first aid course (1978 time) and while sitting around were discussing the teaching point "give nothing by mouth" which sometimes seemed a little unrealistic in exposed and out of the way places where help might be some time off.

It set John off and he told a tale of his time in the army and an occassion when he had once given a wounded person "something by mouth" because it was the only thing he could do.

The remains of John' regiment were on the beach at Dunkirk and they had been getting shelled and bombed for a couple of days and had spent time standing in long lines in the water hoping to get taken off. As he said - they were likely to freeze to death in the water and in the evening he and his mates decided to go up the beach a bit to the dunes to dry out and wait till morning. Another air raid came over and after the shrapnel stopped flying one of his mates was down with a gaping and clearly fatal wound in the gut. Seriously shocked - he was feeling no pain but they dragged him into the shelter of a dune and tried to comfort him through the night.

As John said - they had nothing left in the way of any comforts and had not eaten for days. There was no first aid or dressings and it was a pretty bleak night. John was embarassed to admit he could no longer remember the wounded man's name but he stayed with him through the night talking to him about getting off in a boat the next morning. Someone found a couple of hard boiled sweets in their pocket and by mutual agreement they were given to the dying man.

He died just before dawn - as another call went up to line up in the water again to get taken off. They left their dead comrade on the beach - "We didn't even have time to cover him - and we didn't have a spade to dig with anyway".

They were picked up almost immediately. The 大象传媒 production of Paul Gallico's "Snow Goose" had aired some time recently and that and our discussion of "nothing by mouth" prompted John to talk that night. It reminded him of that night in 1940. He said they were picked up by someone in a small row boat. Not a disabled person like in the TV programme - but definitely a small row boat that took them out to a larger ship.

John said he always felt guilty lying to the wounded man about getting off in the morning when it was clearly not going to happen but the "white" lies and the boiled sweets seemed the best at the time.

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