大象传媒

I wish to be able to put the record straight, where it has been stated that 50% of the 2/6 Battalion,East Surrey Regiment had not fired a rifle.

The 2/6 Battalion consisted of Officers, NCO's and other ranks that had seen service in the First World War. About 35% to 45% were volunteers. Officers and other ranks, that had long and short service histories with the 2/6 Battalion. These men spent their Easter holidays at the Bisley Firing Range, they used rifles, Lewis and the Bren guns and they also carried out other training on other weekends.

Those men, that had joined the Territorial Army to miss National Service, had also fired rifles and the Bren guns. As for the Anti-Tank rifle, this was useless. Who ever had passed that rifle, for us men that had fought in the War,should have had it wrapped around their neck!

Those of the 2/6 Battalion had volunteered their service to defend their King and their Country.

No other Territorial Army Unit or the Regular Service Officer, NCO or other ranks were no better off than those of the 2/6 Battalion. They volunteered, as did others, they were not conscientous objectors or did not seek employment in order for them to dodge Military Service. They did their best, some of them got wounded, some got killed and quite a few of them were taken as Prisoners-of-War, to suffer ill-treatment and starvation at the hands of the Germans for 5 years. I was one of those men and the memories of that time does not get easier as the years go by. Just by thinking about that time still wakes you up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat and with nightmares.

Their courage, heroism and sacrifices, also their suffering that they endured as Prisoners-of-War, has been forgotten by a Government, that did not even recognise the service that they had carried out for their King and Country. In fact, the Government wrote the British Expeditionary Forces off after Dunkirk. Those men that had died and had fought for an ungrateful Government. These men of the British Expeditionary Forces, the Prisoners-of-War, that had suffered for an ungrateful Government.

After Dunkirk, it was a War that we could not win, as the French soldier had said"France is finished".

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