大象传媒

The story below was written by my father, Percy Gully, in 1975 and relates his experiences during the Normandy Evacuation in 1940.

'I was on Army reserve, Railway section and was called up a couple of days before war was declared, having to report to Longmoor in Hampshire.

Within a week I was in France with the B.E.F. We arrived at Amiens and were posted to various railway stations from there, that being HQ.
I went to a little station called Vignacourt and was billeted with a French family in a caf茅 right outside the station. There was plenty of work to do and I was made a lance corporal, and a sapper named Cooper came to help out with the work. I went on leave in February and got Flu so arrived back at HQ a week late but with a Doctor's Certificate. My job at Vignacourt had been given to sapper Cooper, now Lance corporal, and I was promoted to Corporal and remained at HQ working on Amiens Station.

I was then posted to a little station called Flexicourt. This was suddenly cancelled, and a chap named Watson sent, as I was required, being an N.C.O. to a big marshalling yard in Paris. The Germans broke through and we were ordered to evacuate. The R.S.M. A Scotsman called Davidson was with us when we all got together and we then got a railway coach and a van and travelled for three days and nights and eventually arrived at a small place called Pawnerska where all our detachments kept arriving. After about four days there were about 300 officers and men and during an aircraft raid I was in a ditch and the R.S.M. had a portable radio, we heard it announce 'that the evacuation of the B.E.F. is now complete.' I shall never forget his words, He said, "Don't worry lads, they never got me last time and they won't this, we will get home."

It was later that day an officer got us all together and told us that some of our men had got transport to get us to a small dock where tugs would take us to two liners, The Lancastria or Oronsay. But before we go, he said, we will have a short service for a safe journey to England. Some men told the R.S.M. they were Catholics. His reply was "you are all C of E today, no time for anything else". This delayed our departure by about 15 minutes saying prayers etc.,

When we arrived at the small port, one tug was pulling away which we could have been on had it not been for that short service; but another arrived and everyone crowded on, It was so low in the water you could put your hand over the side and touch it. I remember several officers big sleeping bags were on deck and the Staff Officer told the sappers "Throw them overboard, another ten men can stand there" so over they went. W
e started our journey out to the two liners about three miles out and approached the Lancastria when it came over the loud-hailer, head for the Oransay we are full up. As we did so the dive-bombers arrived and scored a direct hit on the Oransay, hitting the bridge and deck causing quite a bit of damage. All hell was let loose with aircraft guns blazing from the naval ships and the two liners and small army fire from the tugs. Anyway it kept the bombers away for a little while and we boarded the Oransay but later on back they came and we had three RAF fighters flying around and when they went for re-fuelling Jerry seemed to know, that's when he attacked.

One stick of bombs landed on the Lancastria and went down the funnel. The great boat just seemed to topple sideways and in twenty minutes was under the water. Casualties were very great and we picked up quite a few from the water. We eventually arrived in Plymouth minus bridge and other damage but at least we were in England.

It is said 'luck' runs in threes, it did for me. The chap who took my place at Vignacourt was taken prisoner for five years. The chap who took my place at Flexicourt was killed in action and through being delayed having a short service we missed the tug which went to the Lancastria.

I went back to France on the D-Day landings, landing D plus two and eventually visited the people I was billeted with in 1939/40. The Father, Mother and Son are now dead but the daughter and I still send a card at Christmas. I have been sending one to the family ever since 1944 and she, being the only one left, carries on. That's 31 years.

I finished my Army service as W.O. Class 2 at Ghent in Belgium but will never forget my luck running in threes.'

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