大象传媒

I was a lorry driver in the royal signals, and had been in France since January 1940, our unit was attached 3 corps medium artillery H.Q.
At the start of the german invasion of belgium we were moved up into Belgium to a village near Contrai to set up a signal station. On the surrender of the Belgium army we started to retreat eventually getting to Poperinge where it all started on May 24th.
Whilst in Poperinge we were heavily dive bombed and we lost our O.C. we then started to drive towards Berques, but before arriving we were stopped at a cross roads by military police, and told to get to dunkirk, and told it was every man for himself, but further along the road we were stopped again and told to dump the lorry and go to the beaches at Le Panne and proceed on foot.
By this time our unit was gradually geting split up so by the time we got to Le Panne there was only four of us together a chaotic situation.
On the beaches we huddled together in the sand dunes for protection from the constant bombing and machine gunning from the air, the bombing was inevectual just blowing up loads of sand, but machine gunning was another matter, and laying across the scene was a huge cloud of smoke coming from the oil tanks on fire in Dunkirk.
After a time actually at dawn the next day we were marshalled in groups of fifty, under an officer or senior N.C.O. and marched down to the waters edge where discipline was maintained a beachmaster then called your group in turn I saw one group run out of line and the one in charge was promply shot by the beachmaster.
Owing to the shallow draft of teh beach the embarking drill was to first get into a rowing boat or whaler which took you to a launch laying a distance of shore, this then took you to the larger vessels lying further off.
On the way to the bigger ships the launch I was in was bombed but we didn't suffer a direct hit, but was close enough to swamp the boat, and I found myself in the drink, a good job I could swim.
Having divested myself of my pack etc. I surfaced and looked around and saw the ship was closer than the shore, so I struck out for the ship, which was a paddle steamer converted to minesweeper and was named the Medway Queen after swimming approx 50yds I arrived at the ship completely knackered and was hauled aboard having only soaked fags, a squaddy came to my recue and gave me a packet of army club fags, and later one of the crew gave us cocoa much appreciated.
When we had our full complement we started to cross towards England and after a few scares from air attack arrived at Ramsgate good job it was a fine day my clothes drying on me.
We disembarked and proceeded towards London people cheering us on our way, we didn't deserve the cheers if anyone deserved cheers it was the navy for getting us out. The W.V.S. came to the rescue again, we finally arrived at Devizes in the middle of the night 2/6/40 given eggs(2 of) and chips, we then kipped down in the gym with a mattress on the floor, in teh night we had a short arm inspection, never seen anything so funny in all my life a roomful of naked men standing at the foot of their beds and as the M.D. came round with his pencil collapsing into their bunks.
After two or three days in barracks we were gradually returned to our units, the signals wre being reformed at Rhyl where at last I was able to exchange my salt encrusted battle dress and get a hat so I could go on the streets again and have a pint.
As a sequel to all of this, whilst on holiday with my family in 1958 on the Isle of Wight, imagine my suprise when I came acrosss the Medway Queen anchored on the Medina river being used as a floating resturant unfortunately it was closed so we could not get aboard, sadly now she is a rotting hunk lying at birth in the medway.

This was written by my father in 1998, he died last year. I beleive that the Medway Queen is now being restored.

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