大象传媒

We were over on the borders of France and Belgium serving with the 58th Medium Regiment when the balloon went up. We went in trucks back to Brussels while our guns were loaded onto trains and sent by rail. Before leaving we made sure that we removed the breech blocks and firing pins so that they couldn't be used by the enemy. Well, the Germans did launch an attack and captured them - all sixteen of our guns in enemy hands.

The infantry put in a counter attack and got them back for us. The lorry drivers then towed them back behind out lines, and we were able to put the blocks and pins back in. You have to remember that these were the same guns that our regiment had brought back from the First World War. They had wooden cart wheels with a metal rim, and were used to being pulled by horses. When towed by lorries, they had a maximum speed of about five miles an hour, or the spokes would shatter under the strain!

Although old, they still saw action several times during the retreat to Dunkirk. But by the time we got there we had only got two left in the whole regiment - the rest had worn out or been destroyed.

We reached a point when we were ordered to dump our vehicles and guns and incapacitate them. Mick's motorcycle ended up in the canal. We then had to march about ten miles to the beach to be evacuated. That march was terrible. There were civilians there as well all trying to get to Dunkirk, blocking the roads, and the Germans were firing on us all. It was in and out of ditches the whole way.

We got to the beach on Sunday. Mick finally got off during the early hours of Thursday morning, rowed out to his ship in groups of twelve.

Fred fell asleep on the beach, and when he woke up his battery was gone. I managed to team up with another unit, and got off on the 31st May, arriving in Margate at five o'clock. We were marched along the pier to the railway station where we were met by the WRVS who had tea and pork pies for us. We hadn't had tea since we dumped the trucks, and real food was most welcome!

George had been assigned to picket duty in an attempt to control the thousands of troops all trying to get off the beach. This meant that he too got left behind when his unit left. I think I managed to get off on the 1st of June, but I'm not really sure of the dates. I know it was on a Dutch coal barge and I was down in the hold for the journey back to Ramsgate. My brother Bill was on the beach as well, and he refused to leave, preferring to stay together.

Fred went from Margate to Wrexham, travelling by train through the night. We arrived at the Royal Welsh Fuliliers depot in the morning. We were fed stew and veg, and slept under canvas for that first night. They then turned the militia into the tents and let us have the barracks!

Despite what we had been through, the RSM had us out on parade to sort us all out. When he had finished he said "Let's get this straight. You haven't won the war. You will behave like soldiers!"

Mick sailed into Margate about eight o'clock in the morning, before being sent to Salisbury Plain where he had been on training sessions before the war. Me and my mate snuck out in the morning, and got the train home. When we got to Liverpool Street we had missed the last train. We went into the Salvation Army place who let us pay for a meal in French francs, and stay the night. We got the train to Ipswich next morning.

George went from Ramsgate to Shrewsbury to stay with the Kings Shropshire Light Infantry, before moving around and ending up on coastal defence for a while. At one point I ended up on the racecourse at Newbury. I moved about a lot, and ended up doing the whole lot, seeing service in Africa, Burma and finally Germany.

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