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This story has been added to the site by Alison Tebbutt, Derby CSV Action Desk on behalf of Allan Orme.

The Second World War broke out on September 3rd 1939 and I was called up for military service on the 16th October, I was to join the Sherwood Foresters at the Barracks in Derby. I was soon issued with a uniform and like all the others, thought hostilities would soon be over, little did we realise however, it was to last for years.

After a few weeks training we were sent to Egginton Hall, where a toughening up training began. It was January and very cold, snow had been falling heavily and we were sent to Birmingham to clear snow from the railway lines because the railways were almost at a standstill. I spent my twenty-first birthday at Egginton which I remember very well. The river Dove was frozen over and we had to run and slide across to the other side, but when I jumped on the ice there was a loud crack, and before I could do anything I was in the water. The instructor sent me back to the Hall to get changed into some dry clothing, I ran all the way to try and keep warm, it was two miles back and when I got there I was steaming, so I was glad to have a shower and wash my kit before the others came back.

We spent about two months at Egginton before moving to Market Harborough where we were given various inoculations against foreign diseases, this was a sure sign that before long we would be going abroad. Our stay here only lasted a few weeks then we were put on a train. Everything was very secretive. We had no idea where we were going until we were taken off the train at Derby station. From here we marched to Kedleston Hall, and as we were carrying all our kit it was a very exhausting journey. I was having trouble with my arm, where I had inoculated, it had swollen to such an extent that my battle dress sleeve had to be cut off by the Medical Officer, who then ordered me to bed, and excused me from duties. I was only five miles from home and if we were shortly going abroad I thought it would be nice to pop home for an hour or two. After a word with the Sergeant in charge of the guard (whom I knew, he also like me lived in Belper) he let me through the gates and also showed me which way to get back in the camp. I managed to get home, and luckily I got a lift back. It was here the Battalion was formed and was to be known as the second fifth (2/5) Sherwood Foresters. We were given four days embarkation leave then it was a march back to Derby station again and on the train for an unknown destination.

We soon found ourselves at Dover where we boarded a relatively small boat called The Lady of Man which had been used for ferrying to the Isle of Man. The sea was rough and the boat being small we were tossed about rather a lot, consequently there was a lot of sea sickness, so we were happy to pull into Cherbourg harbour a few hours later. We then boarded a train and our next stop was Rennes, where we were going to finish our training our training. Unfortunately after two or three days orders came through for us to pack up our kit and move up to the Front Line where the Germans had broken through the Maginot Line. This was a line of fortresses along the French frontier with Germany, the Germans also has a similar defence system, both these lines of defence were supposed to be impregnable, but the Germans had gone into Belguim and round the Maginot line and we were being sent to try and push them back.

Our first contact with the enemy was when we arrived by train in Tournai in Belgium, the town was in ruins, fires were burning caused by the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) who had been bombing earlier, but now they were shelling over us and mortar bombs were dropping near us. On going forward it went rather quiet for a while, then hearing a rumble we took cover and down the street came four or five great big German tanks. We didn’t stop to count them. We were armed with rifles and light machine guns and were no match against tanks. The Commanders decided to pull us back to a canal near Lille (Canal De La Haute Deule) and we would try to hold the enemy there. A bridge was blown up to try and stop the tanks crossing, but at dawn the next morning the Germans were behind us on our side of the canal. We had a difficult time for a while trying to shoot our way out, there were casualties but I don’t think anyone out of our company was killed, so once again we retired to a railway embankment where we got organised and made ready to counter attack.

This was a bad day. Captain Hartigan, Lt Cripps, Lt Henriques and between 30 and 40 other ranks were killed as we tried to push the enemy back near Oignes. It was not a very successful operation so it was withdraw once again, this time to Mons En Pevele, then to Avein, next Steenvorde, then Teteghem, each time the Germans pushed relentlessly on. Here at Teteghem our platoon lost contact with the Battalion.

I was with Sgt. Creswicks platoon and we were sent to guard a bridge and were told we would be relieved at 6 pm that day. In the event of any trouble our misunderstanding we were given a list of towns to go through, finishing up at Dunkirk where we would meet up with the Battalion. Having reached the bridge, we could only get to either side of it as there were thousands of refuges trekking over it, when asked why they were coming this way they just said ‘Germans coming’. Some were carrying all their possessions on their backs, some had wheelbarrows, there was also the occasional donkey and horse. It was a sorry sight, they had been driven from their homes by the Germans and had lost everything except what they coud carry with them.

We were still on the bridge the next day and still no one had come to relieve us. Refugees still pouring across until the afternoon when the throng gradually dwindled to a trickle and eventually stopped, then everything went very quiet. Wondering what was going to happen next, we took up defensive positions round the bridge. We each had a rifle and 50 rounds of ammunition so we hoped there would be no tanks this time. Very soon we heard the crack of rifle fire, then machine gun fire with tracer bullets (which one can see) coming at us, then we saw them, the Germans running behind a hedge about 200 yards to our front.

St Creswick told us to conserve our ammunition and only shoot when we had a good target to fire at. Eventually the Germans rushed out from behind the hedges and we opened up with our rifles all together, many of them fell and the others soon went back. Once again it went very quiet and we were waiting to see them rush at us but after a while some aircraft came over and bombed and straffed all around the bridge, apparently they had called for help from the Luftwaffe, and now we were firing a the aircraft as well as the soldiers so our ammunition was soon exhausted. We had no option now but to pull out although Sgt Creswick took some persuading to leave. At last he said ‘every man for himself and make for Dunkirk.’

We started off in groups of three or four and soon got mixed up with the refugees who had passed our bridge earlier. In some of the villages the Germans were already there, so we had to make a detour, sometimes waiting for darkness before mingling with the refugees and sneaking through. Although we were very hungry it was asking for trouble to stop and search for food so we just had to press on, at least until we were sure there were no Germans in front of us. After two or three days we came across hundreds of vehicles by the roadside, they had just been run into the ditch at the side of the road and made unserviceable by the British drivers. They too must have been told to make for Dunkirk so we thought we must be nearing our destination. One had to watch out for the Luftwaffe who were coming over and machine gunning or dropping bombs every few minutes.

I was with two of my friends, Alf Duffield and Arthur Barlow. We had joined up together and had tried to keep together all the time, now we were on our own separated from all the others and looking for something to eat. Searching through some of the lorries by the roadside we found a tin of bully beef, Duff said he could open it with his bayonet, which he did and finished up with a large gash in the palm of his hand. We managed to stop the bleeding and bandaged it up with a first aid dressing which we all carried with us. Walking on now towards Dunkirk we came across some Grenadier and Scots Guards who said their job was to hold the Germans back whilst the remainder were evacuated from Dunkirk. This was the first we knew about the evacuation of Dunkirk.

The second part of this story can be found at www.bbc.co.uk/dna/ww2/a7187277

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