大象传媒

May21st -June 2nd 1940
I was a member of the Provost Co. Cross
Keys, 2nd British Division, stationed at
Douai nr. Lille. At the time I was a
Corporal in charge of a section at
Roubaiux on the Belgium border.
Late in May 1940 I was given a few days
leave, my first since September 1939
but on arrival at home in Portsmouth
was given orders to return immediately due to
Germany crossing into Belgium etc. I went back
to France and it took me about four days
twalking and hitching lifts in military
vehicles to reach my unit in Belgium.
There were lines and lines of refugees with
their belongings and children in prams
and wheelbarrows blocking the roads, the
German planes straffed them cruelly.
I will never forget the utter hopeless-
ness in their eyes. One man said "this
is the second time I have had to leave
my home because of the Germans."
One incident on my return journey wasnear
Cambrai, I was in a small copse and there were
other units there. We were being straffed
and dodging behind trees, I saw a small
cottage, two officers went into it for
safety but it was bombed and completely
there wadestroyed - after a short while these two
officers crawled out stood up and brushed
the dust off, shook themselves and walked
away - I was and still am amazed.
Unfortunately when I reached my unit in
Belgium about the 25th May they were
already being pressed back and in retreat.
When we reached Armentiers it was in flames,
dead bodies everywhere with the wreckage
of French limbers, their horses and
other vehicles in a terrible mess.
After passing through the town we were
told to ditch our vehicles, make them
unworkable and proceed as best we could
to the beaches of Dunkerque. The
company of 50 men were told to disperse
into groups of 6 or less and make our
way there - every man for themself.
Having been stationed in the area

since September 1939 I was familiar with
the surroundings, but it took us several
days. On my journey I passed through an
area where the Coldstream Guards had
been engaged in rear guard action. Their
dead Guardsmen were lying there, sadly there nothing we could do in the circumstances,

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