大象传媒

In 1938 my brother JAMES (Jim) RYAN joined the Royal Artillery. When war was declared he was sent to France with the BEF. He served in Belgium and France in the 42nd/46th Field Regiment, heavy artillery and was promoted to Sergeant. He interpreted for the company officer and they moved from Abbeville to Lille when the Belgians surrendered. Later the order came to retreat to Dunkirk. He stayed to render the guns useless and then followed his company alone. He walked through distressing sights of refugees and abandoned animals in the field, reaching Dunkirk on 27th May 1940 where he found some of his comrades. They remained together being continually dive-bombed by Stukas. After 4 days of failed attempts to board ships, after waiting for hours in the water, they were eventually taken aboard a paddle-steamer to Margate. I still have the postcard he sent from there, saying 鈥淒ear Mother, arrived at Margate today 31st May. I might add it was my worst birthday (It was his 21st). I鈥檓 writing this on the train. It鈥檚 good to be back in Blighty again, but I don鈥檛 know where we are going yet. Perfect health, so will write shortly. Jim xx鈥�

The train took them to a camp at Bury from where he telephoned a friend of my father who took my parents and me to find him. The camp was filled with weary men who had abandoned helmets, rifles and boots to board the boat. However, Jim took from his battledress pocket a birthday present of a small pearl necklace and French perfume for me, as I was 17th the day he reached Dunkirk. He had buried a bottle of Champagne, intended for his 21st, in the sand at Dunkirk. When I asked him why he buried it, he said, 鈥淥h, you have to keep it chilled!鈥� I wonder if anyone ever found it. After three days at home he returned to camp.

Six months later he was on a troopship bound for India. From there he was sent to Nepal to train the Gurkhas. He totally admired the people there and was seconded to the Indian Army. He turned down a commission and they went to Burma to fight the Japanese. After dreadful years in the jungle he finally got leave with some friends and they went to Calcutta where he collapsed in the street and was taken to hospital where it was discovered that he had T.B in both lungs. From India he was sent to Durban and then to a military hospital in Chester, and eventually to a sanatorium at Mill Lane, Wallasey. As there was no cure at the time and he was terminally ill he was sent home to my parents. He died about 6 months later on 13th May 1946 and was given a military funeral and is buried at Frankby cemetery in Wirral.

At this time I had been in the WAAF since 1942 and was given leave for the funeral.

Footnote: When he was going to India he sent a postcard home with a message which could be understood by anyone familiar with Wallasey ferryboats. It said, 鈥淚 though you might like to know that I saw two old friends yesterday 鈥� Iris and Francis Storey. Tell them I was glad to see them again, but I鈥檓 leaving in a few days. Jim.鈥�
My sister and I got on a ferryboat to Liverpool which passed the troopship in the river and we were able to wave goodbye to Jim as he stood at the rail with a couple of friends.
The 鈥業ris鈥� was the passenger ferry and the 鈥楩rancis Storey鈥� a luggage boat.
by Mrs Norah Seery

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