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World War Two / Re: Researching my grandfather - Sapper, Royal Engineers, BEF-Dunkirk
« on: Friday 23 April 10 17:29 BST (UK) »
This is just a story I like to tell, My dad was in the REME and during the confusion of the battle became seperated from his unit (along with others). They had been sent to blow up a bridge but found the Germans already had it, they returned to HQ to report and found only empty buildings, they had no idea where everyone had gone.
They sneaked into some woods at night for sleep/rest and discovered another 20 or so troops with the same idea, (2 of the other troops came from the same small town as my dad Bd Castle) an officer led them south away from Dunkirk and they eventually ended up in La Baule Britainy to regroup.
My dad was allocated to Vick Force and had 2 hours of spit and polish before parading for the new commanding officer Col Vickery of Bd Castle, the Col walked down the lines of men, walked past my dad and then stopped, turned back and said "Evans" " Yes Sir Col Vickery" my dad as a boy used to caddie for him on the local golf course.
My dad and a friend went out that night having 1 franc between them and entered into a game of housy housy (bingo) and won the top prize of 500 francs, they had a good night.
The next day they were loaded onto lorries to rejoin the fighting up north but the next thing that happened (that night) was that they were loaded onto a ship and came back to England 31/5/1940. He never knew which port he left from or arrived at in England, only that they finished up at Hereford racecourse.
Brian
They sneaked into some woods at night for sleep/rest and discovered another 20 or so troops with the same idea, (2 of the other troops came from the same small town as my dad Bd Castle) an officer led them south away from Dunkirk and they eventually ended up in La Baule Britainy to regroup.
My dad was allocated to Vick Force and had 2 hours of spit and polish before parading for the new commanding officer Col Vickery of Bd Castle, the Col walked down the lines of men, walked past my dad and then stopped, turned back and said "Evans" " Yes Sir Col Vickery" my dad as a boy used to caddie for him on the local golf course.
My dad and a friend went out that night having 1 franc between them and entered into a game of housy housy (bingo) and won the top prize of 500 francs, they had a good night.
The next day they were loaded onto lorries to rejoin the fighting up north but the next thing that happened (that night) was that they were loaded onto a ship and came back to England 31/5/1940. He never knew which port he left from or arrived at in England, only that they finished up at Hereford racecourse.
Brian