Award MiD Dvr. A. Wilson, 9th Supply Park, RASC attd 51st Division (Escaper & Evader, France 1940)

Award: Mentioned in Despatches

Account of Escape of
No. 50136 DRIVER A. WILSON, R.A.S.C.
9th Supply Park, R.A.S.C., attached 51st Division​

Captured: 12th June 1940
Escaped: 21st June 1940
Arrived in England by air from Lisbon on 5th August 1940.

Prior to Capture.

On 11th June we lay about 10 kms south east of ST. VALERY-EN-CAUX until about 3.30pm. At that hour we were told to leave for the coast at five minute intervals between vehicles. Refugees met us, pouring from the direction of ST. VALERY and told us that Germans were in the neighbourhood and the five minute intervals were cut down to thirty seconds.

Reached a pale about 5 kms from ST. VALERY in an orchard and stayed there until about 7pm. Major Macintosh, C.O. of the Supply Company, who was subsequently killed, ordered the lorries to be smashed up. From there we marched, taking ammunition and each man a rifle, to ST. VALERY. There were roughly about 500 men.

Arrived at ST. VALERY and went on top of the cliffs to the right and were told to wait until midnight when a boat would be in to take us home. The Germans started shelling at about 8.30pm and kept up the bombardment until 11.30pm. The firing was coming from the cliffs to the west of the basin of ST. VALERY.

When firing ceased, the order was given to go to the ship which was in and we set off for the beach. We had spent the night on the cliff and at 6am marched down in single file hugging the buildings to shelter from gun fire. The ship lay on the western side of the basin. We all got on to the beach and the Germans immediately started shelling. We could see the guns on the cliffs. The situation was that every kind of weapon was brought to bear on us, including hand grenades, the result, of course, being utter confusion.

Capture

At 10.30am there was no alternative but to surrender which we did by waving a white flag. By then we were a mixed crowd of almost every unit of the 51st Division. The fact that the French had surrendered and were surrendering in large bodies greatly impeded our efforts to continue the fight and really forced us to give ourselves up as well.

Once we had surrendered we walked up the cliff and gave ourselves up. A rough search was made and we were told to give up matches, razor blades, pen knives and scissors. The French soldiers acted as interpreters for the Germans and appeared to give them every assistance in their task of taking our things away.

We were marched to a big field about 4 kms in the direction of LE HAVRE from ST. VALERY where there were thousands of other French Prisoners of War. We were given water to drink and slept the night in the field.

At about 4am we were woken up and marched back to ST. VALERY, were split up into groups of about twenty and marched down on to the beach. The French Prisoners of War were left behind in the field. We were given the task of burying the dead that were lying on the front of the promenade. We used French entrenching tools for this purpose.

We finished that duty at about 4pm and were given no food. Then we were taken to a field where there were thousands of horses and stayed the night there. We were given a little soup which was the first meal.

At 4am we left this field, each man leading or riding three horses, and made for LILLE. The journey took four days. We made about 30kms a day and our march was from 6am until 4-5pm in the late afternoon. We were given about ¼ litre of ersatz coffee in the morning before setting out. A field kitchen preceded the column; this had two large containers in which soup was prepared but it was obvious that while one contained good soup which was given to French Prisoners of War, the other container held a very poor gruel which was kept for us. There was a …black bread which was mouldy. This soup and bread ration…us at the end of the day’s march.

The horses were all handed over as soon as we reached LILLE on the 17th June. We were put into a field for the night. The following morning we started a trek on foot for a prison camp in Germany. Marching by day, we rested at night in open fields and reached TOURNAI on 19th June. Our rations were the same and we had rather harsh treatment from our captors. As we went through the villages, the inhabitants, and especially the International Red Cross, gave us food from time to time but we were not allowed to break ranks. The French Prisoners of War, on the other hand, were allowed to leave the column and procure food in the villages. There was a marked difference the whole time our treatment and that meted out to the French.

We reached RENAIX on the 20th June and NINOVE on 21st. Here I decided to make a getaway. I spoke to a Captain, unknown to me, and told him of my intentions. He explained that escape in uniform was impossible and that if I was caught in civilian clothes I should be shot. He counselled me not to try to escape. This, however, did not put me off.

The first night after leaving TOURNAI we were addressed in the field by a German officer who spoke English and who was also helped by an Interpreter (a Frenchman), who gave out, through a megaphone, that any man caught with a compass or map or making any attempt to escape would be shot without any hesitation.

Escape

At NINOVE we were herded together in the yard of a mill (attached is a sketch which will explain how I made my escape), I got away eventually from NINOVE, from a cornfield, at 5am on the 22nd June, dressed in civilian clothes, obtained from a lady. I had no map but my idea was to head south for Spain and ultimately to get to Gibraltar.

In four days, walking by day and lying up in woods at night, I reached CAUDRAY on the Belgian/French frontier. During these four days, I lived entirely on what raw potatoes and roots I could find in the fields. I spoke to no one for fear of giving myself away.

It was about 10am when I reached CAUDRAY and I stopped at a house to ask for some water. I spoke to the owner who asked me if I was an English soldier and I confessed that I was. She pointed out how dangerous it was to wear Army boots. She then explained that she had a friend in CAUDRAY who was an English woman and asked if I would like to meet her. Naturally, I said I would. Naturally, I said I would and thee English people (husband and wife) gave me food and looked after me in every way. They gave me a bicycle, a map, a pair of canvas rope-soled shoes, and 100 frs. which I carried in a tin box in my waistcoat pocket and subsequently lost.

I set off on the bicycle in the afternoon of the same day and went past ST. QUENTIN and stopped the night in a field outside. I avoided all the main roads as best I could and, therefore went rather a roundabout way passing through LA FERE, LAON, SOISSONS, CHATEAU THIERRY, SEZANNE, MERY-SUR-SEINE, TROYES, NEVERS and came to MOULINS where I crossed into unoccupied France, avoiding the frontier barrier by fetching a circuit through some fields.

As far as MOULINS, when I was in occupied France, by careful selection of inhabitants, I was able at night time to get some food but once I crossed the frontier into unoccupied France, where German propaganda had made some impression and where consequently French inhabitants were disinclined to help any Englishman, I assumed Polish nationality.

From MOULINS, I headed west for LIMOGE and about a day and a half’s journey from there I came to a small hamlet of four houses and in one of these met a Dutch journalist, a refugee who was working on a neighbouring farm. He advised me to abandon my plan to make for Spain, owing to the barrenness of the countryside through which I would have to pass and lack of knowledge of the language. He drew up a sketch map showing, instead, the route to GENEVA which was approximately 500 kms from where we were. Unfortunately I did not get his name but he promised to write to me after the war, he was of the greatest assistance to me in every way and even gave me 5 frs. which he could ill afford. It was here that I got rid of my map which I had obtained in CAUDRAY and once I had memorised the sketch map I destroyed that also.

The following morning I set off on the bicycle and returned via CLERMONT-FERRAND, VICHY, THIERS, LYON, CHAMBERY, ANNECY and reached ST. JULIEN.

Two kms,., beyond ST. JULIEN, I came to the Swiss frontier but having no papers made no attempt to pass through the legal route. Nearby I saw a large house whose grounds lay half in France and half in Switzerland. I approached the owner of the house and asked for some water. In return, he gave me two glasses of wine. I then explained that I was a Pole and wished to rejoin my wife who was in GENEVA but as I had no papers would he help me to get across. I asked him whether, if I have him my bicycle, I could cress across field at the back of the house – this field was in Swiss territory. He agreed to this at once and in a moment I had crossed the frontier and within an hour, reached GENVEA and my troubles were over (12th July).

During my travels, whilst crossing bridges which were guarded by Germans, I approached wheeling my bicycle and with a half smoked cigarette in my hand asked the sentry for a match, in French. I then proceeded to stroll across. Also when meeting Germans on a road, I whistled French tunes.

Interviewed by M.I.9. on 6th August 1940

Private Address: 60 Daniel Street, Bradford, Yorkshire.

WO 373/60/308

WO 423/418476

WO 208/3299/44

WO 208/3298/37