Information Gathering on 2 Middlesex Regiment 1940

Discussion in '1940' started by Slater581, Nov 11, 2009.

  1. Slater581

    Slater581 Junior Member

    I am wondering whether anyone possibly remembers one of my relatives who served with 2nd Battalion Middlesex Regiment during WW2. His name is John Francis Day and unfortunately he died 16 May 1940 and is buried in Belgium.

    I am trying to track down more about his time in the Army and what he would have been doing around the time of his death.

    Hope someone can help.

    :poppy:
     
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  2. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Hi I think his units War Diaries may be the best bet.

    I'm guessing you know they were a machine gun battalion at this time in 3 Div?

    On the 11 May the battalion was fired on by Belgian Infantry as they approached Louvain and there is a brief mention of the battalion defending the town and holding off a German attack around the 14th/15th.

    Source: Dunkirk-Retreat to Victory.

    I'm guessing he may have been killed as the battalion withdrew from the area.

    Regards
    Andy
     
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  3. Slater581

    Slater581 Junior Member

    Hi. Thanks for getting back to me. Do you know where the best place is for me to find these war diaries please.

    Thanks
     
  4. Buteman

    Buteman 336/102 LAA Regiment (7 Lincolns), RA

    NameDAY, JOHN FRANCIS
    Initials:J F
    Nationality:United Kingdom
    Rank:Private
    Regiment/Service:Middlesex Regiment
    Unit Text:2nd Bn.
    Age:21
    Date of Death:16/05/1940
    Service No:2045644
    Additional information:Son of William and Charlot Grace Day, of Woodford Green, Essex.
    Casualty Type:Commonwealth War Dead
    Grave/Memorial Reference:Grave 2.
    Cemetery:ZAVENTEM COMMUNAL CEMETERY
     
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  5. Buteman

    Buteman 336/102 LAA Regiment (7 Lincolns), RA

    The war diary reference you want to look at is WO167/791. It covers the period from Sep 1939 to June 1940.

    It would mean a visit to the National Archives at Kew, unless someone on the Forum either has them or is willing to look for you.

    Regards - Robert
     
  6. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Just checked where he is buried in relation to Louvain that I mentioned in Post 2. It looks like he may have been killed during the battalion withdrawal toward Brussels.
     
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  7. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    Zaventem (the location of Brussels airport) is a reasonable distance from the front line at Leuven and there was no withdrawal until the night of 16th / 17th.

    3rd Division at Leuven were shelled heavily during 16th May. He could perhaps have died of wounds received there.

    The only other 1940 casualty in Zaventem, who also died on 16th May is a Gunner from 88 Field Regt. They were 2 Corps troops.
     
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  8. sol

    sol Very Senior Member

    2nd Middlesex Regiment in France 1940

    The 2nd Battalion was still at Gosport, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel C. N. Haydon, when the order to mobilize was received on 1st September, 1939. It was known that the 3rd Division, known as the "Iron Division," to whom the Battalion was attached as machine gunners, had a very high priority for active service overseas, and there was, therefore, little surprise when, twelve days after the declaration of war, the first movement orders were received.
    When the 3rd Division was formed on mobilization, its commander, Major-General B. L. Montgomery, D.S.O., asked specially for the 2nd Battalion for his command. He had seen a lot of the Battalion at Portsmouth and Gosport, had always thought very highly of it, and for a time had had it in his brigade before the change-over to a machine-gun regiment.
    Mobilization, except for a few articles of war equipment, was completed on 10th September, and there was time for a brief exercise with the Division on the 12th in the Dorchester area. Sand model lectures and exercises were laid on to give companies and platoons some idea of what they might expect in action, but most of the available time was spent in organizing for the forthcoming move and in preparing the necessary loading tables and orders.
    A small advance party under Major J. G. E. Reid left Gosport on 21st September for Southampton. The road party, consisting of 5 officers, 193 other ranks, 126 vehicles, and 41 motor-cycles, under Lieutenant G. 0. Porter, followed on the 28th, while the train party of 21 officers and 549 other ranks, under the command of the Commanding Officer, left a day later. On arrival at Southampton, the Battalion embarked in the S.S. Maid of Orleans and sailed that evening. On the last day of the month it landed in France at Cherbourg, leaving by train the same day for an assembly area near Laval (Mayenne), with Battalion Headquarters, H.Q., "C" and "D" Companies at Soulgeile-Bruant, and "A" and "B" Companies at Louvigne. Platoons were mostly billeted in farms in the neighbourhood.
    The move to the divisional concentration area south of Lille was begun on 6th October, and the Battalion left the rich, wooded countryside of Brittany and Normandy for the plains of the manufacturing areas round Lute. The move took four days and was carried out for the most part in heavy rain, which made it difficult at times to fix up adequate billets at the end of each day’s march and also to provide a hot meal at night. It was, indeed, an uncomfortable four days for all ranks, but on arrival at the concentration area at Gondecourt, the whole Battalion was billeted in a disused cotton factory which, if bleak and dirty, was at least dry. It was soon made habitable, and even comfortable, and, with a canteen opened soon after arrival, the Battalion settled down happily enough to serious work.
    Companies were allotted to their infantry brigades soon after the Battalion had settled in. "A" and "C" Companies were attached to 9th Infantry Brigade in the divisional reserve line running north and south through Lesquins, "B" Company to 8th Infantry Brigade, and "D" Company to 7th Guards Brigade, both in the forward area south of Lute and holding the line of the River Marcq. The divisional commander paid frequent visits to the battalion positions to inspect the progress of the defence work carried out along the two lines.
    For the next fortnight the time was spent mainly in digging gun positions for the defence of the divisional area. Excellent progress was made in spite of very bad weather and time was also found to improve the amenities in the billeting area. Lighting was installed in the factory and the roads leading to it repaired. At the end of the month a divisional exercise was held to test the strength of the defences.
    During the first week in November the Battalion moved from Gondecourt to Roubaix. This was made the occasion for a formal march past, the Lille Garrison Commander, General Greaville, and the Commanding Officer taking the salute. On arrival, the Battalion took over the exhibition buildings of the recently held "Exposition de Doubaix," in the Parc Barbieux. These were modern buildings erected earlier in the year to dis-play the manufactures of France and her Colonies, and were well built of concrete and set among formal gardens and lakes. Officers were billeted in houses in the town and had a mess in the Tennis Club of Roubaix near by.
    The presence of an occasional enemy reconnaissance aircraft over the Division’s position gave rise to some suggestion that a German invasion of Belgium might be imminent, especially as, quite obviously, the German machines flew over Belgian territory, completely ignoring that country’s neutrality. As a result, detailed plans were prepared for the move of the Division into Belgium in the event of such an invasion, the plans calling for an advance to the River Scheldt and the defence of the bridges across it.
    The alarm gradually died down as the "phoney" war continued its uneventful course, and the remainder of November was spent in training. Courses were held and machine-gun practices and demonstrations arranged for reservist officers and other ranks whose training with the machine gun had been incomplete.
    The month ended with a disappointment when orders were received for a move back to Gondecourt. After the work of preparing the buildings at Roubaix and the satisfaction of clean and comfortable billets, the factory at Gondecourt seemed an unpleasant anti-climax.
    Three days later, on the 6th, the Battalion was paraded for an inspection by His Majesty The King. It moved in motor transport to Lezennes and then by route march to Fort Ulster, where it was drawn up two companies deep on either side of the road. His Majesty, after talking to the Commanding Officer, passed down the road and was greeted by cheers.
    A three-day divisional evercise was held in the middle of the month. Throughout its duration the weather turned extremely cold, with hard frosts night and day. After a three-day rest, during which the Division was visited by the Prime Minister, Mr. Nevile Chamberlain, the exercise was repeated, again in extreme cold. Nobody who took part in the exercises is ever likely to forget their spartan nature. Men had to learn to live and sleep out of doors in those arctic conditions. More difficult still, drivers and despatch riders had to master the art of moving without lights at night along badly mapped, narrow French roads. Ditched trucks and resultant casualties, unfortunately, were not rare. It proved good training, however, for the opera-tions that were to follow.
    Christmas passed quietly and the remainder of the year was devoted partly to the selection of sites for pill-boxes on the divisional front and partly in training a composite company which was to be detached to the Saar front. This, under the command of Captain J. W. A. Stephenson, was composed of Company Headquarters, found by "B" Company, and one platoon each from "A," "C," and "D" Companies.
    The year of 1940, a fateful year for the Battalion, opened with a long spell of extreme cold. Hard frosts were continuous throughout January and the snow, when it came, lay for days without melting. Transport was almost at a standstill, the roads being ice-bound, and trucks had to be parked along the roadside. Being at four hours’ notice to move, it was not possible to empty the radiators, and so extreme was the cold that the anti-freeze provided did not work. Picquets started up engines every hour throughout the twenty-four. Even so there were cases of damaged cylinder blocks, though everything possible was done to avoid them. The maintenance of mechanical efficiency was one of the biggest headaches of the winter. No digging was pos-sible in ground frozen to the hardness of rock.
    The composite company left the Battalion on 8th January for their duty in the line in the Metz area. Company Head-quarters is reported to have flown a flag bearing the emblem of a bat and ball, so dear to the heart of their commander, who had played in Test trials for England. Headquarters was set up at Waldweistroff and the platoons were disposed with two forward in the Ligne de Contact and one in reserve in the Ligne de Recueil. The forward positions were manned day and night, but there was very little enemy movement and only occasional chances of carrying out a shoot. For most of the time thick snow lay on the ground and frequent snow-storms reduced visibility to only a few yards. At the end of the month the company was relieved and on the 31st rejoined the Battalion at Gonde-court.
    February and March passed in continual training, in divi-sional exercises, in practice drives at night in convoy, and in further digging and the construction of fixed defences. With the Maginot Line ending near Sedan, the gap from there to the sea along the Belgian frontier, held mainly by the B.E.F., was being strengthened by as many fixed gun positions as possible, keeping the Battalion busy in their sector round Lille.
    The Commanding Officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Haydon, on his appointment to command a brigade, was relieved by Major J. 0. E. Reid, who had been Second-in-Command, on 25th April. Lieutenant-Colonel Haydon had worked the Battalion hard since it had been in France, but when he left it was in a high state of readiness for war and his work was well reflected in the Battalion’s keenness, smartness, and general efficiency.
    Another move was made on 27th April, this time to Hem, still in the Lille area. And on 5th May H.R.H. The Duke of Windsor, one-time Colonel-in-Chief of the Regiment, spent a day with the Battalion. After taking lunch in the Officers’ Mess he watched a football match between the Battalion team and a French team, the Ligue du Nord.
    Through an oversight after this very exciting match, the Bat-talion sports flag was not retrieved, nor its loss noticed. Fortu-nately, some Frenchmen took charge of it and, unable to return it, cherished it for the duration of the war. It became an emblem of the local resistance movement, members of whom bore a great affection for the Battalion, brought about by the close ties of friendship which existed between the Battalion and the local inhabitants in the area. After the war a deputation from Lille journeyed to the Regimental Depot, where an address was read by them in the Officers’ Mess and the flag was handed over to Colonel M. Browne, the Colonel of the Regiment. It was a most moving ceremony.
    The next two or three days were spent in exercises and divi-sional schemes, with improvements in billets, preparation of new defence works, and with maintenance of transport. Although there was yet no indication of any activity on the part of the enemy, the sands were running out. On 9th May the day was spent in the normal fashion and a certain amount of anti-aircraft fire occasioned no comment. But behind the Dutch border, and in the wooded areas of the Ardennes, the enemy divisions were massing. Still no word of his movements came to disturb the settled calm of the Battalion.
    There was more enemy air activity than usual in the early hours of 10th May, and the anti-aircraft guns were busy. The first intimation that anything unusual was afoot came with startling suddenness from the B.B.C. seven o’clock news bul-letin-the announcement that Germany had invaded Holland and Belgium and that King Leopold had appealed to the British and French Governments for aid.
    The news spread quickly through the Battalion. Without waiting for confirmation from Divisional Headquarters, the transport was loaded with the necessary equipment and stores, ready for the inevitable move forward when the order came. Under Plan "D," which covered the advance of the B.E.F. through Belgium to the Dutch border, the 3rd Division was to take up positions round Louvain in an attempt to stem the enemy advance and to give time for a stable line to be formed on which the Germans could be held.
    The sun rose in a clear sky to proclaim a day of perfect weather. With a long day’s driving ahead, this was to be an asset. A taste of what was in store came at 1100 hours when German aircraft flew over and bombed Lille.
    The order to move came at 1430 hours and two hours later the Battalion left Hem. It crossed the Belgian frontier at 1710 hours and made for the forward positions round Louvain. No attempt was made by enemy aircraft to interfere with the move, which went like clockwork. There was little enthusiasm shown by the civil population, their attitude varying from coldness and indifference shown by adults to a mild excitement on the part of the children.
    The Battalion drove throughout the night, arriving at Louvain at 0200 hours on the 11th. Platoons at once took up the positions allotted to them in Plan "D," but were soon with-drawn west of the town when it was discovered that Belgian troops were in position on the line of the River Dyle down through Louvain.
    During the day an ever-increasing stream of refugees poured through the town, blocking the roads to the west. A disquieting feature was the large number of Belgian soldiers mingling with the refugees, all heading westward. An impression was created, strengthened by interrogation, that a disaster had overtaken the Belgian Army and that the line of the Albert Canal, on which the Army had been standing, had been broken. This became stronger as the day advanced and greater numbers of soldiers made their way through the town. By mid-afternoon it was obvious that the Belgians were in full retreat, and stories from the stragglers put the enemy as no more than ten miles away. "A" Company Headquarters, astride the main Louvain-Brussels road, had a close-up view of this evacuation, which represented a cross-section of the Belgian public. The Belgian troops appeared to be in formed bodies and under commanders, but it was difficult to understand their steady progress westwards at such an early stage in the operations. There was not even the sound of a battle in progress.
    Louvain, dive-bombed in the afternoon, during which "B" Company gunners shot down one machine, was again attacked from the air in the evening, this time heavily. Considerable damage was done, many streets being blocked by fallen masonry and the main road in from Tirlemont becoming impassable. This caused great confusion, made even more acute by the vast crowds of refugees, now grown to enormous proportions, trying to make their way to safety in every conceivable form of conveyance.
    The four companies, withdrawn during the morning, made their way forward again through this surging mass of people to occupy their original positions. They were now well out ahead
    of the Division, and the orders from Divisional Headquarters were that they should "stop the German Army" while the re-mainder of the Division dug in behind on the high ground west of Louvain.
    The night of 11th-l2th May was one of constant alarms. By dawn all refugees and retreating troops had passed through and an uneasy silence hung heavily on the whole town.
    Early in the morning a report was received from Captain Kempster and Second-Lieutenant Marshall, who had been dis-patched on motor-cycles to contact the 15th/19th Hussars, just east of the town, that the Hussars were in touch with the enemy, who were infiltrating past them. The report was not confirmed, but a warning was sent to all forward companies.
    During the morning the forward positions were handed over to 9th Infantry Brigade and the companies withdrawn slightly to provide a stronger defensive fire plan for the 3rd Division.
    "A" Company was in the forward area with 7th Guards Brigade, "B" Company in the centre, covering the western exits from Louvain, "C" Company in depth positions covering the left flank in the area of Eiken Boeche, and "D" Company on a penetration task on the right. Battalion Headquarters moved back slightly to a position about one mile west of Louvain, on the main road.
    A heavy bombing attack was made on the company positions shortly before noon, but no casualties and little damage were incurred. British fighters arrived soon after the start of the attack and successfully drove the enemy off.
    Lieutenant-Colonel B. Horrocks arrived from England on the 13th and took over command of the Battalion, Major Reid again becoming Second-in-Command. The new Commanding Officer was not expected until the 20th, but on hearing of the German attack on 10th May, he had at once left England and "hitch-hiked" up to the front. This was a typical action of Colonel Horrocks and not unexpected. He burst into the picture with characteristic vigour and cheerfulness. Within a matter of hours he had visited every post and had spoken to all the men. Throughout the retreat he laboured ceaselessly with his widely dispersed command, always sustaining morale. Once when "describing the over-all position," as he often did, to a party of "A" Company, he noticed a low muttering as they learned that a certain division, not of British composition, was coming up on their left. "It’s their best one," he informed them airily, and not only did he reassure them, but he was also right.
    On the following day, 14th May, contact was made with the enemy. Snipers were active and the left flank positions were heavily shelled. All Belgian troops were now withdrawn and the 3rd Division took over responsibility for the whole area, "A" Company starting the ball rolling with a map shoot during the afternoon.
    The enemy was still probing cautiously on the 15th, being apparently unwilling to commit any large forces in attack until he could size up the opposition. A small penetration between the left flank of 9th Infantry Brigade and 7th Guards Brigade was quickly sealed off, and a counter-attack by the 1st Grenadier Guards, supported by "A" Company with a map shoot, drove the enemy back.
    Plans for getting the shoot under way were at one time inter-fered with by a gas alarm. Already there had been some false alarms, probably the work of fifth columnists moving with the refugees. At this psychological moment it was noticed that the bright atmosphere was impregnated with small white particles. Captain Sword ordered "gas," and perhaps for the only time in the war, except for practice, a company headquarters donned their masks and equipment. A breeze cleared the air, and a specimen of the stuff was collected and sent off by despatch rider. There was no time to speculate on its nature, and theories of a new kind of "Arthur," and so on, were mentally postponed for discussion later. The phenomenon turned out to be pollen from the fruit trees near by moving in the breeze in the brilliant sunlight.
    "A" Company claimed to have silenced three German field guns during their shoot, but in doing so had revealed their own positions. They were subjected to heavy artillery and mortar fire and were also harassed by snipers. The Rev. F. H. West, padre to the Battalion, who was visiting "A" Company at the time, was wounded by the artillery fire.
    The 16th May was a fateful day for the B.E.F. It was also Albuhera Day and, in spite of many preoccupations, was re-membered in the Battalion. Early in the morning came reports of the French disaster at Charleroi and the break-through by the enemy. That meant the immediate withdrawal of the British forces and the prospect of a difficult rear-guard action until the line could again be stabilized. It was not yet realized quite how great the German penetration was, nor how serious the position was to become.
    Orders for the withdrawal came through at 1630 hours, but "A" Company was subjected to so heavy a fire that they could not move until darkness. The other companies withdrew inde-pendently and successfully, and at last light Captain Sword managed to get "A" Company back without loss, although Second-Lieutenant Illingworth was missing for some hours after being wounded and stunned.
    The difficulty about "A" Company’s positions was that the platoons had to be sited on a ridge which could easily be observed by the enemy. A reserve company of Grenadiers was withdrawn on this account, but having an important penetration task, "A" Company had to remain and just see it through. The withdrawal had been a difficult operation, but had been achieved in the face of very heavy enemy fire and in complete darkness. Captain Sword was subsequently awarded the M.C. for his conduct during the day’s fighting, and Private Davis received the M.M.
    For a few hours the Battalion was concentrated at the Hippo-drome, a large racecourse about eight miles west of Brussels. Here the men were under cover and the opportunity was taken to catch up a little on the sleep lost during the previous four nights. It was, however, to be only a short rest, for at 0700 hours on the 17th the Battalion withdrew again, this time to Dender Leeuw, behind the River Dendre. The Commanding Officer gave orders that defensive positions on the west bank of the river were to be reconnoitred and were to be occupied by first light on the 18th, in the expectation that the 4th Division, hold-ing an intermediate position round Brussels, would pass through on their way back during the day. In the meantime all troops were to rest as much as possible.
    Late on the 17th came further orders. The German advance in the south was now gaining momentum and a further with-drawal became imperative. The companies were now to man the bridges over the Dendre at once and hold them while the 4th Division, two armoured; brigades, and the 15th /19th Hussars crossed. The bridges were to be blown as soon as the last man was over.
    During the night and the morning of the 18th the 4th Divi-sion crossed the river, unhindered by the enemy. The bridges were blown at about midday, one of them before the 15th /19th Hussars could cross. This was necessary on the appearance of the enemy at the far end. As soon as they were blown the four companies took up their battle positions on the west bank and were soon in contact with the enemy along the whole of the front.
    At this period, Colonel Horrocks and Major Reid were both kept very busy with the constantly changing situation and the widely dispersed unit. Both were good linguists, a more than useful accomplishment at this time, when companies were apt to become embroiled with the Belgian Army and their liaison officers. Both adopted whole-heartedly the principle of cornrnanders getting out of their headquarters and seeing for them-selves.
    On the night of the 18th, the 3rd Division again received orders to withdraw. The Battalion was given the task of provid-ing the left-flank guard, in the order "A," "B," "C," and "D" Companies. They took up their positions at dawn with some anti-tank guns attached. Much to their surprise, they were not attacked, though it was obvious that the enemy knew about the Battalion’s positions because there was some shelling.
    As the infantry withdrew, the companies evacuated their positions and moved back. By noon of the 19th the withdrawal was successfully completed and the Battalion reached the River Escaut. Here the bridges were found to be already blown and, in the confusion while trying to find alternative crossing points, companies became widely separated. Finally, by 0600 hours on the 20th, all companies had been located and were concentrated in the area of Synghem. From here they were ordered to rendezvous in Swegevham, about five miles south-west of Courtrai.
    At 1400 hours a message from the divisional commander, Major-General Montgomery, brought orders for the line of the River Escaut to be held. It was decided to stand and fight on the river bank, with machine-gun fire as the backbone of the defence. Two companies were stationed forward on the river front, "B" on the right and "D" on the left. "A" and "C" were in reserve positions on the high ground round Dries and Coyghern. Three infantry brigades, 8th, 9th and 7th Guards, were also stationed forward on the river line.
    All companies were in position before dark, with intermittent small-arms fire and occasional artillery registration all along the front. This came from small groups of the enemy who had advanced up to the east bank, but it was apparent that the main forces were still some distance away. On the whole, the night was quiet and no incidents were reported.
    Surprisingly, the day of 21st May was also quiet. Early in the morning No. 9 Platoon of "B" Company observed a party of the enemy attempting to bring up mortars close to the river in the Warcoing area. They engaged the enemy and knocked out four mortar tractors. The only other incident of note was the foraging for food, the lines of communication having been cut by the German advance. Fortunately, cattle, pigs, and poultry were plentiful.
    "B" Company were fairly heavily shelled at first light on the 22nd, but the main weight of the enemy’s attack was directed on the 1st Division’s front, and the 3rd Division had another quiet morning.
    At noon on the 22nd the 3rd Division received orders to make a further withdrawal. The Battalion once again was to act as flank guard. The withdrawal was carried out under cover of darkness, positions being finally abandoned soon after mid-night. A new defensive position was taken up round Wattrelos, but many of the prepared positions were found to be unsuitable and the majority of pill-boxes incomplete.
    The 23rd May was quiet, with little sign of the enemy, but on the 24th the Commander, 8th Infantry Brigade, decided that the defence of his sector would be of an offensive character. Accordingly he ordered the Brigade to advance to the line of a railway about 1,000 yards in front of the forward positions, to hold the line for an hour, and then to withdraw again. There was to be no supporting fire from artillery during the advance, but Nos. 7 and 9 Platoons of "B" Company were to cover the Brigade as it went forward.
    Almost at once the leading troops ran into very heavy fire from artillery, mortars, machine guns, and anti-tank guns. The two platoons did what they could but, gallantly as they fought, they could not silence the opposition. One gun of No. 7 Platoon received a direct hit, causing a few casualties, but the remainder continued to fire at full pressure until the advance was called off. The infantry suffered very severe casualties, and Captain Pine, the Battalion M.O., spent the night in the Suffolk’s R.A.P. assisting with the wounded, some of whom were cared for in No. 7 Platoon’s headquarters opposite.
    The Commanding Officer, called to a conference at Divi-sional Headquarters, was informed that the enemy had broken through the Belgian defences to the north and that as a con-sequence his Battalion was to extend and take over the positions occupied by the 1/7th Middlesex as well as its own. As a result, companies became more widely separated than ever because of the considerably lengthened front they now had to defend.
    The collapse of the Belgians in the north was followed almost immediately by the news that French resistance in the south had, to all intents and purposes, ceased. There was hardly any effort being made there to contain the German break-through, and already enemy armoured divisions were racing through to the Channel coast at Calais and Boulogne. The B.E.F. and the French 7th Army were being cut off from their bases and, ex-cept for a small stretch of coastline, surrounded. It was there-fore decided to withdraw to the coast by stages, forming a perimeter round Dunkirk and Ostend, with a view to eventual evacuation to England.
    The situation was grim indeed, and the next order received did nothing to lighten it. This was to the effect that two officers and four sergeants were to report at once to II Corps Head-quarters for an immediate return to England to act as a nucleus for a new 2nd Battalion should evacuation become impossible. The officers selected were Major Musslewhite and Second-Lieutenant Marshall, Captain Parsler relieving the former in command of "D" Company.
    The Battalion was ordered to move to the northward on 27th May and take over the line of the Yser Canal near Zuydschoote in company with 15 1st Brigade. There were no Army maps for that part of Belgium, or for the intervening country, but with the aid of some civilian cycling maps and a certain amount of guesswork, all companies reached the rendezvous on time. On arrival there was no sign of 151st Brigade and it was left to the Battalion to hold a line some thirteen miles long. The southern end of the canal was the more difficult problem, well-wooded banks affording excellent cover for the enemy. Towards the north the country was more open, giving an excellent field of fire should an attack develop there.
    This was one of the rare occasions when a machine-gun bat-talion held a line and operated as a unit. Fifty yards away, on the other bank, lay the enemy, and there can be no doubt that it was solely the guns of the Battalion that stopped the Germans from crossing the canal during the day of the 27th and the following night. ,The time gained was invaluable.
    It was impossible to cover all the canal crossings with the small number of troops available, and two had to be left Un-guarded by machine guns. They were prepared for demolition and entrusted to the Anti-Aircraft Platoon, the Regimental Police, and stretcher-bearers. The situation was eased slightly by the discovery of III Corps prisoner-of-war camp, whose staff numbered about 100. These men were pressed into service, and by allocating them among the companies it was possible to find enough men for night patrols. Early on the 27th the remainder of the bridges were prepared for demolition, but Belgian officers intervened and insisted that they could only blow the bridges on direct orders from the Belgian Government.
    In the early morning of 28th May the leading elements of the 3rd Division arrived to take over the defence of the canal line. The relief of "D" Company was held up for some time by the activities of snipers, who took a heavy toll of the incoming infantry. They were finally silenced by a section of "D" Com-pany, who fired a belt through each window of the houses on the opposite bank in which the snipers had taken up their positions.
    The 28th May also brought news of the armistice with Germany signed by the King of the Belgians. This act at once exposed the left flank of the 3rd Division and of the whole B.E.F. There was only one course possible now, a further quick withdrawal to the coast and the holding of a perimeter long enough for the Army, or as much of it as possible, to embark.
    The situation was now changing almost hourly. The with-drawal entailed the splitting up of the Battalion, "A" and "B" Companies being detached to support 9th Infantry Brigade as they held the road from Lizerne to Poperinghe and covered the withdrawal of the remainder of the 3rd Division. Poperinghe itself was heavily bombed during the day, and the enemy, following up fast, forced action all along the line in an attempt to slow down the withdrawal and pin the troops to the ground.
    At noon on 29th May orders came through for the 3rd Division to withdraw again to the area of Fumes, taking up a position along the Furnes—Nieuport Canal to the north and the Furnes-Burgues Canal to the south. On the left the 4th Division were to extend the line to the sea. All available troops were put into the line, including R.E. and R.A.S.C. personnel. The Battalion, reunited again, took up positions with "A" Company on the right in support of 9th Infantry Brigade opposite Bulscamp, "B" Company in and to the south-west of Fumes, "C" Company in support of 7th Guards Brigade in and to the north of Fumes, and "D" Company on the left of the line, north of Fumes, supporting 8th Infantry Brigade.
    The withdrawal to Fumes brought vivid evidence of the magnitude of the defeat. Both sides of the road were lined with abandoned transport of every description, and the adjacent fields were packed with trucks and carriers, all thoroughly immobilized but not destroyed. Through this grim evidence of disaster the 3rd Division made its way, hindered by enemy sniping, mortar fire, and almost constant attack from the air. "D" Company was especially singled out for a heavy fire from small arms and mortars. Captain Parsler, commanding the company, was killed as he was directing fire back at the enemy. Second-Lieutenant Lyon, taking over, suffered the same fate almost immediately, and Captain Porter, second-in-command of "B" Company, was appointed to take over "D" Company.
    The 30th May, surprisingly enough, was a fairly quiet day. An enormous explosion east of Fumes, shortly after noon, indicated that an ammunition dump had been hit, but that was all to disturb the apparent calm. In the evening the Command-ing Officer was ordered to take over command of 11th Infantry Brigade, relieving Brigadier Anderson, who was assuming command of the 3rd Division in place of Major-General Montgomery, who took over II Corps. Major Reid once again became Commanding Officer of the Battalion in place of Lieutenant-Colonel Horrocks.
    Late that night the outline plan for the final withdrawal was communicated to the Battalion. Companies were to be thinned out and the men directed to the embarkation beaches. The final withdrawal was to be made on the night of the 31st May / 1st June, subject to the weather.
    Shortly before noon on the 31st the enemy began his final attacks on the line. Supported by H.E. and smoke, an attempt was made to cross the canal north-east of Fumes. A few of the enemy got across, but a counter-attack drove them back, leaving some dead on the ground. A more serious attack came in on the same sector at 1400 hours, and a partial penetration of the line was made. This, too, was held, and by 2000 hours the line was restored.
    Enemy heavy artillery had been brought up during the day and in the evening was registering on the beaches and their approaches. Bombers, strongly escorted by fighters, also made their appearance, and Dunkirk was attacked by a formation of about eighty and severely damaged. The smoke from the burning buildings formed a thick pall high in the air and visible from a great distance.
    At 2030 hours the final withdrawal orders were received from Divisional Headquarters. Battalion Headquarters closed down at 2300 hours and companies were ordered to withdraw under command of brigades.
    Shortly after midnight the enemy began systematic shelling of the approaches to the beaches, the beaches themselves, and the temporary embarkation piers. As a result, all organized embarkation had to be abandoned and touch with companies and platoons was soon lost, as each unit was withdrawing under command of the infantry it was supporting. From then onwards the story of the evacuation resolved itself into individual exploits and incidents.
    It is impossible to record, even if they were known, all the stories of that embarkation at Dunkirk. Two must suffice as giving some idea of the ordeal on the beaches on that 1st day of June, 1940, when the Battalion made its way home. Both are personal memories, but for various reasons are here told anonymously.
    "Captain Beath and thirty-three other ranks are still missing from this final stage," runs the first, "and it must be doubtful if anything will ever be known of their fate. Captain Willoughby was with him at about 4 a.m. organizing parties of ‘C’ Company to wade out to the boats, but Captain Beath went on down the beach to find somebody and did not return. He was seen later at about 0900 hours, armed with a rifle and with a bandolier of ammunition slung across his shoulders, firing at every German aircraft in sight. It was reported that still later he was known to have got a party of men with a boat, but some shells landed close by, causing a number of casualties, and he ordered all unwounded off the boat, loaded it with the wounded and then left the boat himself. He was known to be with P.S.M. Williams at the time (he is also missing), and it is feared that he eventually boarded a boat which received a direct hit from a dive-bombing attack. Charles Beath was another great and irreplaceable loss to the Battalion. He was a true soldier and a great gentleman."
    The other memory of that morning is this, written by a company commander:
    "The beach is an unforgettable sight. It is a quarter-past three, which means three-quarters of an hour in which to embark. A narrow bottle-neck is the only approach from the cross-roads. Trucks are blazing on each side of the road leading to the beach and there is a stream of men from every regiment under the sun, it appears. I remember rubbing shoulders with a party of men of the East Lancs from quite a different brigade. Troops are just pouring on to the beach. There is not a sign of a ship out to sea. It is barely dawn. The sea is dead calm and shrouded in a grey mist. There are long black columns of troops on the beach. Officers are shouting ‘This way’ to their regi-ments. No Middlesex are in sight. The memory of last night’s strict order, ‘No embarkation after 0400 hours,’ flashes back. It wants five minutes to 4 a.m. There must be 6,000—7,000 troops swaying backwards and forwards along the long, flat stretches of sand. The sand-dunes in our rear begin to loom up ominously as dawn comes into the sky. Suppose the Boche follows up! What a target this mass of humanity will present! What murder! And there are only weak carrier and A /T detach-ments left as rear-guards. Dunkirk is a strong point, but the perimeter of its defences is three to four miles away.
    "We have been moving first this way, then that. There seems no direction. Divisional reception points must have been knocked out. We each have something in our hands that we hope to get safely home. The C.S.M. is hoping to get home with nearly 1,000 cigarettes—part of his Roubaix stock. He spent his idle moments last night removing the cigarettes from their packets and tins and packing them into two biscuit tins. Each biscuit tin was carefully tucked away in his pack or haversack. I tell him he may have to discard them if there is any swimming to be done.
    "It grows lighter. The sand-dunes seem to make horribly good machine-gun positions. Still, thank God, no Boche has followed us up. At last a few grey shapes are discernible out to sea. And at last a welcome sight of Middlesex men. Marching in good order under Major Reid and Captain Bazalgette.
    "Some troops farther along the beach have begun to swim out to the boats, which are putting off from the ships. There is a wonderful selection of ships to take us off the beach. I suppose we all expected the might of the Royal Navy. Over to our left appear to be two ships of the Brighton Belle class. They can come in near with their shallow draft. Twinkling lights from larger hulks farther out to sea show that messages are being flashed. I try to read them, but the speed is too fast.
    "We seem to be moving back along the beach in the direction, it must be, of Dunkirk. Men have begun to swim out to the lifeboats which are now putting off in greater numbers; it is well after six o’clock, and blue skies are appearing through the mist. It looks as if another perfect summer’s day is breaking. June 1st: the Glorious First of June. It may well be a lucky omen. High summer in England.
    "What has happened to the Middlesex? We seem to have got separated. That looks like Lance-Corporal Gambrell ploughing through the sea. He has begun to strip already. Some of us are walking in the sea—ploughing our way is more accurate. Why, I never quite knew, but I throw my despatch case away. I suppose I had made up my mind I should have to swim for it sometime. The sea seems refreshingly warm after the cold has lapped one’s ankles. Enemy aircraft are appearing. The dive-bombers, I suppose. Thank merciful heaven no Boche has appeared on the sand-dunes behind us. A lifeboat is drawing near. I hail it. There are already some troops on board. I walk out and after a few breast strokes—I am glad I unlaced my boots as I can now easily kick them off—I am hauled aboard by Captain Porter! He is sitting in the prow. Time later to ask how, when, and where he got away. I last saw him in the Coiffeur at Fumes. We all help to row to H.M.S. Gossamer— no more fair minesweeper has ever put to sea. We are given a cabin in which to remove our clothes, and wrap ourselves in blankets."
    So ended the first campaign in Belgium and France.
     
    Day64 likes this.
  9. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

  10. sol

    sol Very Senior Member

    sol, could you add the link where you got that from, cheers.

    .>> 2nd Battalion, 1939-1945

    Sorry Owen, I forgot to do that last night. Thanks

    Cheers
    Enes
     
  11. Slater581

    Slater581 Junior Member

    Thank you to everyone who has answered my query so far. Andy, I didn't know about them being a machine gun battalion, but that is good to know thank you. How did you find this out please?
     
  12. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    In here matey
    [​IMG]
     
  13. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    He was in HQ Company. The Nominal Roll is taken from the Battalions War Diary-January 1939. The diary contains the Bn's complete nominal roll incase anyone wants any look-ups.

    [​IMG]
     
  14. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    I think he was the Padre's Batman. I've checked what little OR Field Returns there are in the units war diary and the only attached troops appear to be RAOC chaps in the Bn's LAD (Some Regt's had Batmen from other Regts attached).

    CWGC lists only Private Day near the date of death of the Padre's Batman from 2 Middlesex Regt. The Battalion Chaplain, Rev F H West is listed as part of HQ Company and it is very possible Pte Day was 'volunteered' to be his Batman when the Padre joined the battalion on 9th May from England.

    [​IMG]
     
  15. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    The only thing I can find that may dispute this theory is this page in the back of the diary.

    [​IMG]
     
  16. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    That's a good find Drew. The batman's duties would have included driving so he would always have been with the Padre.

    I'm not sure that the 'Died of Wounds' (at Zaventem ) is so contradictory as the war diary was almost certainly typed up afterwards and if they had known that he had died, then it would probably state just 'killed', it doesn't state 'Died Instantly'

    It looks as if the Padre went on to become Bishop of Taunton and that he had an MID. Any clues there ?

    Francis West (bishop) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
     
  17. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    No MiD listed on the NA's website.
     
  18. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    I had a look at the names noted as still missing when the diary was filed. (With thanks to Geoff's Wonderful Search Engine - still my preferred method of searching for Commonwealth casualties).

    :poppy:

    WILLIAMS, REGGIE

    Rank:
    Warrant Officer Class III
    Service No:
    6200072
    Date of Death:
    03/06/1940
    Age:
    27
    Regiment/Service:
    Middlesex Regiment

    2nd Bn.
    Panel Reference
    Column 115.
    Memorial
    DUNKIRK MEMORIAL

    Additional Information:

    Son of David and Beatrice Williams, of Six Bells, Monmouthshire; husband of Elsie V. Williams, of Upper Edmonton, Middlesex.




    :poppy:
    WILLIS, FREDERICK EDWARD WILLIAM

    Rank:
    Private
    Service No:
    6203754
    Date of Death:
    Between 28/05/1940 and 01/06/1940
    Age:
    20
    Regiment/Service:
    Middlesex Regiment

    2nd Bn.
    Panel Reference
    Column 116.
    Memorial
    DUNKIRK MEMORIAL

    Additional Information:

    Son of William Tarant Willis and Letetia Willis, of Brentford, Middlesex.

    I can't find any trace of 645954 Private F. Wolfe.
     
  19. Richard Fisher

    Richard Fisher Machine Gunner

  20. Day64

    Day64 New Member

    Hello. I am also a relative of John Francis Day. Thank you for the information you gave Drew5233. I believe my Great Uncle John died of a shrapnel inflicted head wound. My late Grandmother was in possession of a photograph of his grave and Military Passbook. The information on CWGC website says Grave 2 but it appears to be Grave 3 now.
     
    Drew5233 likes this.

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