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26th May 1940On this day:
If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.
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Remembering those who died this day.
- Bath William Benjamin Morris. Pte. (d.26th May 1940)
- Gill Edward. Pte. (d.26th May 1940)
- Graves George. Pte (d.26th May - 1st June 1940)
- Grimmer George. L/Cpl. (d.26th May 1940)
- Law William Joseph. Pte. (d.26th May 1940)
- Lee Herbert. (d.26th May 1940)
- Sharp Arthur Clifford. Pte. (d.26th May - 4th June 1940)
- Steele William Joseph . Fus. (d.26th May 1940 )
- Taylor Fletcher Clare. Marine. (d.26th May 1940)
- Thompson Allan. Pte. (d.26th May 1940)
The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed,
please
Add a Name to this List
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Want to know more about the 26th of May 1940? There are:80 items tagged 26th of May 1940 available in our Library
These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War. |
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Stories from 26th May 1940
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Rifleman Alec Jay. Army, Queen Victoria's Rifles 9th London Regiment. My late father Alec Jay, was a British prisoner of war at Stalag VIIIB. His rank and serial number were as follows: Rifleman Alec Jay, army number 6896204 of the 1st battalion of the 9th London Rgt, Queen Victoria’s Rifles and his POW number was 15129. I have attached a group photo taken in Lamsdorf. My father is the soldier with the moustache on the extreme right as you look at the photo.
He was captured in Calais on 26th May 1940 and was imprisoned at Stalag 344, Lamsdorf from June 1940 to May 1945. He worked in a series of work camps including Groschowitz (Groszowice) from July 1940 to October 1940 on building works, Gumpertsdorf (Komprachcice) from November 1940 to January 1941 on roadworks, Heuerstein, from 25th May 1941 to 3rd June 1941, in a quarry, Setzdorf (Vápenná), from 18th August 1941 to 27 February 1944, in another quarry, Jagerndorf (Strzelniki), from March 1944 to August 1944, on council work, Freudenthal (Bruntál), from August 1944 to September 1944, in a linen factory, and Gurschdorf (Skorošice) from September 1944 to March 1945, a quarry that was also a punishment camp.
He was tortured by the Under Officer in charge of his first working party (Groschowitz/ Groszowice) to find out if he was a Jew. That involved being beaten in the face with a rifle butt, an assault that led to the loss of his teeth. I have used the German names for these places and have put as many Polish or Czech names that I can identify in brackets.
My father told us that he escaped on a number of occasions, typically from working parties and although he did not achieve a 'home run', he was on the run on VE day having fought in the liberation of Prague alongside Czech partisans. At one point, after being recaptured, a German guard ordered him to 'dig his own grave' at the point of a gun and then when he had dug the hole told him to fill it in again.
If anyone has any information that might relate to my late father, I would be most keen to learn of it. John Jay
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Pte. William Joseph Law. British Army, 9th Btn. Durham Light Infantry. (d.26th May 1940) William Joseph Law joined the 9th Battalion D.L.I. (Private 4454416)and was also killed-in-action at Vimy Ridge, near Arras, on the retreat to Dunkirk. His name appears on the Dunkirk Memorial, Nord, France which commemorates those soldiers of the British Expeditionary Force who have no known grave. George Law
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Pte George Graves. British Army, 2nd Bttn Durham Light Infantry. (d.26th May - 1st June 1940) George Graves who died between 26th May and 1st June 1940 was aged 20. He was born in Jarrow in 1919.
George is buried in St Venant Communal Cemetery and commemorated on the WW2 Roll of Honour Plaque in the entrance of Jarrow Town Hall. Vin Mullen
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Pte. Arthur Clifford Sharp. British Army, 2nd Btn. Durham Light Infantry . (d.26th May - 4th June 1940) Arthur Sharp served with the 2nd Battalion, Durham Light Infantry he lost his life between the 26th of May 1940 and 4th of June 1940. Arthur Cyril Sharp
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Pte. Allan Thompson. British Army, 2nd Btn. Durham Light Infantry. (d.26th May 1940) Allan Thompson died of wounds at St Venant. He is remembered on the Dunkirk Memorial.Ray Plowman
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Pte. William Benjamin Morris Bath. British Army, 1st Btn. Kings Shropshire Light Infantry. (d.26th May 1940)
S Flynn
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Marine. Fletcher Clare Taylor. Royal Navy, HMS President III Royal Marines. (d.26th May 1940) Fletcher Taylor died by drowning in Pictou Harbour, details are from his death certificate.
He is buried in Seaview Cemetery, Pictou, Nova Scotia, Canada
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Fus. William Joseph Steele. British Army , 1st Btn. Royal Irish Fusiliers . (d.26th May 1940 ) My granddad, William Steele was born 1920 in Cork City. He died around the 26th of May 1940 while the Dunkirk evacuation was happening. I remember my great gran telling about him as a child. I researched it and found he was killed in Belgium and buried in France. I used to play with his medals when I was a young child.William Steele
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L/Cpl. George Grimmer. British Army, 5th Btn. Yorkshire Regiment. (d.26th May 1940) George Grimmer is remembered on the Dunkirk Memorial.Trevor Richmond
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