209323 Cpt. Ernest Frederic Hope "Jeff" Jeffery British Army Royal Artillery My Grand-Father, Ernest F.H. Jeffery, Royal Artillery was captured at Dunkirk as a member of the rear party to the B.E.F., whilst on the beaches at Dunkirk he was machine-gunned/straffed by the Luftwaffe in the legs and lower back and later was hospitalised.
Whilst he was in Hospital being treated for his wounds,a rumour thought to have been started by the Germans,insisted that German Prisoners of War where being chained and hand-cuffed whilst in detention centres in the United Kingdom! This was of course totally untrue but at that time Herr Gobbels jumped onto any means to spread his propaganda and rhetoric. But, the up-shot of this rumour was that Allied Prisoners of War where taken from where-ever they where being held in camps or hospitals and chained, handcuffed and manacled together and forced to undertake a forced 1000 mile march from Dunkirk to Germany in retaliation for the supposed chaining of German POW's.
He was eventually housed in Offlag V11 B near Eichstadt,for the duration of the war,& his injuries were as such to prevent him attempting to escape! I do remember him telling me that he worked in the market garden in the town and brought back vegetables to supplement the rations supplied by the camp guards
Though he was an officer he was a rarity as he came up through the ranks having signed on as Gunner in the Royal Artillery India around 1923-24. He was discharged from the Army after having served 21 years 10 months and demoted from Major to his pre war rank that of Captain. This was done, he said, to prevent paying him his full Army pension.
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