This is a letter recived by my late mother from the father of Second Lieutenant C N Jenson 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, about the capture of my late father Lance Corporal W.E. Phillips 1st Battalion Welsh Guards.
Letter dated 25.06.1940
The following account of the events of Wednesday 29th May 1940 leading up to the time when my son Second Lieut. C.N.Jenson, 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and the nine men with him at the end were last seen is the result of exhaustive enquiries which I have personally made from all officers and men whom I was told were likely to be able to throw any light on the subject.
I am satisfied that I now know all that I shall ever know unless either my son or any of his men survive as prisoners of war. I consider that there is a fair chance of this but I cannot say that there is any evidence of it. I may say that I have heard from various sources that the Germans are treating their prisoners and the wounded well. I understand that both the Government and the Red Cross have found great difficulty in finding out about prisoners up till now. So we do not expect to have further news for some time.
The action in question took place in Flanders half way between West Cappell and Vyfweg 12 miles inland from Dunkirk about 5 oclock in the afternoon. My son's platoon based on a farmhouse was the right platoon of his company on the flank from the enemy attack was expected and it was covering the rest of the company with which the remainder of the battalion was fighting a real guard action. My son's orders were to hold onto his position until things got too hot and then retire to the rest of the company.
His position in the afternoon became serious as his platoon was attacked by four tanks followed by infantry estimated by a survivor as a good deal more than a company. My son then decided to evacuate the position and to fall back on the company. He ordered his platoon sergeant to retire in a motor vehicle with all the platoon except nine men who were then engaging the enemy to cover the retreat of the rest of the platoon.
The sergeant with his party managed to rejoin the company without serious loss although two or three men were slightly wounded by machine gun fire from the ground and from enemy aeroplanes. Some of this party are returned to England I am afraid that the rest of this party were either killed or wounded in the main attack on the battalion which occured shortly afterwards in whcih some officers and 250 men were lost in the subsequent evacuation from Dunkirk.
None of those remaining with my son are returned. My son saw the sergeants party safely off in their motor vehicle and was last seen entering the farmhouse to get the rest of his men away in the other motor vehicle.
Nothing more is known except that from a distance it was seen that the farmhouse was being hit by shells mortars, which I understand always follow the German tanks who send for mortars if they encounter serious opposition. Subsequently it was seen that the farmhouse was on fire but it does not at all follow that my son and his men had not withdrawn from the house before this happened. We must just hope for the best.
My wife and I were comforted by the thought as I know you will be that if that was the end it was a gallant one and that our son and his platoon carried out successfully the important task they were entrusted with and worthily upheld the honour of their regiment and the brigade of guards.
The last man got away with the sergants party who I liked very much gave me an account of their last afternoon which it would interest you to hear.
The platoon arrived at the farmhouse at about 2:30pm their put out sentries and everyone washed and shaved and had a good meal. My son then found an abandoned motor vehicle full of clean underclothes and battle dress and as they were all rather dirty by then they changed out of their old clothes into new ones. They then turned on a small wireless set and waited for the enemy.
These simple facts helped my wife and I very much to visualise the whole thing and I thought you would like to hear them although they do not add anything very material to the story which I already told you.
My father Lance Corporal W. E. Phillips sadly passed away on September 3rd 1978. He never spoke much about events in the war but he was a prisoner of war for five years in Stalag XXA, POW number 10744. Any information about this camp would be appreciated.
