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About
234891Pte. Geoffrey Handley
British Army 4th Btn. Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
from:Tipton, Dudley, Staffordshire
(d.19th May 1940)
My great uncle Geoffrey Handley, was born in March 1919, at Tipton, Dudley, Staffordshire, West Midlands, England. He was the loving son of Annie Kinsey-Handley.During World War 2 Geoffrey served in the 4th Battalion, Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. He was part of the BEF (British Expeditionary Force). His regiment had been surrounded by Germans and they made it to the Dunkirk beaches, during the evacuation of British and French soldiers off the beaches of Dunkirk.
Geoffrey died aged 21, on Sunday 19th May 1940 and he was buried at sea on Sunday 19th May 1940, aged 21. His memorial is at Dunkirk town cemetery, Dunkirk, France.
Additional Information:
Further information from War Diaries I have- When Geoffrey and his battalion were eventually ordered to head for the beaches of Dunkirk.On 19th of May 1940, Geoffrey Handley and his battalion had marched about 10 miles waiting for the RASC to meet up, however the RASC had been held up & fired up by Germans- When the RASC met up, there were insufficient lorries. Geoffrey was part of the convoy of lorries, fuel trucks, water trucks, refugees. Geoffrey and his battalion were all told to pack into the insufficient lorries like sardines, by the time they were near the River Scheldt, Tournai, France, a Sapper Major order the convoy to pack in on the road (the Sapper Major was shot as a 5th columnist). subsequently German planes came, troop carrying lorries in tune were ordered to get out, the German planes dropped their load, and all was ablaze at least one lorry load of soldiers were injured, missing. Geoffrey was one of the soldiers who didn't make it. Killed in action WW2 19th of May 1940.
kathi Handley
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