The Wartime Memories Project - The Second War

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243978 Harold Douglas "Deane" Deane British Army 5th Batallion Gloucester Regiment Story Submitted to local newspaper. Sir - It was very interesting to read the story of the 5th Glosters retreat from Ledringham prior to their evacuation form Dunkirk in 1940. I would, if I may, like to add one or two facts to that story! I was, on that day, one of a party of six men in a trench on the edge of the village, waiting for the German attack. On the previous evening we had taken part in a bayonet charge in the main street of Ledringham, also hoping to dislodge a sniper from the church tower. The next day, however, we dug our trench and settled in. By late afternoon things seemed to be very quiet. Then at dusk, we heard a motorcycle approaching. It turned out to be Pte. B. Johns, our despatch rider, who had come to warn us that the Battalion had pulled out of the village hours before. We were to make our way, as best we could to the coast. Darkness was falling and the windmill (mentioned in your story) was almost destroyed, the church was ablaze and we made our way through a field of red cabbage with German tracer bullets slicing through the cabbages at regular intervals. In retrospect, rather a funny sight! Having picked up one or two stragglers, we made our way, without a map towards Dunkirk, with the instinct of a homing pigeon. Marching on through the night we arrived just after dawn, a mile to the east of the town to be taken off some 30 hours later by a destroyer. Others may have their own stories to tell, but I thought this might be of interest to some of your readers. We did not all escape the bed of the brook as Mr Walter Lord suggests in his book "The Miracle of Dunkirk" H. D. Deane (late 51849561 5h Battallion, Glos. Regiment) He died in 1994 Kathryn Deane Add to this record.  Related Content: Operation Dynamo - The Evacuation from Dunkirk and nearby Beaches Battle of France and The Low Countries 1940 5th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment Can you help us to add to our records? Add a record to our website. The names and stories on this website have been submitted by their relatives and friends. If your relations are not listed please add their names so that others can read about them Did you or your relatives live through the Second World War? Do you have any photos, newspaper clippings, postcards or letters from that period? Have you researched the names on your local or war memorial? Were you or your relative evacuated? Did an air raid affect your area? If so please let us know. Help us to build a database of information on those who served both at home and abroad so that future generations may learn of their sacrifice. Contact us. Celebrate your own Family History Celebrate by honouring members of your family who served in the Secomd World War both in the forces and at home. We love to hear about the soldiers, but also remember the many who served in support roles, nurses, doctors, land army, muntions workers etc. Please use our Family History resources to find out more about your relatives. Then please send in a short article, with a photo if possible, so that they can be remembered on these pages.

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