255780 Sgt. Edwin Walter Bickerstaff British Army 1/6th Btn. East Surrey Regiment from:Croydon Edwin Bickerstaff was posted with the BEF to France. He left his gold watch (a present from his parents on his 21st Birthday) in a shop in Rouen for repair and then were told to leave the area quickly , so never got it back. He did a 100 route march, unsure whether he was evacuated at Dunkirk, but anyway, disembarked in UK on 20th of June 1940, possibly based at Wittering?
He was then based in Chichester and by 20th of October 1940 was in Southampton which was badly bombed. From his service record, it looks as though he was injured as had 21 days in hospital (therefore didn't go with his mates to Mount Casino).
Instead, spent the rest of the war as a Sgt, NCO Instructor at 12 ITC at Canterbury. He was injured again in February 1945 and was hospitalized.
In January 1946 he receieved a notice of impending release while at Shorncliffe Barracks, Cheriton, Kent.
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