May 1940: Evacuation home gets closer for some, but not all.

In the collection there are a number of items from Private Alex Morton who joined ‘X’ Company 9^th Battalion, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers. He wrote to the Harding family in Widdrington Colliery on Sunday 28 April 1940 letting them know that he had safely arrived “Somewhere in France” and that they were billeted in an old barn on a French farm. The owners were doing their washing for a small consideration, and would do anything for an English cigarette.

We know he became a prisoner of war (POW) as he later sent two postcards to the same family in 1941 from the Camp he was interned in. In the first one he mentions he has heard the sad news that Willie Grey and Jimmy Leck have been killed.

Following a recruitment drive in 1939, the 9^th Battalion was formed, as an offshoot of 7^th Battalion, both were Territorial units. At the outbreak of war the Battalion HQ was based in Alnwick and the following companies were based:-  

‘W’ Company – Rothbury

‘X’ Company – Amble

‘Y’ Company – Ashington

‘Z’ Company – Berwick Upon Tweed

But who were Willie and Jimmy? Well the following information was found on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website:-

Pte 4274505 William Grey, 9^th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers son of John & Cicely Annie Grey of Widdrington Colliery. Killed in Action 22 May 1940. Aged only 21.

Pte 4272184 James Ranson Leck, 9^th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers husband of Mary Leck of Stobswood. Killed in Action 23 May 1940. Aged 25. 

According to the War Diaries for the 9^th Battalion, nicely transcribed by the North East War Memorial Project [NEWMP], the battalion left their camp at Killingworth for the train station at 20.45 on 22 April 1940, leaving on two trains. The first stopped at Oxford at 06.00 for breakfast. After a further three hour journey to Southampton they caught the SS Fennella, bound for France. The other train stopped at Leicester for breakfast before arriving in Southampton at 12.30 and onwards to France on the same vessel. 

Whilst in France, waiting for some action, they would have done the usual military things training/marching/parading all in the early summer sun. By 22 May the battalion were at Merville, improving the local defences. At 19.15 they encountered light aerial bombing by the Luftwaffe. During the evening, rumours started to circulate that Germany Armoured vehicles were approaching their positions.

On 23 May, they continued to improve the defences of the town and more rumours abounded that tanks and snipers hidden in houses were at work, but this was dismissed as being spread by fifth columnists. On both days no casualties were recorded in the war diaries. 

Willie is buried in Renescure Churchyard, which is between Saint Omer and Hazebrouck. There are only 14 others buried in the same churchyard, nearly all are servicemen of the Royal Artillery. However, there is one other, Fusilier Francis Glancey, aged 22 from Tynemouth. All were killed between 15 and 26 May 1940. The eldest was 36 years old, the youngest only 20.

Jimmy is buried in the nearby Arques Churchyard. There are only 6 commonwealth graves; all were killed on 23 May 1940. He is buried with three other local soldiers from the 9^th Battalion – George Eastlake from Lynemouth; Gordon Raffle of Klondyke and Joseph Cable [no home town is recorded].  

There are no pictures or references to Willie or Jimmy in the newspapers, the Battalion War Diaries or our other collections, so until now they have just been another entry on the Commonwealth War Graves and a mention on the NEWMP website. Their names would have been forgotten for longer had they not been mentioned on a postcard written some 80 years ago. Now you know about Willie and Jimmy and the countless others who paid the ultimate sacrifice on the retreat to Dunkirk.

One last thing which has come to light after this blog was written: the food parcels mentioned in the letters home from Alex Morton, were sent by Elizabeth Harding to the boys of Widdrington Colliery who had gone off to fight, especially those who had ended up in POW camps. There is a Harding family story that Elizabeth gave each lad from the Colliery who went off to fight a coin, and that the only one who didn’t come to collect a coin was the only one who didn’t come home. We wonder if this was Willie Grey?

Information from North East War Memorial Project Website [NEWMP] and Cofepow.org.uk,