8 May 2020 saw us celebrate the 75^th anniversary of VE Day.  However, we mustn’t forget the dark days of May and June 1940, eighty years ago.  The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) were fighting a rearguard action to save the backbone of the British army, which was making its way into a small pocket surrounding the port of Dunkirk. 

Churchill described it as a colossal military disaster and hailed the rescue as a miracle of deliverance. Wars are not won by evacuations. The evacuation began on 26 May when 7,669 allied soldiers were evacuated. It was thought that at least 45,000 men could be brought home before the Germans reached the port. By 4 June 1940, the last day of the evacuations, the total number of allied forces taking from the beaches and harbour during ‘Operation Dynamo’, as it was called, was a colossal 338,226, including 123,000 French soldiers.  What is often forgotten is that there were still large numbers of the BEF in France, cut off to the south of the Somme by the German “race to the sea”. 

At the end of May, further British troops had  been sent to France with the hope of establishing a second BEF. The majority of the 51st (Highland) Division were forced to surrender on 12 June. By then, almost 192,000 allied personnel – 144,000 of them British – were evacuated through various French ports between 15 and 25 June under the codename ‘Operation Ariel’. The Germans marched into Paris on 14 June and France surrendered eight days later.

Not many people know that 100,000 French troops evacuated from Dunkirk were temporarily billeted in camps around south-western England, before being repatriated home.  British ships ferried these French troops to ports in Normandy and Brittany. For many French soldiers, the Dunkirk evacuation represented only a few weeks’ delay before being killed or captured by the German army after their return to France.

Of the 863 ships, big and small, that helped save the British Army, 243 were sunk. From 10 May, up to the surrender of France in June, 68,000 members of the British Expeditionary Force were lost, along with 445 tanks, 20,000 motorcycles, and 65,000 other vehicles. Tons of stores and ammunition were left behind. In the same period, the Royal Air Force lost 959 aircraft.  Despite what many troops thought, the RAF were actively trying to halt the German onslaught.

It is said that for every seven men evacuated, one was left behind to become a prisoner of war.  

The Newcastle Evening Chronicle on 21 November 1918 stated that the influenza was still retaining its grip on Newcastle, with 71 deaths. It was reported that between 40-50 Policemen in the city were off duty due to attacks of the epidemic.  We mustn’t forget that this was the second bout of the epidemic; there was one earlier in July. On 2 July it was reported that here were a considerable number of cases in Newcastle. The Post Office had been badly hit; although for some reason the girl telegram messengers were hit worse than the boys. Yesterday, a number of young women collapsed in the streets with two having to be taken to the infirmary. 

On 6 July it was reported that 2000 children and 20 teachers were absent with the flu in Gateshead Schools. However, Sunderland seemed to be badly hit by the epidemic as on 30 November 1918 the Chronicle reported: 

At the present time 200 bodies lie waiting to be buried. Some of the deaths had occurred some 10 days ago. The grave diggers have been overwhelmed at the amount of work and now soldiers had been brought in to assist. 

The authorities had also appealed to the military to release undertaker’s assistants from service. In the meantime the Army had offered the council a number of joiners, but their services so far had not been accepted. The tramway committee had offered the use of their shed which was fitted with necessary machines which could be used to cut wood for making coffins.

In November 1918 the Medical Office of Health for the city reported that there were 8000 cases of Influenza.

Old Newcastle Post Office building

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,