Hello On the 24th or 25th of May 1940 a famous Belgian cyclist was taken from his pub in Menin by troops of the BEF. Some days later he was shot in Roncq. He had resisted when British soldiers had taken furniture of his pub to barricade an important road near the Lys river. The soldiers who arrested him were Poles. Does someone has more info on this event. And... were the Poles concentrated in particular units.
In all my years of researching the BEF in Belgium via war diaries and published sources, I have never seen any reference to Polish servicemen in the British Army of 1940. The Polish Government in exile organised troops in France after the fall of Poland and they were subordinate to the French Army, not to the British. Foreign nationals at that time were generally concentrated in the Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps as labourers and they didn't advance into Belgium. There were certainly no Polish units.
24,352 Polish troops were evacuated from Western France between 15 June and 25 June; almost all by British and Polish merchant ships.
The cyclist in question was Julien Vervaecke. The widespread presumption is that he was killed by the allies (British and Polish troops are mentioned online) but the circumstances that led to his death, as well as the actual date, seem to be unknown.
https://www.facebook.com/worldwarin...podhale-rifle-brigade-takin/1184796534983470/ Having lived close to Malestroit I know there is a memorial at the sports ground to many of the Poles when it was used as a major 'collection' point for them THE POLISH ARMY IN FRANCE, 1939-1940 THE POLISH ARMY IN FRANCE, 1940 Operation Monika Hoping it leads to a better understanding of the relationships
