Drew Thanks for the post Intresting that they reformed at Ripon after the Dunkirk evacuation, I have documentation refering to No 3 T.B.R.E from my fathers unit
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! You have confirmed an ancient family legend: my father was at Dunkirk! Like many veterans he never mentioned the war beyond the times in my childhood when I pestered him with army questions (how big was your rifle?). He mentioned once that he was on the beaches at Dunkirk. Sadly, he passed away when I was a young man so I never got a chance to ask him about that or his other war experiences. When he was in a coma, dying from cancer, he mumbled once about "behind enemy lines". For the rest of my life I have wondered about that, and the war diary above may explain it. Last week I received his Service Record (5 weeks to Canada!). I never had any specific information about his army career and it shows 293 Field Park Company as the unit he enlisted in on September 1, 1939. And his record shows him returning to the UK 9 months later on June 1, 1940 as ex-BEF with this same unit. Amazing! Complete confirmation of a dimly remembered childhood story. The war diary above shows they arrived on the beaches May 27, so he must have been there 3 or 4 days. I have attached a photo of the young lad who signed up, his enlistment forms, and the service record page showing him returning from Dunkirk. I am so proud to see the "Military Conduct: Exemplary". He was Eric Sanderson of Accrington, Lancs. He later served in Italy as a Royal Engineers Lieutenant and Captain with 160 Railway Construction Company and others, so I have many more interesting war diaries to find. Thanks again for posting this! Tim
Pleasure and glad they have helped to start to unravel his military career. Drop me a PM if you need any further help. Cheers Andy
