BEF rearguard action at De Moeren/Bulskamp (May 29th till May 31st 1940)

To be honest Christian, I mainly posted it up just in case the question arose of who was the other side of Houthem, perhaps because a German report might have commented on a lack of opposition. The June diary confirms that they withdrew with little contact.

 

The German 56th Infantry Division was in charge for the sector from Wulpen (excl.) to Zwaantje, the 216th ID from Zwaantje (excl.) to the French border and the 14th was in charge of assaulting the Hondschoote-Ghyvelde area (which was completely flooded by the time they arrived in their area of operations).

I am currently reading 'Die Geschichte der 216./272. Infanterie-Division' by Martin Jenner. A good book, but apart from an interesting map, nothing much transpires about what truly happened when the 216th tried to cross the Bergenvaart near Houthem. Reading between the lines, I think their commander allowed the 56th ID to take the heat as to minimise own casualties.

As I focussed on Bulskamp, I still have research to conduct regarding the two other German divisions (work in progress).

 

I confess I don’t know, sorry.

 

According to Farndale's "The Years of Defeat 1939-41" the CRA of 50 Division was, as of 10th May 1940, Brigadier C.W. Massy. Another RA Brigadier, H.R.S. Massy was responsible for a lot of work before the war involving aerial spotting of artillery fire.

 

I have just seen something else in the war diary that I have previously missed. More shame for me. So a double

It is the citation for the posthumous MM for 871658 Gunner Charles George Russell, killed, as you know, alongside Major Cragg-Hamilton in this action on 31 May.

His MM was awarded for his actions on 21 May in which he saved Major Cragg-Hamilton while under fire, the latter having been stunned by a bullet. The war diary entry points to this occurring with Frankforce in the Arras attack.

A narrow escape for both men on that day, clearly, and a rescue they possibly chatted about later, but ironically they were to then die together ten days later. Fate is a bastard isn’t it…

 

An entry in 92FR’s diary indicates that, if only for that one day, 13th May, a Colonel Graham was acting CRA of 50 Div.

 

I was looking at the IWM today and came across some recorded interviews of men from the 8th and 9th DLI. I confess I have not searched for any recordings of men from 6/7 DLI, 2/RUR, 3/GG or 1/KOSB.

I’ve only listened to two of the recordings so far, these two below, and the action does get a mention, albeit quite brief and no great detail, but I thought you’d like to hear them:

John James March, officer with 9/DLI. Reel 2 is the one, at about 21:20 (warning, Christian, he doesn’t rate Belgian soldiers much in earlier comments):

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80010392

Ian Roger English, officer with Carrier Platoon 8/DLI. Reel 4, about 19:15 onwards:

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80006234

Here are the others I have found, but I have not heard any of them yet, but in case you wanted to listen anyway:

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80011029

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80016186

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80010201

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80023487

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80014569

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80022259

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80010391

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80010194

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80012448

This next one, the description for Reel 8 mentions his role as transport officer being “illustrated by evacuation of 9th Bn, Durham Light Infantry from Bullescamp Chateau”. Again, I’ve not listened to it yet:

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80010182

It is a great shame that this next recording is not digitised - it’s Richard Campion Austin. As it appears to be about the evacuation from Dunkirk, it may not mention this battle at all, but maybe he does…whatever it does or does not mention, what a great shame that we cannot listen to Gun Buster!

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80001049

Only recording I have found for 92/FR is this one by Leonard Mallett of 365 Bty. His time with the BEF is described only very briefly, he mentions being wounded at Adinkerke and being evacuated from there to La Panne and that’s about it really:

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80023552

IWM does also hold some private papers and photos for three or four men of 92/FR, but, of course, as usual, they have not been digitised so I cannot read them. What a pity.

 

The Royal Ulster Rifles Dug In Near Furnes (About 15 Miles East Of Dunkirk).Looking Towards The German Lines.June 1940

source: mauritius images

 

Dear friends,

As you may already know, I am currently preparing for a lecture (in Dutch) on the BEF's rearguard action at De Moeren/Bulskamp on behalf of the Bulskamp parish council for Open Heritage Day on September 13th, 2026. Things are progressing quite smoothly and I am to present my work for final validation at the end of this month.

My prime objective is to tell the story of the soldiers who fought and died defending the perimeter and are now buried in the nearby churchyards. Since this is a cultural event, I shall also highlight the role played by local landmarks (such as St. Charles windmill, St. Bertinus church and château St. Flora) during the course of the combats shall also be mentioned during the presentation.

I must admit I haven't the slightest idea as to the attendance nor the reaction of the audience. I'm afraid this part of our history is now all but forgotten by the locals. Having been once too many on the receiving end of events, after the war, this entire traumatic chapter of our history was almost completely erased form collective memory. As a result, nowadays, the locals know next to nothing about what really happened in late May 1940. This lecture therefor represents an opportunity to somewhat rectify this situation.

This endeavour, however, would not have been possible without your kind contributions to the thread on the forum. Subsequently, I would like to mention all of you for the part each of you took in making this possible. So, if you would agree, please send me a PM with your full names and titles and I'll make sure you'll be given due credit. I shall, of course, also specifically mention the forum.

KR,
Christian

 

I tend to side with Hans von Seeckt’s philosophy on this: ‘General Staff officers have no names’

I do, however, wish you every success with your dedicated project

 

Interesting you should mentioned von Seeckt's policy on General Staff Officers, Ollie.
As it happens, it was my intention to highlight the role played by one of them: Lieutenant-Colonel Viscount Robert BRIDGEMAN.



Not only did he establish the contours of the Dunkirk Defence Perimeter, he also managed to convince the French (cfr. Cassel Conference thread) to adopt his plans. Yet, in spite of his huge contribution to the success of Operation Dynamo, historians rarely acknowledge this achievement.

 

Dear all,

Thursday last, I presented the final draft of my lecture to the Bulskamp Parish Council for Open Monumentendag 2026. To keep a long story short: most of them were astonished about what I showed them as they had no idea of the scope of what had happened in late May 1940. Suffice to say that some of them had never heard of Lord Gort and knew next to nothing regarding the B.E.F. nor about the men who died in the neighbouring fields and now have a found a final resting place in the local churchyards... Clearly, there is still a lot of work to be done here in terms of heritage and remembrance... Perhaps one should suggest to the CWGC to focus somewhat less on Ypres?

Anyway, on the bright side, my presentation did certainly have an impact.
Consequently, I am now invited to give my lecture not once, but four (!) times.

Meanwhile, this intellectual exercise has highlighted some missing links. Since a lot of material was close at hand, I did focus a lot on the role played by the 92nd Fd. Regt., RA. However, there was a second artillery regiment involved: the 91st Fd. Regt., RA. Through Andy, I managed to get hold of their war diary, but the document did not provide me with any valuable insights. For, example, I learned they were entrenched 'south of Adinkerke' (which could be virtually anywhere in De Moeren). They had arrived on May 29th and their positions were occupied and ready to fire by 0730 hrs. As to their positions, the war diary also states: "Positions occupied at Adinkerke were undoubtably the best we had during the course of operations." Sadly, no co-ordinates were provided... I could nonetheless establish that they fired frequently in direction of Bulskamp. Interesting detail: "Wireless communications with O.P.'s worked well for a considerable period, but later deteriorated owing to enemy jamming." This suggests to me their batteries were too far away from the O.P.'s to be linked by field telephone.

So, if anyone could enlighten me on this topic, I'd be most grateful.

I am also still looking for a decent picture of a Guy Quad towing a limber and a 18/25 pounder, but was unable to find something decent on the Internet.

Kind Regards,
Christian

 

Might this be helpful?

 

Well done, Christian.

CWGC has something of a 'verdienmodel' around Ypres.That said, it's good for the chocolate shops and it means that not all of the Great War tourism ends up in France. The 1940 campaign is a minority interest. and very much overshadowed. Even those who fought in it rarely talked about it. I do feel though that it should fascinate anyone with an interest in history who lives close to where it all took place.

There are very few photographs of coupled BEF artillery. Perhaps that's inevitable as most of what we see had already been abandoned. This is the best that I can do. A press image on the way to embarkation that was on eBay back in 2013.

 

Christian,

I did my usual search for threads here and found one 2010 thread that mentions 91 Field Regt.:

From Post 7 in: 2 Northamptonshire Regiment at Dunkirk

 

Christian. I've found another on the hard drive. It's a winter phoney war scene and a little too artistic really, but it does show tractor, limber and gun in profile. Is it an earlier carriage though ? I really don't have much of an eye for weaponry.

 

Provided the pith helmet doesn’t get in the way:

source: British and Commonwealth Manufactured Soft Skinned Military Transport | A couple of screenshots of Guy Quad Ants from an article on YouTube | Facebook

 

Thank you all for your kind, heartwarming support - it's most appreciated !

Browsing through several documents, reading between the lines, I am left with the distinct impression that the decision to 'loan' (i.e. transfer of command) of both 91st and 92nd FR to the 50th Northumbrian Division (apparently on May 29th at 1800 hrs) was not received with enthusiasm by the CRA 5th Division. I do not know who took this decision, but it defined the entire outcome of the combats. Having studied both German and British sources, I am convinced that without adequate fire support, the infantry battalions defending the Ringsloot would not have been able to withstand the German onslaught.

As stated in the 91st FR's war diary on May 30th, merely 24 hrs after this transfer of command, notwithstanding their importance in holding the front line, the CRA 5th Division made zealous attempts to get both regiments back under his control. I don't dare imagining what would have happened had he succeeded as the Germans were just about to launch their offensive...



KR,
Christian

 

Brooke's diary for 29th / 30th May shows that he was still very much in command of II Corps at that time. He doesn't mention the artillery specifically but he talks about 5 Div going into reserve. I'd be very surprised if it wasn't his decision. He was a gunner after all.

 

That one is in the 5th Division history isn’t it, although your image, artistic or not, is much, much nicer, crisper than the grainy one in the book. I posted the book image earlier in this thread, nowhere near the quality of yours:

BEF rearguard action at De Moeren/Bulskamp (May 29th till May 31st 1940)

It will come as no surprise to you that I confess that in a million years I wouldn’t spot the difference between the Morris Quad and the Guy that Christian is after.