1/7 Middlesex Machine Gunners Retreat to Dunkirk - any help really gratefully received

Hello everyone. I have a project on this summer - my Grandfather loved cycling and was a keen Dunkirk Veteran. He also never talked about Dunkirk to his family really, mainly I think because it totally traumatised him - he was so young.

So he'd go to Dunkirk Veterans things (I think just so he could be with people who understood what it was like) but our actual appreciation of what he did and had to go through is so sketchy.

Anyway, because the Tour de France actually has a stage ending in Dunkirk this year, we thought we could put this right/honour and understand him properly by riding the retreat on bike, ending on the day the TdF is in Dunkirk. It feels right somehow... I'm going to write about it too so that we have it down properly given his own children are now elderly or have passed.

So. I've done a bit of research. He was from Suffolk, joined up in Felixstowe and ended up in Middlesex 1/7, C Company as a Vickers machine gunner. Very strangely, during that research on google, he actually did write something for the BBC that we never knew about

BBC - WW2 People's War - Safe in England: 1/7th Middlesex Regt Dunkirk 1940

It feels from reading this forum and other books that the general route once they'd stopped advancing was Louvain, a place called Eichen I can't actually see on a map, west of brussels - river dender - river scheldt - zottegem - tourcoing/wattrelos/roubaix area - wervik - wijtschate - poperinghe - wulpen/conterdijk - de panne - bray dunes.

Does that sound about right? Obviously I just would love some more detail or accounts if anyone has any?

Thank you.

 

Welcome to the forum
To assist you apply for his service records. The link below explains everything you need to know to apply. There is a long wait up to a year but the sooner you apply the quicker you are in the loop.
Other forum members will be along to try to assist you further.
Get a copy of military records of service

 

Flemish locations in sources of this period can be difficult. French was still the language used on most official maps and those used by the British. References in war diaries will often be a mixture of these and phonetically-spelled local usage. Additionally, Flemish and Dutch have undergone several rounds of standardisation since, often to the detriment of the more dialect-based Flemish place names. Where is the "Eichen" name mentioned ?

1/7 Middlesex were under 2 Corps control as were 2nd Battalion Middlesex who were definitely in Leuven itself.

 

Thanks - I have his service number etc and where he broadly was. Is the service record likely to give me more detail other than BEF France 1940?

 

I have the battalions war diary covering their time in France and Belgium during this campaign. I charge 10p per page for any complete diary transferred via Dropbox with my fee going to a military charity my son is supporting.

Cheers
Andy

 

Ben,

Welcome aboard.

It helps if you can add his name and Service Number. Often they can be found here already.

I usually check whether a subject’s name or number have appeared here before.

Searching the National Archives for the subject or unit(s) can identify those who were awarded honours / medals and the existence of War Diaries – which rarely mention individuals soldiers. They do give context and details of activity. You have offers already for them!

Some research tips next via PM and good luck.

Just did an online search to identify threads here with: "1/7 Middlesex" + "france" site:ww2talk.com There are a small number and a few when using: "1/7th Middlesex" + "france" site:ww2talk.com Another search with: "1/7 Middlesex" + "dunkirk" site:ww2talk.com found a few and two appear to refer to battalion histories. I have only glanced at them.

From the best place to learn what a MG battalion did:

See: The Middlesex Regiment

They also have a general history and some amazing, awful videos of what a Vickers MG could do.

 

I have their war diaries which are decently detailed and have topo maps of their withdrawal routes and positions from Jan-Jun 1940. My interest was their activities on May 17/18 for my book, Encirclement and Retreat, 2 Armoured Reconnaissance Brigade, Withdrawal and Rearguard Action, 17-18 May 1940.

I also have details on a few of their men who were KIA on May 18/19 1940.

Here's one of their abandon trucks, red 47 AOS with a white bar. And a truck from 53 Light AA Regiment RA, blue red 34 AOS with white bar, both from 2 Corps. (I think)

Message me if you would like more details.

Cheers Steve

 

Fab. I don't think I can edit the thread title but it was

Reginald Frank Warner - 6205138.

 

Wow, thank you. Just working my way around how this site works but I will message you for more, definitely!

 

I do have this though, his kit bag I presume, which I thought quite cool (unless it's a replica)...

 

Hallo,

This may be of interest.

During my research involving the combats along the Nieuport-Dunkirk canal on 29th-31st May 1940, I stumbled on an account provided by 2nd Lt Robin Medley, 2nd Bn Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, in his book 'Five Days To Live' which mentions Middlesex Regt machine gunners near his position in Wulpen on the Conterdijk:

"I went round the sections and sited the positions and digging began. The left forward section was in an exposed position which had to be occupied if the bridge was to be effectively covered by fire. Having determined all the tasks, I went off to the right to establish a link with the flank unit. Some two hunderd yards along the canal bank, a section of machine guns of the Middlesex Regiment was dug in. Apart from the machine gunners, there was no sign of anyone else..."

Incidentally, last week, I took some pictures of the approximate location on the canal bank where these machine gunners (according to 2nd Lt Medley) must have been entrenched. I just posted them. You can find them via this thread (posts #32-#33-#34): BEF rearguard action on the Nieuport-Dunkirk canal (May 29th till May 31st 1940). As information related to these combats are scarce, I would be most welcome for every scrap of information you could provide.

Feel free to send me a PM should you need information (cycling routes) to plan your journey (I'm a local).

PS: nowadays, Wulpen village, especially during the summer holidays, has evolved into a hotspot for die-hard cycling fanatics. Unaware pedestrians daring to wander about on the Conterdijk are now in the process of becoming an endangered species

Kind Regards,
Christian

 

The 'Eichen' you are looking for may in fact be 'Eichem', a hamet south-west of Ninove, on the Dender river.
As you can see on this snapshot of a vintage map, in the old days, the name of the place was spelled 'Eijchem'.

 

Thanks for this Christian. Really helpful. What I found last week in Fighting Hitler from Dunkirk to D-Day: The Story Of Die Hard Jeff Haward was this passage about their time on that canal. He was a 1/7 Middlesex C Company Vickers Machine Gunner like my grandfather (well, I presume he was C Company then...). It says C Company were around Nieuport Ville and they had to cover a bridge that had been blown but could still be used, as the Germans had managed to send some fighting patrols across.

"For the following few days we were under continuous heavy aerial and artillery attack, with enemy infantry patrols crossing the canal every night.... during the night of 31 May I was still on the Vickers... a German patrol had broken through. Company Headquarters was a short distance behind us in a farmhouse and I decided it was a lot better back there than sitting here."

I wonder if that is the same bridge you talk about at Wulpen...

 

Yes... which would maybe mean there's been some confusion in the timeline historical account. I can completely imagine they probably ended up going through Eichem on the way through to Zottergem once they'd got past Brussels. But it's obviously not a suburb of Leuven in that case, which is what the account suggests.

 

Hallo Ben,

As far as I am aware, in those days, between Furnes and Nieuport, there were only three bridges: the one in Wulpen, another one called 'pelikaanburg' and the railway bridge (line connecting Diksmuide to Nieuport). The 'pelikaanburg' and the railway bridge were located on the very outskirts of Nieuport itself though, i.e. (unless I'm mistaken) nowhere near were the 1/7 Middlesex Regt saw action. Logically, it should therefor be Wulpen. Besides, it matches with the account provided by 2nd Lt Medley who formally identified the unit on his right flank as being the Middlesex Regt.

As to the bridge, it was not uncommon for the Germans at the time to try to cross a river or a canal by using the remaining structures of a blown bridge. Once they succeeded in establishing a foothold on the other side, reinforcements started pouring in by rubber boats. Would it be possible to post the page with your reference source? Any detail could help.

I'm beginning to believe in providence: I went to take pictures of the very spot just last week whereas you started your thread Friday...

KR,
Christian

 

I was stationed for five years near Leuven and the name 'Eichen' did not ring any bells. 'Eichem' on the Dender, however, makes perfect sense.
Just to make sure, I reviewed a couple of vintage maps of the Leuven region but found nothing that even remotely resembles 'Eichen' or 'Eichem' (or similar).

 

I've got a daughter in digs in Leuven at the moment and I'm there a fair bit...Again, no bells rung unless it was a modern walking route round the five oaks. "Vijfeiken" .

 

I'll attach them when the file attachment doesn't say 'file too big' even though I know it's not! But it's from Fighting Hitler From Dunkirk to D-Day: The Story of Die Hard Jeff Haward by Jeff Haward and Neil Barber (2015, Pen & Sword).

I have no doubt that it's describing the same place. However! I now realise looking at my images that Jeff was in C Company but actually my grandfather was B Company (or at least he is on the kit bag I posted above). However... the kit bag is obviously post 1940 as, well, they left Dunkirk with nothing didn't they. So my next questions are this....

- is it likely that by this point in the rearguard action the companies would have been mixed up anyway?
- did people move companies as the war proceeded? Ie might you have been C Company at the start and B Company by the time you were in North Africa etc?

------------------------
btw can paste the pages as copy/

p32
take up positions on the Aa Canal near Nieuport on what was now
the Dunkirk perimeter. In spite of all the withdrawals, for the
first time I realized that something was seriously wrong when
we were moving along a road and in a field beside it were
large French Howitzers. The French artillerymen had put wood
around them and were setting them all alight.
After driving down this long straight road we arrived on the
Aa during the afternoon. We pulled onto the side of the road
and pooled the whole Company around the dozen 15cwt trucks.
Everyone got out and was milling around, leaning against trees,
when bursts of machine-gun fire came straight down the road
from the direction we were travelling, ricocheting off the cobble-
stones. The Company had never moved so quickly. Most took
cover in the ditches but I got behind a big tree. The firing went
on for a while until someone shouted, 'We've got to turn the
trucks around and go back.' And so the drivers ran for their ve-
hicles and began turning them round in the road. As soon as
your particular driver was almost around, you got the word 'GO!'
and everyone made a mad dash for the back of the trucks. It all
became a bit hectic. I ran along the side of the road to where
my truck was and jumped in the back with everyone else. I only
know what happened to my truck. I didn't hang around to look
out for the rest. You had to be quick or you got left behind. I
think most managed to get out of it.
After dark we went back and took up position on the canal.
Our instructions were to hold the canal while the evacuation

p33
was taking place and to cover a bridge that had been blown but
could still be used, as the Germans had managed to send some
fighting patrols across.
The battalion was fairly widely scattered, with Battalion
Headquarters in Oost Dunkirk village, 'A' Company around
Nieuport Bains, 'B' Company on the Wulpen road, 'C' Company
around Nieuport Ville, and 'D' Company in the woods on the
road to Oost Dunkirk Bains. Dunkirk itself was about eighteen
miles away.
During darkness we went up to the bridge and I asked this
sergeant, a Territorial, where to mount the gun. He said, 'Here,
on the road,' which was cobbled. We said, 'Well what are we
going to aim at?' 'That bridge down there.' Frank Dollin said, 'What
bridge? It's too dark to see any bridge.' 'It's straight down there!'
Frank said, 'I'm not taking responsibility for firing at a bridge we
can't see, especially with our own infantry around it.' The sergeant
got down on the gun and he tapped this way and that, and said,
'That's alright, it's on it now!' We thought What are you bloody
talking about? The sooner we get away from you the better!'
Anyway, as soon as he disappeared into the night, we shifted the
gun to the side of the road.
For the following few days we were under continuous heavy
aerial and artillery attack, with enemy infantry patrols crossing
the canal every night. There were a number of casualties, espe-
cially in 'C' Company, which suffered heavily. During this period,
we saw a bloke sitting on the ground with no cover at all. Frank

p34
said to him, 'You had better get down.' He didn't move and when
Frank touched him, he was dead, just fell over.
Thankfully, the enemy did not make a determined attack, be-
cause we were not sure we could stop them if they did.
During the night of 31 May I was still on the Vickers with
Frank Dollin. Enemy machine-gun tracer bullets were flying
everywhere. Gradually, Spandau and machine-pistol fire started
to come from behind.? A German patrol had broken through.
Company Headquarters was a short distance behind us in a
farmhouse and Frank said, 'We had better let them know that the
Germans are behind us. Who'll volunteer to take a message back?' I
had a quick think and decided 'it was a lot better back there than
sitting here', so I volunteered. I set off, running hell for leather
up the side of the road. A burst of machine-gun fire came quite
close, the bullets ricocheting off the cobbles. As I approached the
farmhouse building, a bloke stepped out from around the cor-
ner. He just about shouted, 'Halt! Who goes there?' before firing
his rifle. We were only feet apart, and I could never have stopped.
I was also so out of breath that I couldn't have said the password
even if I had wanted to. There was a sting in my right arm and I
was knocked onto my back. I then got up, telling him in a series
of profanities exactly what I thought of him. It turned out to be
a friend of mine, Johnny Hunt. Knowing that no German could
swear like that, he then realized who I was and started apolo-
gizing. 'I aimed for your head, you know! I said Well it's a bloody
good job you're a rotten shot!' The bullet had glanced the top of my

p35
right arm and it was bleeding a bit. Each man carried a First-Aid
dressing, a yellow pad with a bandage, which was kept in a spe-
cial pocket. This was provided for personal use only and was not
to be employed on anyone else. That was stressed to evervone.
So that was wrapped around my arm. I did not feel any pain at
first, but when the feeling in my arm returned it just stung.
While in the Company HQ I heard some moaning and saw
shuddering coming from a corner. I went over to see who it was
and lo and behold, it was the foul-mouthed Reservist corporal
who had made our lives hell at Aldershot. I asked him what the
problem was. He replied, 'It's my nerves. They're shot to pieces.' He
had not done anything. I couldn't resist saying, Well this has
sorted the men from the boys.' He did not reply. I walked out and
never saw or heard of him again.
Orders were given to withdraw to La Panne. The others came
walking back. Everyone was edgy. Taking all our machine guns
and equipment with us, we walked over to where the trucks had
been parked, loaded the guns and quietly drove away.
After about eight miles, the convoy stopped at a crossroads
on the outskirts of La Panne, and the order was given that all
equipment had to be immobilized. The machine guns and other
weapons were stripped of vital parts and then run over by the
vehicles. The locks of the Vickers were taken with us to be dis-
carded some distance away. In order to seize up the truck en-
gines, they were left running with their hoses cut.

 

Thanks a lot Ben!

There is also no doubt in my mind that this account refers to the Nieuport-Dunkirk canal (and not the Aa canal as erroneously mentioned in the text).
It all adds up.

 

Thanks to everyone for their help with all this. I've loved doing all the research on 1/7 Middlesex and it could only have happened with the kind guidance of Christian Luyckx and Drew5233. I've now got a pretty good idea of route of withdrawal, from NW Leuven - Sterrebeek - River Dendre - Zottegem - South Of Courtrai - Roubaix/Tourcoing - WERVICQ-SUD - WYTSCHAETE - Poperinge and then Oostdunkirke, Wulpen Rd/Perimeter Defence before De Panne and Bray Dunes.

Would love to know exact routes battleofassche if they're something different from the war diaries, but I guess in the heat of it all they barely knew them exactly themselves. There's a great line I came across which sums it all up -

"The roads to the coast presented an astonishing spectacle in those days when motor and horse-drawn transport of two armies, refugees on foot, stragglers and the fragments of units, and the withdrawing divisions all sought to find a way northwards. In the roadside fields burning equipment and abandoned stores heightened the appearance of disintegration. But through the formless texture of the scene the British divisions which had been fighting by day and retiring at night wove a firmer thread; marching doggedly, tired and often hungry, shocked by all the crowding and confusion but too preoccupied to both much, they moved imperturbably through a crumbling world, upheld by discipline and the tradition of their Service."
​

Anyway, can I ask one more question? I'd really really like to know how I could find out which ship my Grandfather was evacuated on. It's made a lot more confusing (rather than less!) by his own account saying he landed at Sheerness on a minesweeper on June 2, but I can't find records of a minesweeper going there on that day, unless the 'eventually landed' means they went to Dover first. Anyway, here's his account if it helps anyone give me pointers.

"I was evacuated from Bray Dunes, between Le Panne and Dunkirk, on 2nd June after immobilizing our vehicles on the night of 1st June 1940.
I was serving with the Vickers Machine Gunners. We removed all locks from the guns so that they could not be used, before going onto the beach on the night of 1st June.
Next morning, when it was daylight, we waded out into the water up to our necks but the German Luftwaffe flew over and started straffing us so we had to run back into the shore. We went back into the water again and managed to get into a rowing boat from a mine sweeper. It was rowed out to the minesweeper by one of the crew. When we finally got to the minesweeper we went down into the hold. I stripped off my wet clothing and put it on pipes to dry. There was a terrific explosion and all the lights went out. We scrambled up on deck, minus clothes, to be told that it had been a very near miss!
We eventually landed at Sheerness. At the dockside we wrote messages for telegrams to be sent home.
I have that telegram here now which was sent to my parents dated 2nd June 1940 and says "Safe in England". ​