Dunkirk 

June 1st, 1940

A Work in Progress 26

At dawn the last men of the rearguard got to the beach

There were no boats waiting to take them off

So, they trudged miles towards Dunkirk

While Messerschmidt’s strafed in daylight

finding a rowboat, they dragged to the shore 

floated out to sea

where a sloop picked them up 

Donal's father said he came back on a sailboat

  

Dick Russell © Richard M Russell

                        2025

The party “included personnel from the 1st Battalion, The South Lancashire Regiment, the 6th Battalion The Black Watch and Brigade Headquarters personnel, as well as Fusiliers.  The party marched to Dunkirk, where a rowing boat was found and towed into the water.  Eventually the party was picked up by a sloop which, although twice hit by bombs, eventually reached Dover”.

A Short History of the 2nd Battalion Royal Fusiliers City of London Regiment during the first year of the war.  Published by The Naval & Military Press.