Quote from: toxicpixie on 22 December 2016, 08:22:25 PM
Crikey, he was young then. Join up at 17, get posted, get sacrificed?

Quite,  Bill was 16 years and 6 months when he was attested at Deal in June 1939. He completed his basic training and passed out with Kings Squad at Chatham in December of that year.

His "watch" was deployed to first cover the embarkation at Boulogne and then to Calais where they held out for 72 hours in what was called the Citadel.

Bill believed that a lot of the BEF  were saved thanks to those 72 hours of reckless gallantry. 
The British Army were still deploying  seventeen year olds to active service as late as 1973

Hi Pixie

I have a copy of a book published in 1946 by a guy who was in 51st Highland Division and captured in St Valery in 1940 called 'We Missed the Boat' about his experiences as POW during the war. He was, for a time at least, in the same prisoner of war camp as my dad who was also in the BEF and captured during the retreat to Dunkirk. He was also on the 'Death March' across Europe in 1945. I also have a book by Sam Kydd, 'For You the War is Over', the actor who some people may remember, who was also in the same camp as my dad.

Small world!

Cheers Paul

Quote from: Sunray on 22 December 2016, 09:09:50 PM
Quite,  Bill was 16 years and 6 months when he was attested at Deal in June 1939. He completed his basic training and passed out with Kings Squad at Chatham in December of that year.

His "watch" was deployed to first cover the embarkation at Boulogne and then to Calais where they held out for 72 hours in what was called the Citadel.

Bill believed that a lot of the BEF  were saved thanks to those 72 hours of reckless gallantry. 
The British Army were still deploying  seventeen year olds to active service as late as 1973

Weren't we accidentally deploying them very recently, as I recall - the UN complained at our usage of child soldiers. Although as I understand it the recent ones were a bit of an admin cock up as they shouldn't have been deployed outside the UK until they were 18+...

And yes, Bill may well have been right, but it's not much fun being the forlorn hope :/

Quote from: T13A on 22 December 2016, 09:14:02 PM
Hi Pixie

I have a copy of a book published in 1946 by a guy who was in 51st Highland Division and captured in St Valery in 1940 called 'We Missed the Boat' about his experiences as POW during the war. He was, for a time at least, in the same prisoner of war camp as my dad who was also in the BEF and captured during the retreat to Dunkirk. He was also on the 'Death March' across Europe in 1945. I also have a book by Sam Kydd, 'For You the War is Over', the actor who some people may remember, who was also in the same camp as my dad.

Small world!

Cheers Paul

Small world indeed, they're likely in the same camp and on the same marches.

In another small world turn of fate, just before he died my Grandad was in hospital, and the chap in the bed opposite said to my Gran "Is that Ronald Hxxx? Last time I saw him was when I got on the boat in 1940 on the evening and said I'd see him in Dover when he got the morning evacuation run the next day".

They'd lived in the same town for sixty odd years.

Sadly he was non-compos mentis by then, although as he was always very very quiet about that period of his life, I dunno if it would have good or bad to have understood :/

Quote from: toxicpixie on 22 December 2016, 11:04:00 PM
Weren't we accidentally deploying them very recently, as I recall - the UN complained at our usage of child soldiers. Although as I understand it the recent ones were a bit of an admin cock up as they shouldn't have been deployed outside the UK until they were 18+...

And yes, Bill may well have been right, but it's not much fun being the forlorn hope :/

Fusilier John McCraig , (aged 17) 1st Batt. Royal Highland Fusiliers was abducted and murdered by Martin Meehan (Provisional IRA) on 10 March 1971.  The law was then formally changed to prevent deployment of under 18s to active service. 


I do hope the movie reflects these sacrifices by the Royal Marines AND 150th ( French) Infantry Regiment 

The law was changed, but we kept on - deployed 17y/o's to the Gulf in '91, and Kosovo in '99. Then we changed the rules to stop deploying them where there was the possibility of active combat but twenty odd under 18's served in current Iraq and Afghanistan "in error". With what, a quarter of recruits being under eighteen it must hard to get enough blokes together who ARE old enough to serve. Mind, it was worse a couple of decades back - something like 50% of recruits were 16-17 in about 2000 :/

If an American made film about Dunkirk even mentions the entire British Armed Forces at all I'd be impressed If it differentiates between British Army, Royal Marines AND mentions the French as anything other than depressingly inaccurate whipping boys I'll be gobsmacked

There were child soldiers packing shopping bags in Waitrose yesterday.

If it was anything like my local Asda yesterday, that's a bloody brave move and deserves an active service medal!

It's the season of goodwill and cheer and elbows and ignorance, it seems.

Quote from: Leman on 23 December 2016, 10:07:55 AM
There were child soldiers packing shopping bags in Waitrose yesterday.

Quote from: toxicpixie on 23 December 2016, 10:18:03 AM
If it was anything like my local Asda yesterday

I think one will find that Waitrose is never like Asda. 

We went to Morrisons this morning - busy but more from random wandering with trolleys and families in tow. They had no Turkeys.    One quick trip to Tesco later, who had many Turkeys, and that near disaster was averted.

Are you sure?

http://southendnewsnetwork.com/news/police-called-as-waitrose-southend-coffee-machine-fight-ends-in-9-arrests/

Satire, before anyone goes weird