Dunkirk: In the Water For Days

MY DAD CLIFFORD BURY WAS IN THE ROYAL ARTILLERY AND WAS A GUNNER ON HEAVY AK AK I THINK THEY CALLED THEM. HE WAS AT DUNKIRK AND WAS FROM MANCHESTER. DAD ALSO DROVE THE AMBULANCES AND SAW THE CONVOY HE WAS TRAVELLING IN, ON THE PROGRAMME 'ALL OUR YESTERDAYS'. THEY HAD EVACUATED BELGIUM AND THEY STOPPED AT THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TO PICK AN ELDERLY LADY UP, THIS WAS SHOWN ON THE PROGRAMME. HE TOLD US HE REMEMBERED PICKING THE OLD LADY UP.

DAD SAID HE WAS ONE OF THE LAST TO BE EVACUATED AND HE HAD BEEN IN THE WATER FOR DAYS. HE EVENTUALLY GOT ON ONE OF THE LARGER SHIPS AND SAID THEY WERE PACKED IN LIKE SARDINES ALL THE WAY BACK TO ENGLAND. HE LOST HIS DOG TAGS, WHICH WERE FOUND AND MY DAD WAS REPORTED MISSING IN ACTION.

HE WOULD NEVER TALK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED OVER THERE. ALL I KNOW IS WHAT I HAVE WRITTEN ABOVE. I WAS VERY PROUD OF MY DAD AND I KNOW HE MUST HAVE RECEIVED MEDALS, HE HAD SERVED IN INDIA AS WELL. BUT UNFORTUNATELY THE MEDALS ARE LOST, SO I HOPE I CAN GET REPLACEMENTS AND MORE INFORMATION ABOUT HIS SERVICE IN THE ROYAL ARTILLERY.

MY DAD WAS ONE OF THE LUCKY ONES, HE CAME HOME

© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.