DAYS IN FRANCE

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21184, 6 August 1940, Page 6

DAYS IN FRANCE

ORDEAL FROM BOMBS OPERATION INTERRUPTED MEDICAL OFFICER’S STORY (By Telegraph.—Special to Times) NEW PLYMOUTH, Tuesday The story of the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from France, as seen through the eyes of a medical officer, is graphically recounted in a letter just received by Dr. and Mrs T. N. Watt from their son, Lieutenant W. J. Watt, R.A.M.C., who is with a Black Watch Regiment now “somewhere in Britain.” “The last few weeks have been very hectic,” says Lieut. Watt in his letter, “and we’re really lucky to have got out at all. The chief trouble had been that the French, unfortunately, and, I think, through lack of transport and material, let us down so often, and we were too small a force against the German masses. And believe me, they were masses! “The trouble, of course, was that i we, being without means of defence, in a medical unit, were too far forward most of the time, and we had some narrow squeaks, as the Boche v/as not respecting the Red Cross. Had To Move Quickly “I think our best effort was one day after a long night journey. We’d got to a place that seemed quiet. We accordingly rigged up an M.O.S. and got to work on some casualties we’d had to carry all the previous day with us. I was just getting ready to perform on one lad—but fortunately the anaesthetic hadn’t started—when in rushed a D.R. and yelled: “The Boche are on our tail—scram!” “We had to move quickly, load all our patients and pack as much stuff as we could, and get going. A mile down the road, we found the rest of our unit getting going, and our long convoy then began to cram on speed. I think we averaged 45 m.p.h. on that run. We afterwards found that 150 Boche tanks had been on our tail. It was a lucky getaway. “The same night we were in a wood and were bombed all night. Every quarter of an hour, we’d hear the whine, rising to a screaming whistle, of bombs on their way. The annoying thing was to try and guess where they would land. They dropped all round us, but we were untouched. I think night bombing is the worst of all. You simply have to lie flat on your belly and get what cover you can. Anything is better than nothing. Merchant Navy Was Grand “We eventually got to a port and were put on ships, and here is where I take my hat off to the Merchant Navy—they were simply grand. The trip across was without incident to us fortunately, and were we glad to see England again! Later we were brought to this town where we got a terrific reception. The men were taken to a hall, where V.A.D.’s were waiting to clothe, wash and feed them. Everybody was marvellous. “Many of the lads had very bad feet, but mine stood up surprisingly well, in spite of not having had my boots off for five days and nights. Well, all that is over now for the present,” he concludes. “Now that France has packed up, we’ve got to sit tight and watch developments.”