Thomas Jarvis

Unknown

The 2nd Battalion, Grenadier Guards fought as part of the 1st Guards Brigade (within the 1st Infantry Division) of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). Their timeline during the May 1940 retreat involves an initial advance into Belgium, a succession of brutal rearguard battles to hold open escape corridors, and a final defensive stand to protect the western flank of the Dunkirk perimeter.
Mid-May 1940: The Advance and First Retreat
• May 10–11: Germany invades the Low Countries. Following "Plan D," the 2nd Battalion advances across the Belgian border to establish a defensive line along the River Dyle near Louvain.
• May 16–17: With the French lines collapsing to the south, the BEF is ordered to retreat. The 2nd Battalion withdraws under pressure, fighting delaying actions back toward the River Senne.
• May 19: The battalion falls back further to the River Escaut (Scheldt), digging in around the area of Pecq to stop the German advance.
• May 21–23: The Battle of the Escaut
• May 21–22: German forces launch massive infantry and artillery assaults to cross the Escaut. The 2nd Battalion, alongside sister battalions like the 2nd Coldstream Guards, engages in fierce hand-to-hand fighting to plug gaps in the line.
• May 23: The River Escaut line becomes untenable. The battalion
• receives orders to commence a night withdrawal toward the French border.
• May 24–26: The Border Defense (Guardsman Jarvis's Death)
• May 24: The 1st Guards Brigade forms a fresh defensive line on the Franco-Belgian frontier. The 2nd Battalion experiences heavy German artillery fire and probing attacks designed to cut off the retreat route. This is the day Guardsman Lewis Roulstone was killed in action.
• May 25–26: The battalion conducts active patrolling and local counter-attacks to keep the enemy at bay. On the evening of May 26, the official order for Operation Dynamo (the evacuation from Dunkirk) is issued