James Arthur Selby
- Family History
- Military history
- Extra information
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He was the son of Arthur and Ellen Selby; husband of Julia Hannah Selby of New Radford Nottingham
Selby was killed during the chaotic and desperate closing days of the Battle of France and the Dunkirk Evacuation. The 2nd/5th Battalion of the Sherwood Foresters was part of the 139th Infantry Brigade within the 46th Infantry Division. Sent to France in April 1940 as pioneer troops, they were suddenly thrust into frontline combat when the German blitzkrieg fractured Allied lines.
By late May, the division was ordered to hold defensive rearguard lines to keep open an escape corridor for the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) retreating toward Dunkirk.
Selby was killed on 1 June 1940—the peak of the final, massive evacuation efforts from the Dunkirk perimeter, while rearguard units braved overwhelming enemy armour, mortar fire, and relentless Luftwaffe strafing to stall the German advance.
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