Cyril Aldridge

Grenadier Guards War Diary:
1940 June 1
0230 hours La Panne Beach
The F.D.L.s on the NORTHERN bank of the Canal at FURNES were finally abandoned at 0230 hours, in accordance with orders issued on 30th May 1940, as described in the War Diary for May 1940. Rear parties of King’s, No.s 4 and 2 Companies had been ordered to put sandbags round their boots, in order to lessen the sound of movement on the cobbled streets, and withdrew without incident to their embussing point on a concrete road encircling the Town to the NORTH.

There was intermittent shelling but embussing was completed and the trucks moved off without casualties. The enemy were shelling the road near LA PANNE, the village itself, and the beach pretty heavily, so that most Companies broke off to the WEST across country on nearing the Town and reached the 3rd DIVISION Reception Area via the Dunes.

Here there was considerable confusion, as most of the officers detailed for duty had become
casualties, but Companies were led on by their own officers down to the beach.
On arrival on the beach it was found that there were practically no boats, no embarkation
organisation, and a mess of men belonging to all units, not only of the 3rd DIVISION, but also the 4th DIVISION.
About half the Battalion embarked, some by boats and others by swimming, in vessels lying off the beach between LA PANNE and MALO LES BAINS. The remainder marched in Artillery Formation along the Coast of DUNKIRK, where they embarked on the Quay.

0400 hours Beach - La Panne - Dunkirk
At 0400 hours the enemy commenced to bomb and machine-gun the beach from the air and
continued to shell both from the SOUTH and also from the EAST.
These shells, which took the beach completely in enfilade, were most unpleasant and caused a considerable number of casualties.
A jetty, built of M.T. vehicles driven into the sea, near MALO LES BAINS proved a most attractive mark for German Artillery and was given a wide berth.
2359 hours by midnight the great majority of the Battalion had landed in ENGLAND and had
dispersed to a number of Reception Camps.

Serjeant-Major C. ALDRIDGE, who was last seen embarking men on the Quay at DUNKIRK, has not been since heard of, and it is feared that he has been drowned in one of the vessels sunk by the enemy air action.
In view of the fact that the Battalion marched to the Beach, embarked, and arrived in ENGLAND by Echelons, COMPANY ACCOUNTS are appended.

5 men missing, believed to have been lost on H.M.S. IVANHOE, sunk by bombs.

Report extracted from the logbook of HMS IVANHOE D16 I CLASS DESTROYER
1/6/1940

Embarked troops for return to Dover and on return passage came under air attack. Sustained
casualties and major damage and fatal casualties including 21 of ships company (Note: Five soldiers were also killed). Extensive damage flooding of two boiler rooms disabled ship until damage control enable return to Dover using third boiler room. Troops embarked in HM Destroyer HAVANT (Note: HMS HAVANT came under air attack later and had to be sunk because of serious damage from two direct hits. Some of survivors for ship were embarked by HM Fleet Minesweeper SALTASH but some were killed.) Passage to Dover

Unknown