Narrow escapes from war-torn France in 1940

SIR – The evacuation from St Nazaire was a major alternative to Dunkirk (Letters, July 18) and deserves similar recognition.

My father, a sergeant in the RAOC, was cut off near Lille and made his way there with the remnants of his unit over several days. Upon arrival he witnessed the disaster of the Lancastria and was hit on the chest by an AA shell splinter, his cigarette case saving his life. He eventually returned on the Batory. We heard from him towards the end of June, the men having been made incommunicado to conceal the loss of the Lancastria.

His biggest regret was that, having been the unit barber, he had to leave all his gear to the Boche, who he said only shaved their heads and therefore didn’t need it. Ron Giddens

Caterham, Surrey

SIR – In 1940, my father, William Vaudrey, then commanding officer of a Field Artillery regiment, smuggled Bunty, his golden retriever, over to France in a laundry basket.

He was allowed to bring her back at the evacuation but said he would have shot her rather than leave her behind. David Vaudrey

Doynton, Gloucestershire

SIR – In May 1940, the manager of the station hotel in Chesterfield noticed a group of half-dressed soldiers sitting by a wall opposite the hotel entrance.

When he asked what they were doing, they told him they had just returned from Dunkirk, and did not even know what town they were in. They had been told to seek food and accommodation and return to depot later. He promptly took them in, fed them and put them to bed after a bath.

When they had rested he dressed them in waiters’ uniforms and gave them the funds to get back to base. Hugh O’daly

Sheffield, South Yorkshire