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MIDDLES BMJ: first published as 10.1136/bmj.300.6733.1183 on 5 May 1990. Downloaded from

Dunkirk Diary

Experiences of a battalion medical officer in the retreat to : I

Richard Doll

immediately got down to organising the move; for my part it was an easy job, and I had done my small sick parade and got my truck and personal belongings packed and ready in an hour-that is, by 0900. I soon discovered from talking to the civilians, in particular the postman, that the Germans had invaded Holland and and that Major Sandie's story of an air battle was true in so far as at least two planes had flown over early that morning. The padre and I decided to fill in our waiting hours eating as much as we could, which we were enabled to do by the generosity of our host where we had the officers' mess. At about midday I went and sat in my truck, and at 1230 we moved off, our trappings and some men in battalion transport and the rest of the men in the troop carriers which had brought us to Louvencourt, and which had fortunately remained with us; in all a total of some 90 vehicles and 20 motorcycles. http://www.bmj.com/ We had about 65 miles to go to get back to and we covered the first 40 to in good time and good order-that is to say, with the vehicles spaced out at about 100 yards and moving without too many checks at a top speed not exceeding 25mph. In Douai the column became inextricably mixed up with others, and as we emerged from the town we were packed tightly one behind another, a on 30 September 2021 by guest. Protected copyright. Loyal's truck following a heavy Royal Artillery gun and immediately in front of a divisional staff car. Here RZcnara DLLo, Gatro I yqJ we would have been a marvellous target for any enemy plane, but we saw none; we gradually got sorted out At the end ofApril 1940 my battalion left the defensive and eventually arrived home at Bourghelles at about position of Bourghelles, which we had been preparing 1900. We later heard that a few bombs had been for the previous six months. We went down to dropped on a column coming through , but Louvencourt near with the rest of the brigade there had evidently been no determined attack. for a fortnight's intensive training. This "holiday" did At Bourghelles we met Ashdown with his Indians, us a world of good both mentally and physically, who told us that twice the night before there had been because of both change of scenery and change of work air raids on the- district but that no more serious and, as far as the younger officers were concerned, by damage was done than the destruction of one horse; we the substitution of Amiens for as a centre of had been lucky in that a bomb had fallen within 100 entertainment. On Thursday 9 May the brigade did a yards of the only petrol dump in the vicinity at withdrawal exercise-an exercise we were to repeat Houquinville but had done no damage. almost daily for the next three weeks. Towards 2100 six enemy planes came over high up, and several fools let off at them with Bren guns and rifles. The anti-aircraft fire seemed to be very Friday 10 May inaccurate. The planes circled around several times At breakfast Major Sandie, the acting commanding and dropped a few bombs in the distance and then Clinical Trial Service Unit officer, told us about an intense air battle which had made off. and ICRF Cancer Studies gone on in the early hours of the morning. Both the Unit, Radcliffe Infirmary, adjutant and I, who are sound sleepers and a little Oxford OX2 6HE Saturday 11 May Richard Doll, FRS, honorary sceptical of the commanding officer's superlatives, member and emenutus professor were rather doubting the accuracy ofthis report when a After a good night's sleep (on the floor ofmy medical servant brought a message for the adjutant, which inspection room) we settled down to prepare for BrMedJ 1990;300:1183-6 read, "Prepare to leave immediately." The battalion departure. There was really very little to do as we were

BMJ VOLUME 300 5 MAY 1990 1183 the Bois de Cambre in the suburbs of . We in the battalion transport were supposed to follow another route to the same place.

Sunday 12 May BMJ: first published as 10.1136/bmj.300.6733.1183 on 5 May 1990. Downloaded from The route through Brussels had been marked by faint white lights placed along the edge of the road every 100 yards or so, and it should not have been too difficult to follow it. At a certain point, however, we were supposed to turn off to reach our billeting area. Whether we didn't turn off at the right place or what happened, I don't know, but by dawn the column of some 50 vehicles was split up into several small columns furiously driving about Brussels looking for an unknown destination. We were not the only people to have a similar difficulty as we often met small detachments of other columns similarly lost. By 0550 we had somehow succeeded in finding the right place, and, on checking up, not more than two vehicles were missing, and these were known to have broken down. I went in to a nursing home by the billeting area and was given a room, bath, and breakfast by the matron, who, i- -- ... -- --l- .. .1 pMmNwmPwmI. I like all the Belgians, seemed very despondent about Note: British Second Brigade movements refer to movements of2nd Brigade ofIst our future. At 0800 we were called to a conference and told that the Germans had broken through the Albert all packed up from our move from Louvencourt, and canal and that we were to continue the march as soon as most of us sat around waiting for the word go. Zero possible. hour had been fixed at 1300 the day before so that, A reconnaissance party left immediately, and the according to plan, we were to move at zero plus 23 battalion left a little later at 1230. The transport was to hours-that is, 1200 on the Saturday. However, we follow the same route, starting three hours afterwards. were given a further six hours' grace during which At first the march was continually being checked so many of us took the opportunity of sleeping. The that it was two hours before we really got out of battalion was fit enough, and I had only had to send one Brussels into the surrounding woods. All along the man back the night before with a bad whitlow and a route people were standing outside the houses offering high temperature. Two other doubtful patients whom the men glasses of water, wine, or beer and from I had been asked to see-a corporal with boils under his time to time cigarettes, chocolates, and oranges. We arms and a man who had bruised his foot some marched for 18 miles mainly over cobbled roads and fortnight ago and still claimed that it hurt him to arrived at the river Dyle, several miles south east of walk-I decided to keep. The decision in the case of Louvain (which was occupied, I believe, by the third http://www.bmj.com/ the corporal was made easier by the man refusing to division) at 2000. Once again we had not been countenance being sent away. From now on if I had disturbed by aircraft. any casualties I could only lie them by the side of the We had seen many isolated Belgian units on the way road and mark them with a red cross (of which each up-single motorcycle combinations or odd truckloads truck carried one or more) and leave them to the Royal of troops-all moving in the opposite direction to us. Army Medical Corps to collect. The medical arrange- As we arrived on the Dyle complete Belgian units ments for the move were quite good; field ambulances began to cross the bridge and we felt that we had only had moved on at the head ofthe column and established just arrived in time. This was confirmed by the dressing stations at six selected points along the route adjutant, who told me that we might expect to come on 30 September 2021 by guest. Protected copyright. to our final destination. It was to be their responsibility into contact with the enemy that night. We hurriedly to send out regular patrols within their area and clear took up positions in the dusk and began to feel rather the routes of any casualties that had been left by their anxious. We had been told that this line was well sides. This plan was made to deal with the casualties prepared, but it did not seem to satisfy our com- which might be expected if the enemy bombed us on manders. There was a good deal of wire and two pill our way forward. It was obviously impossible, un- boxes, but the trenches were very unsatisfactory. I pleasant though it would have been for me, to check found a well protected place in a cutting for my the column to attend to a casualty so that there was regimental aid post and got unloaded, feeling very no alternative but to leave the responsibility for nervous. My anxiety was not relieved by hearing treatment and collection of wounded entirely to the several sharp bursts of gun fire. We learnt in field ambulances. the morning that six armoured fighting vehicles of the At 1800 the battalion started and was shortly passing Germans had got right through with the idea of through , a large town just inside the Belgian blowing the bridge behind the retreating Belgians but frontier. Though there was no evidence of mass that they had been driven back by our cavalry, which enthusiasm, it was obvious that individually the people was out on the other side of the river. were pleased to see us; I think they, like us, realised what the invasion of Belgium would probably mean to the inhabitants. At dusk the column checked for about Monday 13 May half an hour and some anti-aircraft fire was heard We had a quiet day and were able to take stock of the aiming at planes far over to the west. We moved on at a position and site our defences in the daylight. I moved fair speed through the night until we got to within my regimental aid post further up the cutting till I was about 15 miles of Brussels, when progress became very in an ideal place; the walls of the cutting were in some slow. Eventually, at about 0200, we reached the places 50 feet high, and the whole thing was covered in debussing point, when the troops got out of the troop by trees and bushes covering the banks. I got my carriers, about six miles the French side of Brussels. bearers on to digging into the bank which lay towards From there the men marched on to a billeting area off the enemy, a task which was made easy by the sandy

1184 BMJ VOLUME 300 5 MAY 1990 soil but difficult by the shortage of tools; we never had aid post about 11 feet by 8 feet constructed in wood dug more than one shovel to work with at a time. Towards half into the bank and faced in front with sandbags. I dusk the back wall collapsed fatally, and we were felt very happy in it and was indeed safe from anything nowhere nearer our dugout than we had been at the except a very close hit from mortars or bombs. beginning of the day. This cutting was situated about Artillery shells could not have landed in the depths of 1000 yards behind the river, and eventually all the our cutting. Personally, I was utterly terrified by BMJ: first published as 10.1136/bmj.300.6733.1183 on 5 May 1990. Downloaded from important offices were moved into it-rear battalion machine gunning from the planes, though not more headquarters, the signal office, and the officers' mess! than two bullets came anywhere near me. From either end it was possible to reach a covered road During the night the inhabitants ofthe village on our which led back to the main road. left flank were forced to evacuate and, from then on, we The commanding officer withdrew his forward collected all we required in the way of materials companies from the flat land beside the river on to the (and food) from the village. All civilians were also hillside overlooking it as the engineers had constructed subsequently arrested as suspicious characters. a dam whereby the whole of the flat marshy land in front of our position was flooded. I succeeded in contacting a field ambulance some Wednesday 15 May two miles away and left clear indications where my During the day the divisional cavalry and our Bren regimental aid post was. carriers were withdrawn to our side of the river and the bridge was blown, leaving only a narrow causeway over the river; one man was injured in the knee during the Tuesday 14 May blowing of the bridge. One platoon was left on the Today, for the first time, we came under fire. other side of the river in a concrete block house. Dozens ofplanes were seen flying high over us towards Many planes, in parties of about 12, flew over to Brussels, andas they came back they wouldindividually bomb Brussels behind us and Louvain on our left, pay us a visit. Coming down to little more than the which was ablaze. The machinegun attacks continued height of the trees, they flew all over our territory, mainly in the morning at about 1000 and again in the spraying us with machine gun bullets. Our anti-aircraft late afternoon. Groups of British Hurricanes were defences, consisting of some four Bren guns mounted frequently seen, and there were several dogfights. The for shooting in the air, let fly at them, and despite some small arms fire of our anti-aircraft defences seemed to six different attacks no one was injured-largely owing be very effective, and, though I did not see any enemy to the speed with which we threw ourselves against brought down, it was understood that our brigade banks or in trenches. It was rapidly impressed on us brought down six enemy planes. The anti-aircraft fire that we must never expose ourselves for a minute more of the guns behind us did not give us much confidence than was necessary to avoid giving away our positions and never seemed to get very near, and it was of course to the ever present airmen. useless against low flying attacks. Looking back, Towards evening our artillery began firing, pre- this day was memorable for two things: we never sumably harassing the advancing Germans, who were subsequently suffered from machine gunning from the still a few miles in front of us. Belgian soldiers were air nor did we ever again see any appreciable number of pouring over our bridge during much of the day, and British planes. In fact, the only times I ever saw any of

we expected to come into action the next day. the British planes in was when six Hurricanes http://www.bmj.com/ With the aid of the Pioneers I had got a regimental engaged an equal number of Messerschmitts over the Dendre and when 12 flew over Bray dunes at a great height four days before we embarked. In the morning we worked on strengthening the aid post with sandbags, but it soon began to collapse under the additional weight and we had to get a party of sappers in to give us their advice. We found some timber the size of telegraph poles and by the evening had succeeded in making the place habitable on 30 September 2021 by guest. Protected copyright. again. Towards dusk the Royal Artillery, which had been firing intermittently all day, began to put down a more concentrated fire, and the enemy began to shell us; no shells, however, fell near enough to worry us in our cutting. I did not really know where they were falling as I had not yet learnt to distinguish between the sound of our own guns and those of the enemy. I found the whine of our own shells, some ofwhich passed directly overhead, the most disturbing noise, and it was not easy to get to sleep. In the evening I learnt a lesson which I shall never forget. Suddenly, there was a cry of gas, and everyone feverishly put on their masks. In the dark I was unable to find mine, which I had put down with my coat and other belongings some 30 yards away. Although I could smell nothing, I became very anxious, going over in MY mind the effects of the odourless gases; all the time, however, my more logical selfwas reassuring me, saying that a gas attack was really most improbable and that it was certainly a false alarm. Eventually, I took shelter in a small dugout which had a blanket suspended in front of the door, and shortly Carney, my medical orderly, brought me my mask, which he had found "Louvain. Road to the bridge " by Edward Ardizzone. where I had first looked for it. In about 10 minutes the Reproduced by courtesy ofthe trustees, Imperial War Museum gas clear was given, and I lay down to go to sleep.

BMJ VOLUME 300 5 MAY 1990 1185 Thursday 16 May the brigade major's car to the station at Huldenberg to About 0200 two men were brought to me complaining discuss what to do with Harvey, a friend of mine, who of symptoms due to exposure to gas. Their symptoms was in charge ofit. He agreed to take my casualties, and were identical: a tight feeling round the chest, worse on I returned much relieved but still in a very nervous breathing, and a dry mouth. The evidence that there state. I stopped to report and have a whisky at brigade had been gas was that there had been a smell like and was impressed by the calmness of the brigadier - BMJ: first published as 10.1136/bmj.300.6733.1183 on 5 May 1990. Downloaded from phosgene, which the company commander had said and he, moreover, must have known that by then the was gas. I came to the conclusion that the attack was a Germans were right through some 10 miles further to false alarm and sent them back to the trenches, firstly, our right. having been along and discussed the position with the In the evening both sides began an intense artillery intelligence officer. Later it was agreed that the rumour duel, the noise of the guns and shells becoming a had been caused by the unaccustomed smell of the continuous roar. A man was brought to me with a exploding shells. severe compound fracture of his right leg; this had I got back to bed again about 0300, but an hour later occurred when he was moving his own Bren gun. He a man was brought in who had been shot by a sentry on had probably done it on purpose and had certainly failing to answer a challenge. He had been shot through succeeded in getting himself out of the war for many the chest and was in a very bad way. I sent off an months. This made the third casualty, all caused by urgent message to the advanced dressing station at our own men-or rather the fourth if you count a Huldenberg, which the assistant director of medical fractured clavicle -the result of stumbling over a rock. services had told me the previous day would evacuate Harvey came and took him away and left a party of my patients, but the station replied that they were not eight Royal Army Medical Corps stretcher bearers to evacuating us and that we should go to another carry the wounded down to a car port established in the advanced dressing station. I sent off a message to them, village half a mile away; the carry was entirely under but by this time the man had died. It would have been cover, being mostly down our beautiful cutting. I impossible to do anything for him anyhow. I spent the settled down to sleep early as I was expecting a of whole day in a steadily increasing fury as I was unable work during the night. The guns continued the whole to find anyone who would accept the responsibility of time, accompanied after dusk by the sharper note of evacuating us. I had two sick to get rid of, but what continuous small arms fire. Presently I was woken to be mainly worried me was that we were being pretty told to prepare to move in either direction at a continuously shelled and that we were expecting to be moment's notice; then Harvey came to withdraw his heavily attacked that night, and I had nowhere to send stretcher bearers and I returned to sleep. my casualties. Eventually, at about 1600 I went off in Part II will appear next week After the Asylums

Can the community care? http://www.bmj.com/ Trish Groves

The government was criticised for taking so long to Perhaps the biggest problem with Caring for People respond to Sir Roy Griffiths's well received report,' is that it failed to endorse Sir Roy Griffiths's emphatic and yet, now that it is implementing most of his proposal to earmark or "ring fence" community care recommendations, it is being criticised again. The funds. Under the new system the government will government, it seems, cannot win. After all, the transfer to local authorities funds that it would on 30 September 2021 by guest. Protected copyright. Department of Health has funded and evaluated a otherwise provide through the Department of Social range of community care projects and has shown that Security as income support and housing benefit for the linchpin of the new proposals-case management people using community care facilities. Under the -is a sensible way to work.2 The department has existing system it is much cheaper for social services to clarified the responsibility of social services for people place an elderly or disabled person in a residential with overwhelming needs for social care and suggested home (the fees for which will be paid mostly by social that professionals trained for welfare work might be security benefits) than to provide them with care in suitable brokers of welfare services. It has halted their own homes (funded by local social services its programme of hospital closures, listened to budgets). The new system avoids what ministers have psychiatrists' views on aftercare, and has agreed that called this "perverse incentive" to place people in asylum care is still needed. Ministers have rightly residential care when they may not really need it. So acknowledged the contributions ofinformal carers and far, so good. voluntary organisations and recognised the new But Sir Roy Griffiths, while recommending such a consumer movement in mental health3 with its change, also noted that residential homes could at least concepts of advocacy and user participation. So why provide a safety valve until better domiciliary services has the white paper Caringfor People4 been ill received? were organised. He emphasised that any money saved should be earmarked to improve community care, and when the government decided against this Sir Roy's Underfunding and overloading disappointment was only thinly disguised by humour Cynics might suggest that it is fashionable to knock (box). Failure to earmark the money means that the government, but party politics do not explain all of local authorities are under no obligation to spend it on British Medical Journal, now about the care community care. Other priorities and pressures WC1H 9JR the criticisms voiced community Trish Groves, MRCPSYCH, proposals. In the last article of this series I look at may mean that they spend it elsewhere. Thus the assistant editor those criticisms that fall into three main categories: government's budget juggling could mean less money underfunding, bureaucratic overload, and poor for community care. BrMedj7 1990;300:1186-8 information. Some idea of those other pressures was provided by

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