WW2 Medal Group Trio to Sapper J Taylor, Royal Engineers (RE) Wounded Dunkirk 1940

A good group of three medals, the 1939/45 star, Defence and 1939/45 War medal all awarded to 1871210 Sapper J Taylor of the 7th Field Coy (the shiny 7th) Royal Engineers. It comes with the original named and addressed box of issue (Huddersfield, Yorkshire address), medal issue slip and a photograph of Taylor in uniform. The medal issue slip confirms Taylors service number and forces war records can confirm that Taylor was wounded in action in France in June 1940.

Taylor embarked for France on the HMT Royal Sovereign and on their arrival in France they were kept very busy and continually on the move; on 27th of May they were ordered with 59th & 7th Field Coys of 4th Division to act as Infantry Regiments, and hold a defensive position on the River Lys which the Germans were approaching, having broken through an Infantry unit. 225th had to defend Comines and on their right 59th Coy had to defend Warneton and the 7th Coy held the bridge over the river approaching Warneton. These positions were held until the Engineers were relieved by the Infantry of the 12th Brigade later in the day.
By 28th May rumours were spreading of a total withdraw and they would shortly be going home, The 7th and 59th Field Companies arrived at Nieuport near the coast and were kept very busy preparing other bridges for demolition to hold up the German advance.
They were then ordered with the 225th and 59th Field Companies to La Panne on the coast, 8 miles from Dunkirk.
The BEF were slowly withdrawing to an area on the coast between Calais and Nieuport and plans had been made to evacuate troops in ships from Dunkirk. The 7th were ordered to Dunkirk to help in the evacuation.
As the military situation deteriorated thousands of soldiers were on the beaches exposed to dive bombing and shelling. A decision was made to evacuate troops from the beaches but the larger boats could not get close enough to pick up the troops because of the danger of running aground. To overcome this all types of vehicles were driven on to the beaches at La Panne and placed nose to tail in the sea. All Royal Engineers Units were given the job of making improvised piers by bridging across the top of the vehicles using materials used in bridge building, in this way men could walk out to sea and board the ships and boats at the end of the piers.
There was still not enough small boats to carry troops out to the larger ships some way off shore. Part of the Engineers equipment were small folding boats used in bridging and these were put into use to ferry troops. These boats folded flat and to be made operational each side was pulled into a vertical position and secured by a stanchion which was telescopic and secured at one end to the base of the boat and to the side at the other end thus giving rigidity and stability, it was rowed by 4 men from a standing position and great care was needed to control them. Many of the sappers crewed these boats and others by infantrymen. They were never meant to be used except in river conditions and unfortunately many soldiers were drowned due to the boats capsizing.
The official records would have it that Sapper Taylor was wounded on 18th June 1940, but this was probably when he was processed on arrival at a casualty station in England.

The medals are now in plastic wallets and in very good condition, unnamed as issued and come with what little research on him and the activities of man and the 7th Field Coy in the defence and evacuation of Dunkirk. The engineers played an important part in the evacuation and I’m sure Sapper Taylor was well in the thick of it.

G186

Code: 63037