THE CHINA MAIL FRIDAY SUPPLEMENT, SEPTEMBER 20, 1940.
How "Newcomb's Rifles" Fought Their Way Free
Epic of the Retreat In Northern France
"It remained only for the future, yet one which at once de- company commanders to bring veloped a spirit of its own the their companies sufoly to the soldierly stubbornness to succted. River Seine through country in one of the most difficult of known to be occupied by enemy military operations. In 40 hours elements, liable to sudden aton June 8, 9, and 10; they 'morch- tuck, and subject to the closest ed 40 miles through difficult coun- with scrutiny by enemy aircraft by try," ill-equipped to deal day."
enemy alreraft and pressed upon their front and flanks by énomy So runs the quiet sentence tanks which threatened to' cuti which introduces the official re-their line of retreat. port of the movement of A
small force of infantry in North- The story begins further bilek ern France during two June than the 40 hours. From first to] days which must have been last its period is a month. On May amongst the most harassing in19 a force known as "Vickforce" British military history.
was improvised to check the Ger- man advance along the Charinel There is much virtue in that coast of France. If Dieppe and word "only". Newcomb's Rifles, Le Havre and Rouen were to bel commanded hy Licut-Col, L. E. saved, a solid obstacle had to be Somme and C. Perowne of the Royal Engin-built between the. eers, were a scratch lot hastily the Scine.
got together from base depots to
face dangers which were all the The bridges and crossings over more daunting because their shape the Bethune river and the wood- loomed vaguely through the fog ofjed ridge on-its left or south-west- war. The battalion, numbering ern bank defined a suitable posi- fewer than 800 men, were as near tion, running roughly parallel to destruction as the crew of a skiff the two greater rivers, nearer to which plunges down the side of the German bridgehead of
'the' a great wave while the crest curls Somme at Abbeville than to the
оп centre
the overhead before it engulfs them. French supply
Seine at Rouen, served by a net- work of maln and secondary roads which enter from many points between the south-east and the north-west ̧.
Taken at the V.R.C. last Saturday when children of the Boys and Girls Club Association- comprised of the Colony's poor children-hold a Swimming Gala.
transport came last.
Seine-
They saved themselves by dis- cipline and chergy, holding to- gether through the hurry and bewilderment, cach man playing his part, sure that his pals would But the creation of a solid ob-| play theirs. Their cdhesion was stacle was not possible. all the more remarkable » sińce Vickforce was far too weak for Bren guns in strong entplace-village in the woods and carried proaches to the ferry were clear- many of them had been tired out the; task, In its first form itments, and set up sandbag figures them in several journeys to the ed; the British troops and their already in the fighting retreat was made up of five provisional wearing steel helmets and arined riverside at Fontaing from the Somme.
battalions of not more than 350 with tent poles in other, dummy
On his last journey, unable to men each; after ten days it be-lemplacements.
In this way four-fifths of New- see in the gathering dark and yet Soldierly Stubbornness came Beauman Division of three
not daring to use his lights, he comb's Rifles crossed the battalions, which were about It remained one of the regrets ran into a concertina wire. Ger with all their arms and baggage. After their disheartening
twice as strong. Newcomb's Rics of the men who had lavished their man tanks were lying up for the ex- perience of the German break- were one of the three.
fancy and their skill on construct-night behind a network of wire. On June 19, Newcomb's Rifles through, men from 33 units as- They mined bridges, erected ing spoof soldiers and sham de-l
brought their transport to the At once light automatic weapons Quai Normandie and embarked sembled at a moment's notice in wide obstacles, built road blocks, fences, that they were not allow- a battalion with no past and no concealed
Afor England-22 officers, 310 other anti-tank rifles andled to stay and see how the Ger-opened fire from the woods,
heavier gun sent several shots in-franks, with 29 anti-tank rifles and mans fell into their traps.
to the car; wrecking it.
There were 'no casualties. The All the time they were build-1. ing their defences, day and night, colonel and his, intelligence off-
So ends the plain story of a without intermission, there pour party. Pursued with bursts
cer covered the escape of their minor episode in a great tragedy. ed over them refugees and troops rifle fire, they slipped away thr-shows the British soldier stub--
of It is worth_recording, because it and military transport, escaping from the Germans who had brok-ough the trees towards the river bornly faithful, to his duty.
choosing for each move a dark in- terval between the burning of Verey lights..
For
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TO PHONE MY ORDERS
THESE HOT DAYS!”
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FRUITS, GREENS AND SUNDRIES.
THE ASIA COY.
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Des Voeux Rd., Central
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en through at Abbeville and Amiens.
At Fontaine the French ferry News Out Of The Dark boats were tied up on the south
bank. Their crews remained deaf
From May 10 until June 8; the to every call, leaving C. Company gallant British "oddments" along headquarters to spend the night] the Bethune river stood alonè bé-; In a ̈lair amongst rocks on the tween Rouen and the confused bank, ringed round with inmense-
15 Bren guns.
PRECAUTION AFTER BABY ARRIVĖS
Doctors warn mothers to watch
battle on the Somme. They werely more numerous enemy forces. their diet after the birth of a subjected to air bombing every
A Barn Escapade
day. German armoured vehicles
child. The right food is of vital* and motorised infantry often up
Importance to the mother and to proached their line but always A few hours later battalion the child she is feeding. withdrew without an attack. Ini.
rear headquarters, concealed for froht all was obscure Fighting the night in a barn, were surpris- The ideal food must be easy to was going on continuously; daily ed by four enemy tanks who digest and highly nourishing, the enemy were coming nearer drove along the road from Rouen
he sure of.
*
That was all the command could about dawn, spraying woods and while preventing constipation. For hedges at random with machine-all these reasons doctors prescribe Regular patrols were sent out gun fire. As the little party of Horlicks. It builds up strength,
British soldiers watched through far to the eastward, but nothing cracks in the barn door the first promotes restful sleep, does not was learnt which showed whether tank turned in at the farm gate tax the weakest digestion and im- the German onslaught was to be The other three tanks stopped on proves the mother's milk. expected in ten days or ten the road outside.
hours.
One man crawled out of the For many years Horlicks has On June 7, the situation was barn unnoticed, slipped along a grave. A scheme of withdrawal bridge and opened a second gate. bech given to expectant and in small parties, moving independ At a signal from him the rest nursing mothers throughout ently through the broken wooded of the party flung wide the bar Malaya, with remarkable success.
the door and dashed out in their smallĮ Seine west of Rouen, was worked car and two motor cycles. You can get it from your store out in careful detail. It was Picking up their comrade, they to-day. given the code name "Robin got clear away through the volleys Hood", and late the following of the enemy who shot wildly in afternoon the order went out to their surprise and failed to score
HONGKONG'S GREAT DEPARTMENT STORE country to the ferries; over
Here's the toothbrush WITHOUT BRISTLES!,
'Made por sible by in- \vention of DU PONT EXTON*
Dr.West's
l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l ll
Dr. West's
Miracle Tuft
Q Q Q Q Q Q 0 0 0 0
the companies: "Robin Hood, blow a hit.
all bridges and craters before At the same time the Headquar- leaving. Take particular care ters Company was threading its against air observation No cs-way by compass through the pecial hurry."
forest of Trail in which all roads. and paths were held by the enemy,
The Retreat Begins
For more than six hours the In the evening of June 9, as company commander followed an the British began to approach the accurate course in the thick of the river, the Germans were in Rouen smoke-filled forest, to
emerge and were sending out northward from, the trees within a few hun-1 thobile, columns of tanks and drechyards from the feftrý dt nich truck-borne infantry to cut off he was timing. the retreat.
In the early hours of June 10, 'the ferriès résumed their work,
Through The Wreckage The approaches to all of them were jammed with refugees ahd. The small river towns of Caude-military transport.At 6 o'clock! bec and Duclair were choked with Caudéber was bombed- and firck The new and much talked-of Dr. West's the putini had been bombed
wreckage, human, and material. were started. Alr attacks con
and tinued all day, brush that doesn't shed, doesn't get soggy, cleans was in flames. Dense smolte from At the height of the work the teeth botter.........
nil burning in the great tanks on Terry captain refuted to return *Heretofore all toothbrushes have been made with the river drifted low across the from the Lur bauk. He ignored animal bristles. Now, DU PONT EXTON BRIS- woods to join other smoke clouds the finging of the bell and this
in the north.
craft, âld not resume its service TLE a product of Du Pont Chemistry-has been
In these perplexing conditions until voluntobre: had swum the developed and is used in Dr. West's Miracle-Tuff the battalion commander set
Klydi and placed him intiler armeð exclusively
At long last the dull was com-
troops were sent across first;: ap-
in his car to find C. Compa who were nearest Rdler itherafora in most bril.. NAI 'found their headquarters in
(11)
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