Beyond Dunkirk - Part 3 (Wimereux and M.Urruty)

Part 3 of the letter my grandfather, Cpl Edward Arthur Wilkins (1860815) wrote to his wife and son on 12th June 1940 detailing the last few days before his capture by the Germans near Cap Gris Nez, which he left with Madame Urruty, Guesnoy sur Duele and which she posted back to England in April 1945.

On Friday, the 7th, we get up and walk to La Capel, call in at a Cafe on the way, find we can only buy Wine - no food - so it means Bully and Biscuits again. Today we find a nice spot in a wood to sleep and we are very tired, no sleep and it is very hot. We are near a Forester's house so we call in for a drink of water and I tell him who we are. Up to now everyone thinks we are Belgian refugees and. since the Belgians have
capitulated, they get very little help from the French. They give us bread and paste, a tin of salmon and sardines. We return to the forest and settle down to a good meal and -make ourselves comfortable and try to get some sleep. There are several nightingales singing in competition with each other near us, one sits up above my head and I get very little sleep again tonight. I still keep thinking of you Dearest - I blame
myself for causing you all this worry and I can see no end to this for you or for me as yet.

We leave La Capel and walk through the countryside towards Marquise. We
get to a main road - we have previously been trying to avoid main roads as best we can. We see several Germans a few hundred yards up the road so we take a footpath which runs alongside the railway line and keep walking until we come near the Village of Beavrequen. We are very tired, it has been terribly hot and remember we have our khaki uniforms on under our civvies, besides our baggage we carry with us, so we decide to lie down. We find a place 200 yards from a level crossing which takes the road over
the line from Beavrequen to the main road to Boulogne. We get our beds made and then I propose we call at the Railwayman's house at the crossing for water. So we call in and have a drink and return with a bottle of water. Very little sleep again tonight. Still lie thinking of you Dearest.

Get up on Sunday morning and propose walking to Wimereux to see if we can
get a boat. This we do. We are still existing on the paste and bread we had given us at La Capel although we still have some Bully and Biscuits left and a tin of Oxos. While we are in Wimereux we look for a French interpreter who lives here but we fail to find him. We call at a Cafe and get some Wine and Brandy. We meet many Germans here but we are getting used to this now - we fail to see any signs of a boat - our intentions being to row across to England. We have to return to Beavrequen as we have
cached all our bedding and suitcases in some bushes here. While we are returning we call in the Village Church at Beavrequen. It is quite empty but we sit down and pray - I think this is the first time I have prayed to the Almighty with any seriousness. I prayed for you my Darlings that you should be comforted and also for my safe return to you. I came out feeling very much relieved and returned to our sleeping place. Then we had a talk about what we should do tomorrow. We decided to go back to Boulogne and get the address of the French interpreter and then onto Wimereux to find him and then back here again for the night, so Naylor walked along to the cottage for water, asked the good lady if it would be possible for us to deposit our gear here tomorrow while we go to Boulogne. She is quite agreeable and gives us some lettuce and spring onions which we eat
ravenously with nothing with it. Try to get to sleep again Darlings but it seems hopeless. I realise that you are thinking of me and this is what keeps me awake. I get a little sleep.

Monday, we get up, leave our baggage at the cottage and walk to Boulogne.
We call in at the Hotel de Monsignv, see Mme. Samprim and Mme. Okeef and Tony.
They make us a cup of tea - what a treat - and butter and cheese. We have a
long talk together. Mme. Okeef is in tears about us - she is an English Officer's Wife. She lost hin in the last War and is drawing a Pension from England but, of course, this is not coming now. We have a nice Lunch here, Soup, Omelette and Carrots and plenty to drink. Germans are passing us all the time. We fail to get the address we require but -manage to get to know what part of Wimereux he lives in so we walk on to Wimereux. Notice the Germans are guarding the coast all along and that they are firing out to sea.
What their target is I do not know.

When we enter Wimereux we find it full of Germans. They have a band playing
outside the Church. We push our way through the crowds of Germans listening
to the band and then proceed to find M. La Marres house. We fail to find it
or him. I am not sorry as I have very little faith in him helping us at all for I know he is very 'windy'. We walk back - Naylor seems very depressed. We call in and have two glasses of Wine each and a Coffee at a Cafe as it is again very hot today. We take a bottle of Wine with us and proceed to walk back to Beavrequen again. Whilst walking from Boulogne to Wimereux we get asked the way to Boulogne by the Germans. Pleased to say we are getting quite used to this. We get back to Beavrequen and are very very tired having walked about 18 miles today. We call at the cottage for our bedding but the good lady offers us a bed. We have already told her and her husband
who we are so we accept, we are shown the bed and we both get undressed and
into bed in quick time.

We have a little talk about tomorrow and decide to walk around the Farm and
try and get some work. Naylor goes straight to sleep and I lay awake
thinking and feeling very grateful to M. and Mme. Urruty, a Beuvrequen Par
Marquise (P. de C.) for a nice comfortable bed but, though I am very comfortable, I still cannot sleep even though I am tired out it makes no difference. I get a little sleep throughout the night, get up and see Madame's three dear little children off to school and then start visiting the Farmer for work on the farm. We explain we want no money but just food and somewhere to sleep. We have no luck - they all seem afraid to take us on. We get food and wine at one farm but otherwise no luck. This seems to depress Naylor more than ever. His feet are bad and it is very hard for him to have to accept defeat but he begins to realise now that we are up against it and that we should have been better off as prisoners.

We have to return to Mme. Urruty for we have left our bedding here. They
have invited us to stay on as long as we like but you must understand these
people are very poor. They have three little mouths to feed and there is
no food about anyhow. We return and are invited to sit down to supper with
the family. This consists of soup made mainly of milk and vegetables and
it is very nice and then we have potatoes boiled in their jackets and then
heated up in cream which she obtains from the farm nearby. We have dry
bread with this but I enjoyed it all very very much. We finish up with salad from the garden so you will see how they are living. A little bread, milk and cream otherwise everything comes from their little plot of land. We have a drink of herbal tea which Madame makes which is said to send you off to sleep - so I try some and thank the Lord I get to sleep at last my Pet. I sleep right through the night - what a treat - and how better I feel this morning. We lay in bed this morning Wednesday, 12th June 1940, talking
things over and decide to let M. Urruty try and obtain work for us; if he fails then we think it will be best for all concerned if we hand ourselves over to the Germans, for not only will you get to know of my whereabouts you will also know I am still alive if they keep me and Naylor. If you should not hear any more from me Dearest you will know the worst has happened and that is that I have given myself up and have been shot. I have arranged with this good lady to post this on to you after the War so that you will
at least know part of my fate should I fail to return.

I have stopped in all today on purpose to write this to you my Dearest and it gives me great pleasure to sit down and write to you even if it reaches you by delayed post. I have had no news of the War since Thursday, 6th June , but I heard today that things look very serious and that Italy has entered the War. Well whatever happens Dearest remember I love you and you alone, I always did and if the worst does happen Dearest remember I realise there is a God above and approached Him on Sunday Last and every evening since. Madame has just given us a lovely dinner, and I feel quite rested and comfortable just now. Well Darling, carry on for Arthur's sake and if I should pass out remember it is my wish that you should please yourself about marrying again. Dearest, should you think about this please make sure you have a good choice. You were always too good for me and I know what rotters men are, and please carry on in your sweet, good natured way Dearest and remember that I am very grateful to the good lady here and to Mme. Samprim and her daughter and Mme. Okeef all from the Hotel Monsigny, Boulogne.
All these have done their best to help us so should you feel inclined to write to these good people do so my Dear and let them know what has happened to me.

Well, ta ta, my Pet for the present, I will add a little more to this in the
morning or this evening when M. Urruty arrives home and we decide what we are
going to do.
Darling this has taught me a lesson and what a lesson, I always prided myself
that I was broad minded but my mind is broader now. If ever I get back to
peace and quietness again and to your dear arms, I shall look for a nice quiet spot and lead a very quiet life. I have had all the excitement I want and what is more I shall live solely for Arthur and you and when the beggarman knocks at the door he shall have the best I have got for I am a beggarman just now, so goodnight my Pets. God bless you both, may you both never have to want as I have.

(To be continued in Part 4)

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