A thread in collaboration with @Dunkirk_1940 looking at the fighting on this morning 80 years ago, 1 June 1940 on the Dunkirk Perimeter involving 2/Coldstream Guards. Our focus is on 15 Platoon of No.3 Company commanded by Lt. Jimmy Langley.

While by 1 June No.3 Coy had a strength of just 37 men they were heavily armed. The inventory read 12 x Bren Guns, 3 x Lewis Guns, 1 x Boys Anti-Tank Rifle, 22 x Mills Grenades and 30,000 rounds of .303 ammunition.

The German attack began at dawn on 1 June 1940. Langley and his men were in around this cottage on the Bank of the Bergues-Furnes Canal. When around 100 Germans were 600 yards from the cottage Langley's men let rip from it's roof space with the Bren Guns and broke up the attack.

The Germans regrouped & tried again. Langley observed them coming to him at the canal across these fields. This time the Germans had rounded up some French civilians as human shields. Accurate sniping from the Coldtream accounted for 3 dead Germans & left the civilians untouched.

Now followed an incident involving the OC of No.3 Coy, Major Angus McCorquodale and an unnamed Captain from the Battalion on their right, as seen on this map, 5/Border Regiment.

This Captain, believing the Germans were massing for an attack on his sector of the line informed McCorquodale (pictured) that he intended to withdraw. McCorquodale calmly to told the Borders officer that if he or any of his men passed a Poplar tree in the distance...

...then his men would shoot them. As the officer began to protest McCorquodale cut him off saying "Get back or I will shoot you now and send one of my officers to take command". The Captain departed without any further words.

McCorquodale, picking up his own rifle ordered Langley to fetch his with the order "Sights at 250. You will shoot to kill the moment he passes that tree. Are you clear?" The Officer duly appeared by the tree with two men. As the Captain walked beyond it both men opened fire...

The Captain was seen to drop. His fate is unknown. The two men seen with him ran back to their position. The line held. The Germans resumed the attack in the afternoon. This time, their overwhelming firepower began to tell. Langley & his men continued to resist from the cottage..

..But as they continued firing the cottage took a direct hit on the roof from a shell and in the words of Langley there was 'a frightful crash and a great wave of heat and dust and debris knocked me over'. His left arm was badly shattered and he was evacuated..

...to No.12 Casualty Clearing Station commanded by Major Philip Newman MC on the outskirts of Dunkirk. His arm was amputated and he was one of those left behind when the BEF were evacuated. Here is @Dunkirk_1940 the site of the CCS, known then to the men as 'Chapeau Rouge'.

That wasn't the ended of Jimmy's war. Despite having his arm amputated he escaped to Britain via Marseille and Spain. He spent the rest of the war working for MI9 whose remit was the Escape and Evasion of Allied Soldiers from occupied Europe.

If you're curious about the illustrations we have both used in this thread it's from Jimmy's memoir of the Second World War 'Fight Another Day'.

Sadly, one man who didn't live to see then end of 1 June 1940 was Jimmy's Company Commander, Major Angus McCorquodale. He was killed in action on this day 80 years ago and today lies in Warhem Communal Cemetery.