Patron Saint of Travellers
Ian’s an actor and I was working with him today. In the coffee break he told this story.
During the Second World War in 1940, 330,000 men were trapped, by the advancing German army, on the beaches at Dunkirk in France. Large ships could not get near to Dunkirk’s shallow beaches to rescue the men and it’s one of the best known stories of the war that eight hundred small boats crossed the English Channel to pick up the men from the beach and take them to bigger boats further off shore.
One of the men on the beach was Ian’s grandfather. As small boats were landing to pick up the men, he climbed into one of them, which was about to set off out to sea. Then he suddenly noticed that his medallion of St Christopher, which he always wore round his neck, had fallen off on the beach.
Convinced that he’d never survive the journey back without it, on an impulse he told the men on the boat to go without him, and climbed back onto the beach. The boat set off.
Back on the beach amongst the gunfire, it took him a while to find the medallion, but eventually - and rather to his surprise - he did. He turned round and looked out to sea. A shell had landed on the boat he had been in: it had been blown to pieces. Everyone on board was killed.
Ian’s grandad was left on the beach, holding his St Christopher’s medallion.
During the Second World War in 1940, 330,000 men were trapped, by the advancing German army, on the beaches at Dunkirk in France. Large ships could not get near to Dunkirk’s shallow beaches to rescue the men and it’s one of the best known stories of the war that eight hundred small boats crossed the English Channel to pick up the men from the beach and take them to bigger boats further off shore.
One of the men on the beach was Ian’s grandfather. As small boats were landing to pick up the men, he climbed into one of them, which was about to set off out to sea. Then he suddenly noticed that his medallion of St Christopher, which he always wore round his neck, had fallen off on the beach.
Convinced that he’d never survive the journey back without it, on an impulse he told the men on the boat to go without him, and climbed back onto the beach. The boat set off.
Back on the beach amongst the gunfire, it took him a while to find the medallion, but eventually - and rather to his surprise - he did. He turned round and looked out to sea. A shell had landed on the boat he had been in: it had been blown to pieces. Everyone on board was killed.
Ian’s grandad was left on the beach, holding his St Christopher’s medallion.
posted by Daphne at 7:34 pm
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home