243239 Pte. Harry Skidmore British Army Cheshire Regiment from:Lymm, Cheshire My grandfather Harry Skidmore joined the Army at the age of 16 and served 7 years in India before returning home in 1938 only to be sent out to France in 1939. His two brother's Charlie and Tommy were also sent over to Dunkirk as part of the BEF. Fortunately, both brothers managed to get home from the Beaches. My grandfather, however, having swum out to sea to a boat with his friend, were refused entry onto the boat because it was too full and had to swim back to shore where they were captured. I understand that they were then marched for very many weeks across Germany to Stalag XXI-A and then later he appeared to be moved to Stalag XXI-D. He was caught the very early part of the war and my grandmother had to wait 6 months before she learned he was POW 5249. He spoke little of his ordeal but did say he had two jobs, repairing shoes and patching up the horses from the Russian front. Apparently, he found this very distressing because many of the horses had awful wounds frostbite etc and they suffered horribly in pain. He also said he made a type of alcohol out of boot polish and that they were very very hungry. He did return home in 1945 to see his son, my father for the first time in 5 years. He lived a long life with his family close by. He had a great love of pigeons and spent a lot of time with my brother and I in his allotment which he shared with his brother Tommy. As a female civil engineer I once was involved in a contaminated site which made heavy water and mustard gas during the war and when I told him he was very very concerned telling me to keep clear of it. He then showed me a big scar on his arm. He had been to Porton Down to be used as a guinea pig with mustard gas in order to be given a weeks leave. He was a wonderful man and I have very fond memories of his as well as huge pride. I have just been to watch the newly released film Dunkirk with my father and my son.
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