249474 L/Sgt. Thomas Richardson Davis British Army 2nd Battalion Durham Light Infantry from:Sunderland My grandfather, Lance Sgt Thomas Davis, was captured on the 27th of May 1940 after fierce fighting around the village of St Venant in Northern France. He fought alongside his younger brother, George Henry, who unfortunately was killed during that same action. I believe they were both in either B or D Company, 2nd DLI, tasked with defending the western approach to St Venant against a Panzer regiment.
Thomas reported in a letter home that he and George were swimming, when George disappeared. They had retreated northwards under heavy fire from the Panzers and had reached the Canal de la Lys. The bridges were under heavy fire, so some men tried to swim across the canal. George didn't make it, either shot in the water or drowning due to his heavy pack and exhaustion. George's remains when re-interred in the St Venant cemetery showed no signs of gunshot wounds. Thomas survived the swim, but was presumably captured as he tried to get out of the water. Further details are scant, but Thomas ended up in Stalag 383 at Hohenfels.
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