251058 Pte. Thomas Mullen British Army 1st Btn. Border Regiment from:Jarrow My father Thomas Mullen was conscripted aged 20 on 16th October 1939 at the same time as William Sloan at Bitts Park, Carlisle. They went through Dunkirk together and the training in the gliders on the Brecon Beacons in Wales. They were first posted to the Border Regiment Holding Battalion at West Hartlepool on 14th February 1940.
On the 13th March 1940 he embarked Southampton to join the British Expeditionary Force in Belgium, the Regular Soldiers in the 1st Border had been there since 22nd of September 1939.
He disembarked at Cherbourg in France on the 14th March 1940 and was sent to Lille on the Belgian Border then moved on to Tournai in Belgium. He took part in the ˜Phoney War in Belgium. On the 10th of May 1940 the Germans invaded Holland and Belgium. When the Belgians capitulated and the French surrendered was forced back with everyone else to the beaches of Belgium by a larger, far superior and better equipped German army.
On the 10th May the Germans attacked in the West and they moved into Belgium occupying positions round the canal in Tournai from 13th to the 21st May.
On the 21st May the order was given to retreat back to Lille. On the 27th May the order was given to retreat to Dunkirk in a vehicle Column.
He got to Dunkirk on the 29th May as the Stuka dive bombers and German artillery were hammering the town.
He joined the line on the harbour wall but kept running for cover with the air raids and losing his place when he got back in line. They were that tired so decided to sleep in the dunes even though being bombed, as the sand muffled the explosions.
He found a Ladies watch in the dunes?
At that time the French Calvary Horses broke loose on the beach and stampeded which woke them up. He eventually got on a Royal Naval Vessel from the Mole on 30th of May 1940 and arrived Dover 31st of May. They went by train from Dover to Welwyn in Hertfordshire they got kitted out and then off to Crook in County Durham where they arrived on the 5th of June 1940. Then on to Prudhoe in Northumberland on Home detail on 1st July 1940. On the 5th September 1940 1st Border were sent to Ainderby Steeple in North Yorkshire.
On the 7th of September 1940 1st Border was on standby for a German invasion but were taken off standby the next day.
On the 9th September 1940 1st Border was sent to Burghclere in Basingstoke Hampshire. They were sent back to Welwyn on 1st of December 1940. On the 16th/18th February 1941 the battalion moved from Welwyn to Glanusk Park near Crickhowell South Wales training in the Black Mountains.
On the 13th of August 1941 1st Border moved to Llanelli, Wales and in September became part of 1st Air-Landing Brigade of newly formed 1st Airborne Division and were issued with the maroon beret. All had to volunteer or be transferred to other battalions (30 other ranks left battalion on 30th December 1941 being unfit for the new role). In November 1941 there was a Glider accident.
2nd/4th December 1941 1st Border moved to Salisbury Plain and made camp at B Camp, Barton Stacey near Winchester. On the 19th December 1941 a Hotspur Glider crashed at RAF Ringway killing all 18 men. On 29th of August 1942 my father was best man at his sister Catherine Mullen's wedding to Thomas Cox. In October 1942 they were training in Airspeed Horsa Gliders.
In May 1943 the 1st Borders went to North Africa, but my father was pulled out of the Gliders with a foot injury, causing disability being reclassed medically as B7 and sent back to Prudhoe on Home detail. 15th July 1943 he was was declassified from IA to IA Scale D put on Y list and sent back to Carlisle to be put into a reserve unit.
He was sent to London for a few weeks with the LDAC. Then sent back to Carlisle and transferred to 2nd Battalion, Border Regiment.
He embarked for Delhi, India with 2nd Borders on 25th of October 1943 as part of the SEAC (South East Asia Command commanded by Lord Louis Mountbatten). In April 1944 the SEAC was transferred to Kandy in Ceylon.
In May 1945 (VE day) my father was still with Mountbatten's forgotten Army who were not stood down till 15th August 1945. He did not get back to the UK for de-mob till 17th April 1946.
He was de-mobbed and he never qualified for a disability pension (or any other pension).
William Sloan was killed sometime around 24th/25th September 1944 at Arnhem. Many years later and shortly before he died, with the advent of the internet he found that every last one of his friends in 1st Border (Airborne) had been killed at the Battle of Arnhem in September 1944, My father was in Kandy, Ceylon at that time.
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