GAELIC ADVENTURERS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 7 November 1940, Page 7

GAELIC ADVENTURERS

TREK THROUGH FRANCE TO SPAIN FOLLOWING GERMAN INVASION. MEN OF BALLACHULISH RETURN HOME. "It may well be said that the fame of Glencoe is now spread wider than ever,” states the Oban Times, Scotland, in describing the exploits of three Ballachulish members of the Bth (Argyllshire) Battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 51st Division, who escaped from German capture during the fall of France and trekked through France to Spain. “Outstanding features of their initial escape and subsequent exploits were that they passed themselves off as Russians and Americans in their trek from the Belgian frontier through France to the Spanish frontier. They were on the move for more than a month. As it suited them they became Russians to the Germans by speaking in their mother tongue which none could understand except themselves; and Americans' to the French, on whom they impressed a fear of complications arising.

“Giving ar. account of their experiences the men relate that two companies of the Sth Argylls, along with a platoon of the Norfolks were surrounded by the Germans near St. Blimont on June 3. They held out for four days but were taken prisoners on June 7. The Argylls were put into a column of about 5,000 prisoners a great many of whom were Frenchmen and they were marched towards Lille, heading for the Belgian frontier. The Ballachulish lads kept together and made up their minds to escape. Their chance came on June 14.

“In one of the villages where the column was being supplied with water they managed to place themselves midway between the guards. A French woman stood in a gateway holding a~bucket of water. They bent down to get a drink and out of sight of the guards slipped through the gate and hid behind a tree. They tell of the assistance given by a little French boy who “rigged them out” with civilian clothes. His mother gave them food. They plodded on until dark, having watched convoys of German troops on the' main Arras road and that night they slept under a haystack. Their intention was to make contact with the French in the Maginot Line and they headed east by shell scarred Cambrai, but learning of the French surrender they branched west.

“They found themselves being taken for refugees for they were given a lift into St. Quentin on a German army lorry. Thanks to the unwitting helpfulness of the Germans they struck the main Amiens road on June 18 and to assist in their impersonation of refugees they turned a really beautiful invalid chair into a bogey. There were also many things to be picked up, including cigarettes, in the hastily evacuated villas. On June 24, at the cross roads near Fromentel a German sentry asked for' their papers. Having none they were made prisoners, bundled into a motor lorry and sent to a camp at Ecouche where there were about 3,000 soldiers. After a miserable night bemoaning their misfortunes they decided to bluff their way out as foreigners. The interpreters in camp tried to get them to speak in many languages, but could not speak Gaelic. The refugees could. The interpreters wanted to find out where they had come from so they answered confusedly in Gaelic "We don’t know!” Not having heard Russian spoken at the camp, and when a map was produced, they pointed to Russia as their country. It worked. They were told to “Allez.”

Reaching Mobels-et-Man on July 9. after numbers of narrow escapes they ran foul of the French gendarmes. Under arrest they were taken on a twenty mile journey for interrogation. It lasted 2 hours, but as Americans who had volunteered with the French Army’ they demanded to see the American Consul. That their tale was convincing was noticeable in the change of attitude the following morning for they were sent on their way and were asked to say nothing about “the great mistake which had been made.” After subsequent adventures they were successful in reaching their home town, via Spain.