Evenwood men were involved in the first real fighting of the war.  In May 1940, Belgium and France were hit by the Hitler’s “Blitzkrieg” (Lightening War) which resulted in the evacuation of about 330,000 British and French troops from Dunkirk.   

South of Arras, France Private Ray Brown, 10^th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry was killed 20 May 1940, the first Evenwood man to fall in action.  He was 19 years old and lived at Copeland Row.  Corporal Russell Bell, 10/DLI was wounded and taken prisoner on the same day, in the same action.  His family lived at Manor Street.  Later, the family received a postcard from Russell asking about his friends Ray Brown and John Walton.  He didn’t know that Ray had been killed and that John was also held captive.  Russell Bell was shot dead when trying to escape from Stalag XXA, 24 July 1943. 

John Walton survived the war.  Initially, he worked at Gordon House and Randolph Collieries before pursuing a career as a gamekeeper.

The photos show Ray Brown, Russell Bell, Russell’s postcard home (note the last line) and John Walton later in life.

Private A.R. Brown

Corporal J.R. Bell

Above: Russell Bell’s postcard home from the POW Camp asking about Ray Brown and John Walton.

Above: John Walton in later life, a gamekeeper.

The film, “Darkest Hour” highlighted the importance of the defence of Calais in the evacuation of British troops from Dunkirk.  One soldier caught up in this action was Rifleman Joe Brunskill. Joe’s children will be more familiar to Evenwood people – Cynthia, Pat, Marian, Kathleen, Colin, June, Maureen and David. 

After the 3-day siege of Calais, he was captured 26 May 1940 and spent the rest of the war, 4 years 337 days, as a POW at Stalags XXA and XXB.  He endured “The Long March” when the Nazis forcibly marched an estimated 80,000 POWs 500 miles westwards into Germany during harsh winter conditions without suitable clothing and little food.  They were liberated, repatriated to the UK and underwent months of hospital treatment.  After the war, Joe Brunskill returned to work as a miner.  He died in 1959 without telling his family anything about his wartime experiences. 

Above: 6911773 Rifleman J. Brunskill, Rifle Brigade

Above: A card home from Joe Brunskill.

In September 2019, Maureen, June and Marian visited the area where their father, Rifleman Joseph Brunskill was held a Prisoner of War.  He was captive for virtually the entire war at Stalag XXB Marienburg [now known as Malbork].  They met Pawel Bukowski who showed them the magnificent Malbork Castle; the site of Stalag XXB, the former POW camp; Miloradz one of the farms where POWs worked; the Soviet memorial on the site of a mass grave for Russian POWs and the Polish memorial at Gnojewo.  They also visited the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery at Malbork to pay their respects to Corporal Russell Bell from Evenwood who was killed 24 July 1943 when trying to escape from Stalag XXA Thorn [now called Torun].   

Above: the Brunskill sisters at the Stalag XXB Marienburg Memorial.

Other men from Evenwood and the local area, serving with 6/DLI and 10/DLI, were caught up in the actions around Arras and their stories will be told elsewhere on the website.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

John & Maria Walton, The Bell family, The Brunskill sisters and the late Nancy Horsman (nee Brown)