Retired army officer calls for Dunkirk soldiers to be honoured

[NANO]

A retired Army officer is campaigning for thousands of World War Two soldiers to be honoured. Retired Lt Col Trevor Powell said some British Expeditionary Force (BEF) soldiers had not been recognised with an additional clasp for their 1939-45 Star, despite others receiving it. The BEF were the first British soldiers to fight in France and Belgium in 1939-40.

More than 300 people signed Mr Powell's petition for the BEF to get the honour. Mr Powell, from Betws Diserth in Powys, said: "No medal was ever struck to recognise the considerable contribution of members of the British Expeditionary Force in 1939-1940. "With the approach of the 80th anniversary, it would be fitting for some formal recognition at last to be made to the few remaining survivors of this undervalued force." World War Two veteran gets two new medals Army helps with World War One medal search A letter home from a Welsh soldier Mr Powell's father Hugh Powell was one of the thousands of men sent to fight in France in 1939, before he contracted meningitis and was brought home just before the Dunkirk evacuations. His father is looking forward to celebrating his 101st birthday at his home in New Zealand. The BEF were eventually evacuated from Dunkirk beaches, where almost 350,000 men were rescued thanks to a flotilla of little ships during Operation Dynamo in May 1940.

Edited May 10, 2019 by - Dark
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