Description
A Good Second World War, Dunkirk , Cyprus Long Service and MSM group – Royal Engineers (Initially reported missing at Dunkirk).
1939-45 Star; Defence Medal; 1939-45 War Medal; General Service Medal 1918-62, clasp, Cyprus22840555 Sgt R.R. King. R.E.; 1977 Silver Jubilee; Long Service and Good Conduct (Eliz II) Regular Army bar, 22840555 Sgt R.R. King. RE.; Meritorious Service Medal (Eliz II) 22840555 Sgt R.R. King. RE. (Court Mounted as worn), Dunkerque 1940 Medal; Matching Miniature group court mounted as worn (Missing Dunkerque medal)
R.R. King was reported as missing on the 19th August 1940 whilst serving in 678 Construction Company during their service in France in 1940 and were caught up in the retreat to and evacuation of Dunkirk. He was later reported as no longer missing
His L.S.G.C was awarded on June 1964
Formed in early 1940 as part of a rapid wartime expansion of the Royal Engineers, the 678 General Construction Company comprised approximately 260 officers and skilled civilian tradesmen—including bricklayers, masons, carpenters, and concreters—recruited to support the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France.
Deployed to France in February 1940, the unit was initially tasked with vital infrastructure projects along the lines of communication. Their primary role involved constructing supply depots, defensive pillboxes, field fortifications, and airfields essential for maintaining the BEF’s operational readiness.
When Germany launched its blitzkrieg in May 1940, the unit’s mission shifted dramatically from constructing behind-the-lines infrastructure to facilitating the BEF’s retreat. Equipped primarily with rifles and light machine guns, these specialist tradesmen performed critical field engineering under fire—establishing roadblocks, executing hasty demolitions to impede advancing German armor, and repairing bombed transport routes to keep evacuation corridors open.
By late May 1940, as the German encirclement tightened, 678 General Construction Company fell back into the shrinking perimeter at Dunkirk. Along the beaches and mole, Royal Engineers units provided critical logistical support during Operation Dynamo:
Emergency Engineering: Helping construct makeshift piers and jetties using abandoned lorries and timber to enable men to reach rescue craft.
Perimeter Support: Assisting in defensive positions and beach organization under severe Luftwaffe bombardment.
Despite suffering casualties and abandoning their heavy machinery, surviving members of the company were successfully evacuated across the English Channel back to Great Britain in early June 1940. Their adaptability under combat conditions highlighted the vital role played by specialist construction units during the campaign.
Condition – NEF
