Description
Battle of France 1940 Prisoner of War – Durham Light Infantry.
1939-45 Star; 1939-45 War medal; Territorial Force Efficiency medal (Geo VI) 4338343 Cpl. S. Aston. D.L.I.
Samuel Aston was born 1st August 1901 at Page Bank Durham, and was a Prisoner of war no 12500 and held at Hohen Fels
A typed note with the medals states that he was taken prisoner between the 10th and 16th May 1940 during the battle of France and spent the rest of the war as a POW being released in 1945. We have found that his POW card is available at Kew WO 416/12/75
The 2nd battalion D.L.I. arrived in France with the 2nd Infantry Division as part of the BEF in late September 1939 and was quickly deployed on the border with Belgium.
When the Germans attacked on 10 May the 2nd battalion had moved into Belgium to the River Dyle by late on the 11th, 151st brigade was to be held in reserve. On the Dyle, the 2nd battalion held the Germans for two days until ordered to withdraw on 16 May, with Lt Annand winning the Army’s first V.C. of the War. The 151st brigade was ordered to move forward to the River Dendre on 16 May, only to begin to fall back on the 18th.
Condition – NVF, TFEM with heavy edge nocks, naming still readable.
