No.5824776, Private, Thomas Henry MUTTOCK
Aged 32
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Born in 1908 2nd qtr Hartismere 4a:1006, son of Spencer and Eliza MUTTOCK (née STONE). 1911 census...Aged 3, he was at The Street, Wickham Skeith with his father Spencer MUTTOCK [38] farm labourer born Redlingfield; his mother Eliza [38] born Hoxne; sisters Florence Maud [8] and Eliza [6]. The children all born in Wickham Skeith. He married Lilian B FREEMAN in Bury St.Edmunds in 1934. Their children were Christine [1934] and twins Ernest and Ronald in 1935. In 1939 they were at 36 Prospect Row, Bury St.Edmunds |
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Three days before the start of the evacuation at Dunkirk and Thomas had reached just NE of Lille, trying to stay ahead of the Germans who, as in WW1,
were racing to the sea to cut the British off from the Belgians. Thomas's unit was one of those trying to hold a line between the Rivers Escault and Lys, but to no avail
On 23rd the battalion was ordered back to Watrelos and one last effort made to halt the Germans, but it was not to be. The British had been cut off from the French,
the Belgians had capitulated, all that was left was a hope to evacuate from Dunkirk. Only a strange order from Hitler to his forces to halt on the 24th gave the British a
better chance of that.
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