LAST NAVY VETERAN OF THE EVACUATION AT DUNKIRK
Born in Portsmouth, Lawrence had two elder brothers, Edward and George. He had a broad Hampshire accent throughout his life.
For his eighth birthday, his brothers took Lawrence to Fratton Park to watch Portsmouth FC. He became a lifelong fan of the football club.
Both of Lawrence’s brothers became soldiers, signing up with the second battalion of the Hampshire regiment.
However, on his eighteenth birthday, Lawrence joined the Royal Navy, “To see the world and have a bit of fun – but Hitler ruined that.”
He was posted to the ship, HMS Eagle.
The following year, the Second World War broke out.
In May 1940, Lawrence was hurriedly ordered to France as part of a group of re-enforcements. He was just nineteen years old.
He was sent to a railhead just outside of the town of Dunkirk. His job was to supply ammunition to the front line.
On the 1st of June, orders were given for the sailors to abandon their post and retreat to the nearby beach.
Lawrence knew that his brothers were also in France, so he decided to look for them. Simultaneously, the Second Hampshire Battalion were also in retreat (with minimal casualties), and his decided to search for him.
Amazingly, they found each other and headed to the beach at Dunkirk.
“When my brothers found me, I just felt relief. There were so many soldiers there and continuous aircraft dropping bombs and strafing us. I had so many things on my mind until I got onboard of our ship.”
Lawrence was allocated the same boat home as his brothers. He said, “One fella leaned on my shoulder, gave a sigh of relief and said: ‘Thank God we’ve got a navy’, and that sort of churned it up inside of me. We knew we had to get those soldiers back from Dunkirk.”
As soon as Lawrence arrived in England, he reported back to his unit – and was immediately sent back to France on a ship, to try to rescue more men.
The campaign to save the army at Dunkirk was known as ‘Operation Dynamo’. Prime Minister Winston Churchill appealed on the radio for the assistance of any boat capable of crossing the Channel. They have become known in history as the ‘Little Ships’.
Approximately 338,000 Allied troops were rescued from Dunkirk. 861 vessels took part in the operation, with 243 of these being lost.
The following year, Lawrence married Freda Cales. They were to have five children: Joan, Valerie, Peter, Colin and Moira.
After Dunkirk, Lawrence was sent to the Far East. There, he received a serious knee injury after being hit by shrapnel.
His brothers, Edward and George, also returned to action, serving in North Africa, Italy, Palestine and Greece.
Lawrence was also involved in D-Day in 1944. He took part in ‘Operation Neptune’, the naval contribution to the Normandy landings. He served on the destroyer ‘Wager’.
All three brothers survived the war.
After the war, Lawrence remained in the Royal Navy, becoming a Leading Patrolman (the equivalent of a military policeman).
In his spare time, Lawrence became a football referee, until his earlier knee injury forced him into premature retirement.
Lawrence left the Royal Navy in 1960, initially working in a print works before selling ice-creams in Portsmouth.
Throughout his later life, Lawrence attended every single event commemorating Dunkirk, and was therefore a frequent visitor to France.
The French government awarded Lawrence the Legion d’honneur.
His wife, Freda, died in 1993.
Lawrence continued to support Portsmouth FC. The last big match he attended was the 2019 EFL Trophy final at Wembley. He was delighted when Portsmouth beat Sunderland 5-4 on penalties.
The football club believed Lawrence was their oldest living supporter.
Lawrence died at his care home in Fareham.
Lawrence was given a funeral with full military honours, including a guard of honour, a union flag draped over his coffin and a navy cap placed on top of it.
It is believed that Lawrence was the last survivor of the naval personnel at Dunkirk.
The ADLS (Association of Dunkirk Little Ships), said, “They may be gone but they will not be forgotten as long as just one little ship sails on.”
Project 71, a charity for Second World War veterans said that he was, ‘A truly remarkable man, loved and respected by all who knew him. Stand down Lawrence, your duty is done. It has been an honour to have known you.’
The final word goes to his children. “Dad was short on words but we knew he loved us all very much. We are so proud of him and he will be eternally missed.”
RIP = Royalnavy’s Invincible Patrolman
