DUNKIRK veteran Ted Smith of Berry Hill made a special pilgrimage to lay a wreath at the graves of two Cinderford soldiers during the recent final anniversary gathering.
"Arthur Harris and F. 'Buller' Witts were in the Glosters and protecting the troops fleeing to the Dunkirk beaches at Ledringham," said Ted, 81, who accompanied their companion at arms Eddie Long of Tetbury to the battle site.
"It came down to hand to hand fighting with fixed bayonets, with just a few Glosters holding back the Germans. Eddie was lucky to fight his way out of it and escape but the other two were killed.
"It seemed to me to be a very good thing to let people in the Forest know their friends were being visited," he said.
Ted, who was himself with the Warwickshire and Cheshire Regiments, also laid wreaths at Wormhout, where 104 of his companions were ordered into a barn and massacred with grenades, and Le Paradis where a number of unarmed men were machine-gunned in a field, as well as at Dunkirk itself.
"I was making my way to Dunkirk when we found a wounded sergeant and we got him down to a beach about four miles from Dunkirk and onto a hospital ship. Of course they wouldn't take us on because we weren't wounded," said Ted.
"We had to make our way to Dunkirk. I was taken off on the last day of evacuation at 3am, so I was lucky to get out. A couple of days after I got back to Broadwell where I was living then there was a telegram from the War Office saying I was missing presumed dead."
Ted went on to serve overseas for the rest of the war and was twice captured, escaping both times. He said he found the last reunions especially moving – as did everyone who attended.