IN MY FATHER'S FOOTSTEPS
By
ROBERT M LIDSTER
DEDICATED TO ERNEST W LIDSTER
1918-1999
It was the 4th June 1940 that my father’s regiment, the Royal Signals, saw action just forward of Lille-Roubaix in France. Three men were killed, seven wounded and one reported missing during the withdrawal.
Although not documented, my father could well have been that missing soldier, for I know that on the 12th June 1940 my father was captured by the Germans at St Valery whilst trying to get to England in a small boat. He and his companions came under fire and my father sustained injuries sufficient to see him admitted to the military hospital in Lille, prior to his transportation to the P.O.W. camps at Lamsdorf in Poland.
In May 2010, to mark the 70th anniversary of my fathers capture, I travelled to France and followed the route that the Royal Signals took from Cherbourg to Lille. In Lille I visited the military hospital where my father recovered from his injuries. I then made my way to modern day Lambinowice in Poland, site of the Lamsdorf P.O.W. camps.
In March 2012, I revisited Lille and finally made my way to St Valery, the place of my father's capture. This 58,000 word book is my account of my journey, part travel log, part biography, but above all a tribute to my father.
This book has now been published on Amazon Kindle for downloading to Kindle devices and PC. The link is: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0067LGVZO#_swftext_Swf
The following photograph album is a selection of photographs taken during my journey.
Robert M Lidster
Robert, are you related to Jennifer Timms? I came across her entry on the Wartime Memories Project re Ernest Lidster. My father was cousin to Ernest Lidster of Walthamstow whoo was married to Iris. This Ernest, it seems was born March 11th, 1920. I know that young men of that era often falsified their birthdates so that they could join the army - my grandfather Frederick Thomas Lidster did just that! Anyway, just wondering if we are related. I also emailed Jennifer.
ReplyDeleteHi Kaybee,
ReplyDeleteLooks unlikely that we are related but who knows. Jennifer is my sister and our father Ernest Lidster came from Halifax and was born in 1918. Good luck with your research.
Robert Lidster
Well, it was worth a try, thanks! Good luck with yoour book, it looks like a really interestng read.
ReplyDelete