Michael John Howse

M J Howse
Education	Boston Grammar School
Years at BGS	1929-?
Parents	Francis Robert Howse
Relatives	P F Howse (brother)

Michael John Howse was a student at Boston Grammar School (1929-?).

Howse was the son of BGS staff member Francis Robert Howse and the twin brother of fellow student P F Howse. He joined the 4th Lincolnshire Regiment and was in one of the last units to be evacuated from Dunkirk. While he survived that experience his name unfortunately found its way onto the BGS War Memorial.

Dunkirk, 1940

The 1940 edition of The Bostonian includes this account of the Dunkirk evacuation (Operation Dynamo), credited to 'M.J.H.', which is confirmed by Floreat Bostona to be Michael John Howse.

We publish below an extract from a letter written on June 3rd by an Old Boy, who was in one of the last units to be evacuated from Dunkirk.

We first came out to a place more than two hundred miles west of Paris. Short though our stay was, it was a real holiday. We stayed there just over a fortnight and then spent forty-eight hours in horse-boxes being rushed to the Belgian frontier near Lille. From that time we were bombed and machine-gunned, sometimes more than twelve times a day. We were soon cut off, all supplies ceased and we had to "live on the land." Occasionally we did well, enjoying ourselves on chicken and wine: other days we got almost nothing - on one day my food consisted of two eggs, which I sucked raw from the shells! Towards the end of the action we were in an unenviable position. We spent nearly the whole time 'packing' a canal bank on the line of withdrawal to stop enemy mechanised forces from pontooning across it. We relieved some Guards at first and seemed to follow them about. We hardly ever had more than one hour's sleep: even then we had no greatcoats or blankets, but just khaki battledress, shirt and gas cape. We gradually withdrew from Douai, through Lille and Armentieres [sic], where we were caught in a devastating air raid. We went on through Bailleul, which we wrecked like Ypres in the last war. The smell of death was sickening. From here we continued to a hillside outside St Jean Qu'appelle [sic], where we saw a whole village bombed to dust in a few moments. We had almost decided to halt there, but fortunately we pushed on and halted beyond it. After forced marching through Belgium we spent three days and nights on the outskirts of Dunkirk, and there went through an artillery barrage. With amazing luck, our casualties in action had been almost nil except for a few stragglers who got lost, but are now safe (we hope) with other units. Then two nights ago at about eleven p.m. we marched through Dunkirk itself. We were nearly through when a shell ploughed through the leading platoon of one company. About thirty yards in front of me a Captain, a Lieutenant and about three N.C.O's and men were killed and several wounded. Depressed and weary, we struggled on to the beach. For hours we stood knee-deep in water with our boots on, waiting for a boat. It was in vain, however. We scratched holes in the sand and spent the whole of the next day out on the open beach. There were about ten thousand troops being mercilessly bombed and machine-gunned from the air. Late last night, the second of June, we were taken off by destroyers. Full of relief, we were rushed across the Straits; but we were not yet safe, for enemy 'planes tried to bomb us on the sea. They were driven off, however, by anti-aircraft fire. Several officers and men were missing when we embarked at Dunkirk, but I believe that about forty may be with other units. As for myself I have had some amazing escapes, but after a good meal and a hot shower I feel quite fit, apart from sore feet and a tortured mind. At present we are being looked after by some Canadians, who are treating us like kings. Our unit was one of the last to leave France, since we helped to cover the embarkation of the rest of the B.E.F.. So far as I can make out, the rest of the Boston lads in this unit are all safe.