h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Dear Peter,
I think the letter I sent to Max Von whatever was badly worded on my part. A flurry of E-mail to my personal address and several letters which I have just read made me wonder what I had written.
I was evicting myself from that particular line of letters as to me it had run its course. You can not change the mind of a bigot so why try (no particular poster was in my mind on writing that).
The time has flashed by since Christmas with other projects and learning curves. I do on occasion look in to read the new stories and have watched the Dunkerque story on TV with some of the material seen on here. The site is by no means dying and I enjoy reading the new postings very much but refrained from comment as there was enough unanswered correspondece on my plate.
I see your input from time to time and it is usually worth reading so worry not, I am around for a while yet and have managed to catch up on some of my mail at last.
Regards Frank.

Dear Frank

I am so pleased and relieved that you are still around. None of your posts was offensive in the least, unless one deliberately distorts words and twists meanings.

Over 50 million people died in WW2, most of them civilians. It was, as we who lived through it know, total war, involving both service personnel and civilians. Such a broad canvas as WW2 requires civilian representation.

On another matter, I watched the three Dunkirk episodes with interest, the programme was very well made and as authentic as any reconstructed history could be. The one great failing was that it perpetuated the myth that the BEF was completely removed through Dunkirk. After 60 years this was a golden (Ah, the wit!) opportunity to rectify that.

Kind regards,

Peter

Dear Peter,
I agree with you it was well done by BBC and brought back the anger fear and also the disbelief that our forces could find themselves in such a situation.
I well remember the local lads coming home for short leaves after Dunkerque as quite a few of our local Territorial soldiers were called up and sent to France. They were telling stories of Cowadice and the breakdown of discipline in certain sections of the army. The main talk was of total chaos, of retiring then going back to the same positions then being told to retire again having never seen a German. They then had to fight back through the Germans who had got behind them. As a lad who took full interest in all things war on a daily basis I sat and listened to those stories with some scepticism only there were too many people telling the same thing. It had to be believed only I could not take in the fact our soldiers had run away. In later years you learn the truth and your later experiences teach you all is never black and white but many shades of grey. If you noticed the Cinema News was talking about organised retirements and straightening the lines when the people who were there talked chaos and stupid orders.
Large sections of the BEF came out of other area's of France and some men from a local regiment came out through Spain. I suppose as the program was about Dunkerque they kept it within that remit.
Regards Frank.

Frank, You may find this Dunkirk thread of interest, it pre-dates the TV programme: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/ww2/F1701707?thread=355569&show=20&skip=0&lpcr=0 .. and the related linked thread. Peter