The Canadian Army Journal

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While Nixon and the others fought for their lives in the schoolhouse, Mitchell at
battalion headquarters tried to establish a clear picture of the situation up ahead. The
conflicting nature of the information available convinced him to hold back the 17-pounder
anti-tank guns used to consolidate a secured position, fearing their capture or
destruction if committed too early. Instead, he ordered Pinkham to reconnoitre gun
positions at first light and call in the guns as needed. 49 To alleviate the pressure on his
companies, he requested support from tanks or heavy armoured cars at 07:00 explaining
to Megill that the situation, although seemingly solid at first, had now deteriorated.
Instead of complying immediately with the request, which was indicative of the souring
relationship between the Black Watch CO and the Brigade Commander, Megill radioed
that “armoured cars were not suitable in daylight and would take too long to get there”
and demanded further details before he would accommodate the request. 50 Immediately,
Mitchell fired back that “one company was cut off” and that the situation continued to
deteriorate. 51 Megill’s response was to send a Liaison Officer up to “find out the full
story.” Exasperated, Mitchell sent one final message a full hour after his first request
was made: “Can you send armoured cars even if it does take 2 hours?” Finally, at 08:17,
Megill acquiesced, and not only did he order a troop of armoured cars to Spycker, but
called in air support on the coastal rail guns in Dunkirk. By 09:26, the armoured support
had yet to arrive and Mitchell once again contacted Megill to ask when they could be
expected; “as soon as they come” was the only response.
Meanwhile in Spycker, German infiltration increased in both frequency and boldness
as the day wore on. In C Company’s position, one German non-commissioned officer
(NCO) managed to make it within five yards of Pinkham’s headquarters before Bren fire
brought him down. His demised tipped off the position of four others who remained in
slit trenches after daybreak and they paid the ultimate price for their indiscretion. Later,
Pinkham noticed a group of 27 Germans retreating northwest through a nearby farm
building and turned his snipers loose; within seconds, six lay dead with the rest
scattering among the wheat. 52
The remnants of B Company, which Mitchell “persuaded” to return to Spycker,
arrived in one piece during the night and took up
positions in the Church—just a stones throw from
the school on the other side of the graveyard. By
daybreak, the scene inside what was left of the
church, reminded one of Dante’s Inferno. The dead
and wounded lay on the pews and in the aisles,
while Marcel Paresys (the local Abbott) worked the
floor distributing rosaries and administering the
Last Rites. The wounded, at least those that could
still fire, were propped up against windows with the
aid of mattresses. In the corner, a signaller, killed
when shrapnel pierced his skull, sat motionless
over his radio, headset still in place looking as
though he were asleep. Blood, discarded dressing
packages and plaster dust lay everywhere; shell
casings littered the floor, and the smell of sulphur,
urine and cigarette smoke hung thick while one
severely wounded man, delirious and fighting
shock, cursed for anyone to give him a shot of rum
that he could not afford to have.
Finally at 10:00, the first signs of support
arrived in the form of a lone 17-pounder which set
fire to a barn used as a German base west of the
Abbott Marcel Paresys
Canadian Army Journal Vol. 11.1 Spring 2008