The Battle of Britain Five Months That Changed History, May—October 1940 by James Holland (z-lib.org).epub

Stan might have been safe, but those still defending the bridgehead were
continuing to suffer under the now relentless German assault. Just west of
Nieuport, the 2nd Royal Fusiliers were still desperately clinging on to their
positions, however, even though by evening the enemy had lengthened their
barrage and were now shelling the battalion rear areas as well, killing a
cook and a Fusilier porter and destroying half their cooking equipment.
There was, however, some cause for cheer. First, one of their second
lieutenants turned up with three Fusiliers, and then so too did Captain
Malcolm Blair. ‘He was always the life and soul,’ says Norman Field. ‘He
had everyone laughing. A marvellous man.’ Malcolm, a former policeman
and rugby player, had become separated from the battalion and had ended
up at Dunkirk, where he had been ordered on to a destroyer. Whilst on
board he had heard that the battalion was at Nieuport and still fighting so
had got himself off again, waded ashore and then walked back to rejoin it.
As darkness fell the German guns were still once more. ‘Very quiet
night,’ Norman jotted on a piece of notepaper. ‘Had a good sleep.’ He was
up at first light, however, and had been sent to an alternative headquarters
further back for messages. On his return, at around 5.30 a.m., the German
shelling began once more. Taking cover in a slit trench, Norman could hear
the shells landing around the blockhouse up ahead. When it finally lifted,
Norman hurried back to the blockhouse. Outside in the slit trenches, he saw
several men crouching as though sheltering from the rain. ‘They had been
caught by the shell blast,’ says Norman. ‘Still sitting there, but dead.’
The blockhouse had also taken a direct hit. As the Fusiliers now
discovered, the rear of the building – the part now facing the enemy – was
only made of brick and plaster. Inside, Captain Kit Bowring looked ashen.
Malcolm Blair was dead. He’d been beside Kit when the shell had
exploded. He had suffered only a slight wound, but Malcolm had been
killed instantaneously. ‘Tears came to my eyes when Kit told me about
Malcolm,’ says Norman. ‘It was bloody awful.’