WWII 39 Star and War Medal with Dunkirk Veterans Medal & ephemera

Lot consisting of unnamed 39-45 Star and War Medal including a Dunkirk veteran medal.

The lot also includes a letter confirming the award of the Star with attached ribbon.

Awarded to 1880230 ‘Spr’ William Henry Beard Royal Engineers.

Born to William and Ellen Jane in March 1919, William is found in 1921 living at 85 Lacey Street, Widnes, Cheshire.

In 1939, we find him still at the same address working as a metal machine process worker (chemical).

He was to enlist into the Royal Engineers in October 1939.

His records show service with the BEF to have gone overseas in February 1940.

His records then state his is medically unfit to serve and is then discharged in November 1940.

Operation Dynamo ‘The Miracle of Dunkirk’

Operation Dynamo was the World War II evacuation of over 338,000 Allied troops from Dunkirk, France, between May 26 and June 4, 1940.

Background and Context
Operation Dynamo, often called the Dunkirk evacuation or the “Miracle of Dunkirk,” occurred during the Battle of France when German forces rapidly advanced through Belgium, the Netherlands, and northern France, trapping Belgian, British, and French troops along the coast .The British Expeditionary Force (BEF), alongside French and Belgian units, faced encirclement, with the nearest viable evacuation point being the port of Dunkirk. Winston Churchill described the situation as a “colossal military calamity,” emphasizing the peril faced by the stranded forces.

William was to marry Lily Welch in 1948.

We know he died in 1997 and his obituary states he served in WWII and was also a member of the Ball O’Ditton branch of the Royal British Legion and the Dunkirk Veterans, Liverpool branch.