Witnesses to events at Shingle Street: Summary

Photographs . Why the Secrecy: Three Reasons . Newspaper Articles

Witness: Myself- a member of LDV platoon, called out on red-alert, 5 pm Saturday 31st August, 1940. Overlooking the Aldeburgh marshes to the south and over the river Alde. Also a clear view of Orford lighthouse towards Shingle Street.
At 9 pm, we observed an orange glow in the sky which flickered with white flashes from explosions and gunfire. This lasted through the night until about 11 am Sunday morning (1st September) when all went quiet. By this time it appeared that the emergency was over and we were stood down from alert at midday.

Witness: Henry Baldry, a young farmer attending a dance held at the Jubilee Hall, Aldeburgh on the 31st August, 1940. Offered testimony as to the timing of events and witnessed off duty troops at the dance drafted to reinforce the defences at Shingle Street, 9 pm that evening.

Witness: Captain Curjul by telephone. Ex-surgeon at Holesley prison. Witnessed landing craft approaching the shore as the sea was set alight. Saw the enemy troops being overcome by fire.

Witness: Captured German prisoner. Serving in the German navy, detained in an Irish prisoner of war camp. Was involved with the raid at Shingle Street but survived. Story relayed to Robert Burns.

Witnesses to burned bodies: I have received many reports of the badly burned bodies, washed up and retrieved along the shore from Langard Fort off Felixstowe to Southwold beaches, some of which are published on this website.

Witnesses to survivors and casualties: I have received many letters and telephone calls relating to casualties landing at French ports. Also reports of hospitals as well as trains being commandeered. Reports suggest that surviving troops were later transferred by a hospital train to Berlin.
Primary witness; William L Shirer- American War correspondent, arriving at the station shortly after the hospital train had arrived. The red cross train was some half mile long and had brought hundreds of burned casualties from the French hospitals.

Witnesses: Ron Clayton, Roy J Proctor, Mick Paintin, Ted Vandergrift, Mrs Dolby.
Some of the many witnesses who have written regarding their memories and those related by close relatives who spoke of these events.