La Plaine au Bois Memorial Site - The Pond - Esquelbecq

During their escape, Lynn ALLEN and Bert EVANS arrived at this pond. An SS officer pursued them and pointed his gun at the British captain, shooting him in the head in cold blood. He also aimed at Evans, who was shot in the neck and pretended to be dead.
After a few minutes, EVANS crawled out of the water and made his way to the BOLLENGIER farm, where he arrived in the evening. A doctor gave him first aid. He was taken to a hospital where his arm was amputated.

Bert Evans and La Plaine au Bois
Bert Evans was one of the few survivors of the massacre in Esquelbecq on 28 May 1940, in which British prisoners of war were murdered by the SS. He managed to escape after being wounded and pretending to be dead in a pond near the barn where the executions took place. In 2001, he returned to the site for the inauguration of the memorial, together with Alf Tombs, another survivor.

Until his death in 2013, Bert Evans returned to Esquelbecq every year as a pilgrim to commemorate his fallen comrades. His ashes were scattered at the pond where he saved his life. The site has since become an important memorial, with a stele for each fallen soldier and an orientation table showing the positions of the fighting troops on 28 May 1940.

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Source

• Text: Luc Van Waeyenberge & Philippe Van Wassenhove
• Photos: Luc Van Waeyenberge