The British Withdrawal

At 21:30 on 28^th May, Allied troops began pulling out sector by sector from their defensive positions in the town to withdraw to the harbour, where British ships were waiting to transport them to Egypt. As a member of the rearguard, Private Reg Spurr was one of the last British men to leave Heraklion:

"Group after group of ghostly figures came towards us, all challenged quietly by Cpl Pascoe, the answering word being whispered in reply. He would then whisper to them to follow the road that would lead them to the harbour... We set off in single file, David taking the rear, and I was in front of him. We tried to keep quiet, but in the darkness one couldn't help stumbling over rubble. Every building was in ruins... We seemed to have been walking for ages, and I was just on the point of asking if we were going the right way when we arrived at a place that looked a bit lighter... Before I had the chance to feel my feet on the deck, I felt the ship moving off...".

(Reg Spurr, To Have and to Lose, Society of Cretan Historical Studies 2005, pp. 257-261)