Leave It Behind
Only the men could be rescued at Dunkirk. Everything else had to be abandoned and, to the extent possible, destroyed. Thousands of vehicles were drained of oil and left running until the engines seized. Mountains of uniforms, blankets, and equipment of every description went up in flames in the fields around the beaches. The voluminous smoke actually was a blessing as it helped screen activity on the beaches from air attack. One officer was observed trying to board the Brighton Belle, an old paddle steamer, with his golf clubs. A bearded sailor remedied this situation by dispatching the clubs into the surf. Arthur May suffered with the destruction of his battery’s howitzers. He was with the 3rd Medium Regiment, the same unit his father served with during World War I. As bad as times were then the 3rd never had to destroy its own guns. May’s conscience plagued him that he had “let the old man down.”22
If the port facilities at Dunkirk had permitted evacuation of equipment perhaps the decision would have been different. We will never know. As it was, only the men could be saved. In a well-known Bible story, Jesus once healed a sick man at the expense of a herd of pigs. The townspeople were incensed over the loss of their property, ignoring the value of a human life. If we think about it, we have a choice in our lives that is even starker. We often have to choose between our spiritual condition and our possessions. Jesus clearly taught us where to put our priorities. If anything gets in the way of our relationship to God, we need to “leave it behind.”
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
—Matthew 6:20–21