observation post (OP) at Caëstre, spent all day engaging tanks with its field guns. Both batteries had to recover ammunition from abandoned vehicles to stay in action. By the end of the day the enemy's advanced columns had penetrated between the division's widely-spread units and it was ordered to withdraw that night. 65th Field Rgt moved to Court Croix with OPs at Rouge Croix and Strazeele, and were immediately engaged by enemy infantry. Then came orders to move to a strong position at Mont des Cats, which was held by the divisional artillery and some of the divisional Royal Engineers acting as infantry. With its flanks 'in the air' after neighbouring French formations retreated during the night of 28/29 May, the divisional commander decided to withdraw some to this position, though only Divisional HQ and scattered elements arrived by dawn to join the gunners and sappers. This rearguard was subjected to intense mortar fire next morning, then by dive-bombing, but held its position for 30 hours while the rest of the division withdrew. Battery Sergeant-Major Jack Tirrell, acting as gun position officer (GPO) of L Troop was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) for gallantry on 29 May. He continued to direct a gun under heavy and accurate fire, and when all the gun detachment had been wounded he went onto the gun himself and continued to fire. Tirrell was later commissioned and went onto a distinguished career in the Western Desert Campaign with 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery. Covered by this rearguard, the remnants of the division reached the beaches for embarkation, reaching England on 1 June. Home Defence After evacuation the survivors of 65th Fd Rgt assembled at Oxford and then moved to Gloucester, then to a camp at Cheltenham Racecourse, and later arrived at Castleford in Yorkshire. Replacement guns, modern 25-pounders, began to arrive on 18 July, but there were acute shortages of gunsights and of small arms. In October 44th (HC) Division returned to invasion-threatened South East England with XII Corps. It was only in the autumn of 1940 that the RA began producing enough battery staffs to start the process of changing regiments from a two-battery to a three-battery organisation. (Three 8-gun batteries were easier to handle, and it meant that each infantry battalion in a brigade could be closely associated with its own battery.) 65th Field Rgt formed 445 Bty on 7 January 1941