A significant number of the men from A and D companies were defending an area towards the central part of the town which included battalion HQ and the casualty point within the basement of an orphanage. Others of those companies and B and C Company were dispersed across the town defending key points along the main roads and railway line. As the German tanks successfully overcame resistance and made their way through the town those men more widely dispersed were able to take advantage of opportunities to hide in bombed out houses, gardens and ditches etc. In this way some evaded capture and were able to find their way to join up with the retreating columns to Dunkirk. The less fortunate were spotted and captured before reaching Dunkirk. A few men evaded capture for many months, eventually being repatriated to Britain.
The following is a summary two accounts in The National Archive of men from the Buckinghamshire Battalion:
I Perkins 5385023
Private Perkins evaded capture for 12 months. After the fall of Hazebrouck Private Perkins together with a sergeant (unamed) and H Burton were able to crawl from under the debris of a building that had collapsed around them. They took cover under a hedge and were eventually able to get away over the fields.
They remained in Northern France, not far from Hazebrouck, until December 1940. Initially, at Oxelaere, near Cassell, they were looked after by a French woman for 17 days until the local mayor threatened to tell the Germans of their whereabouts. The men then went cross country St Omer, about 19km, where they were offered work on a farm. They stayed there from mid -June until December 1940, presumably at some risk to the farmer.
Private Perkins does not say what prompted their departure from the farm but they spent about 4 weeks successfully making their way to Marseilles where they were interned. He states that he could not remember the route they took. But it must be assumed this was probably a very stressful 4 weeks hiding and scavenging for food. Private Perkins escaped internment in April and made his way to Spain. He arrived in Gibraltar in May and left for Britain on June 6th 1941.
J Pusey 5381653
In his account Private Pusey states that he was picked up by a German patrol on May 23rd. This may or may not be an error. The battle was not until May 27th so further checks are necessary.
He was picked up at Cassel but the next day on the road to Metz, he jumped out of the lorry and got away. He states that he got some clothes from a farm (presumably helped by the farmer's family), found a bicycle and headed south via Bethune. He met up with a Sapper and together they made it to Marseilles and on to Spain and repatriation
After the Battle: Getting Away