H
e was the son of Francis and Florence Copley; his father was the foreman at Hall Farm, Docking. He was serving with 7th Battalion, The Royal Norfolk Regiment (Lance Corporal 5774272) in the fighting at St Valery when he died on 12th June 1940, aged 19 years He is buried in the St Valery-en-Caux Franco British Cemetery (Spec Mem 'C' .D.56) though the exact grave can not be precisely located. St Valery is a small seaside town 32 kilometres west of Dieppe, and it was to this place at the end of the battle for France that elements of the remaining British forces, notably 51st (Highland) Division who resisted the Germans heroicly, fell back, closely followed by German armoured forces. The British had expected to be evacuated to England by sea from here, but lingering thick fog prevented this, and the end came on 12th June 1940 when over 8,000 British soldiers fell into German hands, with only some 1,350 escaping. David Flower Copley died in the confusion and fighting of the final few hours of the St Valery action.