4th Battalion Cameron Highlanders, 1940

[Hugh]

Admin/Mod's apologies if this is in the wrong forum can you please shift if necessary.

This is probably a difficult one but I will try posting anyway as nothing ventured nothing gained.
I am trying to help a mate with his father's Army service. We have his records for WWII and, according to them, the 4th Battalion Cameron Highlanders embarked for France 26//01/1940 disembarked France 28/01/1940.

Does anyone know the name of the troopship and from where that they embarked on? I have tried the War Diaries at Kew but they seem to start from the arrival in France.
Thanks in advance.

Regards
Hugh

[CTNana]

Hugh
Have you tried www.convoyweb.org? Mike Holdaway only lists one convoy from the Bristol Channel to Loire on 26th January 1940.

Hope that helps

[51highland]

Not sure of place of departure but 4th Camerons were at Aldershot and Bordon, before they sailed. some camerons were quarantined because of a Measles outbreak.
4th Camerons disembarked at Havre from The Lady of Man
A company was billeted in Bolbec, the point of de-trainment. B company went to Gruchet. Remainder of battalion went to the Lanquetot and Bolleville area.

[spidge]

Originally Posted by 51highland

Not sure of place of departure but 4th Camerons were at Aldershot late 1939 and then Bordon in November 39, before they sailed. some camerons were quarantined because of a Measles outbreak.
4th Camerons disembarked at Havre from The Lady of Man
A company was billeted in Bolbec, the point of de-trainment. B company went to Gruchet. Remainder of battalion went to the Lanquetot and Bolleville area.

I was just reading about the Lady of Mann trying to track the SS Manx who was sunk on this day in 1940.

I.of Man S.P. story

The company's ships accounted for 1 in 14 rescues from Dunkirk.

In the summers of 1937 and 1938 the company boasted a fleet of 18 steamships, the maximum number in its history. Each one, of course, was fully occupied during the summer season but, in winter, the most important members of the fleet were laid up on a care and maintenance basis. The Lady of Mann herself usually spent the winter months at Barrow.
The first major event of the World War 2 came in June 1940 when, between May 28 and June 6, no less than eight ships belonging to the IOMSP fleet were engaged in the evacuation of British troops from Dunkirk; 24,669 were rescued by the Isle of Man packets, including the 'Lady', which undertook four passages from Dover and brought back as many as 4,262 troops. Some 333,800 men, in total, were brought back to safety, in other words, one in every 14 were transported back across the Channel on board Manx ships. A fortnight later, the Lady of Mann took part in Operation Ariel, lifting beleaguered British troops from Cherbourg, Brest and Le Havre. During one voyage she made passage with 5,000 men on board. From August 1940 until 1944, when she was converted into an LSI in preparation for the Normandy invasion carrying six landing craft, she was engaged as a Troop transport, often based in Lerwick in the Shetland Islands. During the invasion she operated as Headquarters Ship for the 512th Assault Flotilla, responsible for the landings on Juno Beach.

[51highland]

Beat me to it!!! I.of Man S.P. story

[Hugh]

Thank you lady and gentlemen, this is good news, I never expected to get close on this one. I am sure my mate will be very pleased with this.

Regards and many thanks again
Hugh