Seaforths, Camerons , Blackwatch,
Gordons, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
It is interesting to note that very little of the achievement of
the 51st Division in fighting a rear guard action to allow the evacuation
of the beaches at Dunkirk to take place is recorded. Much was written
in the papers of the ‘miracle of Dunkirk’ but little to
the men who helped to secure it. Their stand is like the men themselves
who spent the rest of the war as prisoners, a sadly forgotten and neglected
part of the history of the Second World War.
The Ross-shire Journal of the June 7th tells of ‘An epic of
bravery’ at Dunkirk’ and on June 21st in Churchill’s
survey of events so far he says,
| ”Our army and 120,000 French troops were rescued by
the British navy from Dunkirk, but only with the loss of their cannon,
vehicles and modern equipment. This loss obviously took some weeks
to repair and in the first two of those weeks the Battle of France
had been lost. When we consider the heroic resistance made by the
French army with heavy losses in this battle and the enormous losses
they inflicted on the enemy, it may well be thought that these 25
Divisions of the best and finest troops might have turned the scale.
However, General Weygand had to fight without them.” |
The Weygand line was the line of defence from Abbeville to the Ainse
formed to hold back the German offensive. He regrets their not being
the divisions taken off at Dunkirk being there to help the French but
there is no mention of the fight put up by the Highland Divisions left
in France or the part they played in keeping the advancing Germans
from Dunkirk.
Two weeks later in the notes and comments section of the Ross-shire
there appeared a short article letting the public know about the capture
of some of the British forces.
Part of the British Division
Trapped
Many Prisoners
Last weekend the War office
issued the following announcement
“ One of our divisions
which was operating with its left on the north coast ofNormandy
had its communications cut by German forces which hadpenetrated
the line further to the south. A part of this division with other
Allied troops was eventually surrounded bysuperior forces. Attempts
to evacuate these troops by sea were only partially successful andit
is feared that a number of them have been made prisoners. The remainder
of this division has been embarked and landed again in France. It
is estimated that about 6000 men must have been made prisoners by
thesurrounding of the British division.”
|
During June, Highland papers, such as the People’s Journal
and the Ross-shire started putting in information regarding casualties
and missing soldiers of the Seaforths or any soldiers with a Highland
connection. There was never any mention made as to where they had been
killed or where they had gone missing. The first notice in the Ross-shire
Journal with any real detail of what had been happening was when a
letter appeared on 28-06-40 written by the Lieutenant Colonel of the
Seaforth.
During June, Highland papers, such as the People’s Journal
and the Ross-shire started putting in information regarding casualties
and missing soldiers of the Seaforths or any soldiers with a Highland
connection. There was never any mention made as to where they had been
killed or where they had gone missing. The first notice in the Ross-shire
Journal with any real detail of what had been happening was when a
letter appeared on 28-06-40 written by the Lieutenant Colonel of the
Seaforth.
June the 15th saw the first article in the Press and Journal.
HEROIC CAMERONS AND SEAFORTHS
Men from every part of Scotland and every profession and trade are
fighting with the same tough spirit, writes “Eye-Witness”
with the British Army in France. Solicitors, bank managers, barristers,
business men from Aberdeen, Inverness and Perth, are showing themselves
magnificent officers.
When the German advance drove south west and cut off the main
British Expeditionary Force in the north, the French Higher Command
decided to transfer the Division from the south to help in defending
the new line runningfrom the Somme to Switzerland. The Division
was rushed across France and within a few days of leaving put into
the line at the mouth of the Somme.
Its task was to hold positions south of the river from the sea
to a point east of Abbeville.
EXTENDED FRONT
Owing to the urgent need of massing French troops elsewhere,
the Division was obliged to hold a front twenty-four miles long,
whereas normally it would only hold six miles of line. So extended
was this line that there were necessarily quite considerable gaps
between the different posts and strong points.
When the Division took up its position the Germans held some
bridge heads across the Somme, notably, at St Valery at the mouth
of the river and at Abbeville. Despite the comparative weakness
of the force along the front, the Division planned to attack the
Abbeville bridgehead, in conjunction with French tanks, the day
after they took up positions.
This attack was launched at 3.30 in the morning with great dash
and determination, but unfortunately the Division met the first
of its series of misfortunes, which dogged it to the end. |
Murderous fire
The Germans preparing for their own attack on the following day had
brought up masses of men, machine guns, artillery and armoured motor
cycle formations.
French tanks rumbled ahead into the enemy lines, but the German
infantry lay low in the dim light until they had passed right through,
in accordance with their anti-tank training.
The Scots battalion followed them confidently and was suddenly met
with murderous fire, while the French tanks were attacked by anti-tank
guns in the German rear. Despite the storm of machine-gun fire and
heavy trench mortar bombardment, the men at some points gained their
objective, although suffering heavy losses.
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