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General => Armed Forces => World War Two => Topic started by: Chris497 on Wednesday 19 August 09 10:40 BST (UK)
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For some reason that I still don't completely understand, my late father, a civilian with some sort of communications role, found himself in France after the Dunkirk evacuation, and ultimately escaped back to Blighty on "the last ship to leave St Malo" (his words). I take this to mean part of the lesser-known "Operation Aerial" that recovered thousands of troops and civilians from the western French ports before they fell into German hands. Are there any records of the ships involved, and can anyone actually identify "the last ship to leave St Malo".
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I don't know anything about "the last ship to leave" but the destroyer HMS Wild Swan was involved in the evacuation of St Malo as were members of the St Helier Yacht Club who took their own boats into St Malo and ferried out troops etc to the ships that waited off the coast. A quick search on the internet comes up with various sites that make mention of St Malo, too many to add here, I placed "evacuation of St Malo" in my search engine and the first one to come up was an entry on the BBC People at War site which had the memories from a former redcap who said that he was on one of the last boats out of St Malo before the Germans entered, no doubt there would be many who claimed to be on the last boat out so it may mean going through many sites to get a proper answer to your question.
OR
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Useful leads. Thanks.
Chris
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Does anyone have any more info. on the boats that left St Malo please ?
I am looking for embarkation info. on:
Hull Trader,
Prince Baudouin
and
St Briac
as I know my father was on one of these and would really like to find out which one.
Many thanks
Ady B-)
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Hi Chris
I just came across the Rootschat site with your query about St Malo in 1940.
I have recently acquired an old British Powerboat Company Express Cruiser built in 1938 which was in use as an Air Sea Rescue boat in 1940 stationed at Jersey. The boat was named RFC113 (after its original owner who was in WW1 in the RFC, Squadron 113). On May 31st, the boat was ordered to join the Fleet at Portsmouth for the Dunkirk evacuations and thence to join in the excavuation of North West France and the Channel Islands. RFC113 was, I believe, the absolute last to leave on Tuesday the 18th June, along with the Duchess of Normandie - they left as the Germans were arriving. I believe RFC113 was then used in the operation to demolish the St Malo harbour with Clarence 'Johnny' Howard Johnston on board. RFC113 stayed to observe the effect of the demolition and then headed to mainland UK.
I don't know if this helps you at all but please let me know if you want to follow this up - I am also keen to learn about anything you might be able to add to the picture?
Cheers
Jon
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Hi again Chris
I found these stories on the islandwiki site - I my boat is probably the 'Navy Launch' and the date may be out - I thought operation to blow the dock was on the 21st June - but I may be wrong.
http://www.theislandwiki.org/index.php/Another_story_of_the_evacuation
http://www.theislandwiki.org/index.php/St_Malo_evacuation
http://www.theislandwiki.org/index.php/A_sapper%27s_story_of_the_St_Malo_evacuation
Don't know if any of this helps ?
Cheers
Jon
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One other thought
I forgot to mention that, I have read about (what I believe to be my boat in all cases) RFC113 as being referred to also as 113RFC and in one article, the islandwiki link below - repeated from last post, there is mention of the boat as Fleet Air Arm Launch 236 - this boat has the same skipper (named Cox) as mine had and was in the same place at the same time. I don't think there were two boats of this type in the area, so I believe they are all one and the same boat. If anyone knows anything at all that could confirm, or deny this, please do let me know. Does anyone know what letters would go in front, or after the 236 number for a Fleet Air Arm Launch ? ML236 was a Fairmile boat and RFA236 was a Stores Ship - so what would it be? It may well be that the 236 number is her 'correct' wartime number as the RFC113 / 113 RFC name was her name in private ownership before the war - her owner was a Captain from the Royal flying Corps in WW1 who named his boat after his WW1 Squadron - 113.
http://www.theislandwiki.org/index.php/St_Malo_evacuation
Keen to share information on the St Malo / Jersey evacuation story if anyone can help ?
Cheers
Jon
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There is a list of vessels involved in Operation Ariel online at:
http://ww2talk.com/forums/index.php?app=core&module=attach§ion=attach&attach_id=64781
and a diary of events, listing ships and their movements etc. at:
http://www.naval-history.net/xDKWDa-Aerial.htm
Apologies if this is already common knowledge.
Chris
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Also. There is a website which lists all convoys and ships and ports and dates.
From memory it is called convoy.web I maybe wrong but try it.
From St Malo they probably returned to Portsmouth. send me a PM if you want any more help.
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Ships which sailed from St. Malo as part of Op Aerial berthed at Southampton, Weymouth, Plymouth and Jersey.
Sourced from BEF Ships, before, at and after Dunkirk by John de S. Winser.
Just shout if you need anymore help - France and Flanders in 1940 is my thing with over 700 BEF war diaries, around 500 BEF related files and 200 ish books on the subject from Regimental Histories to Campaign books in my collection ;)
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Try www.convoyweb.org.uk Type in port St Malo in June 1940 say 10th june to 17th June and see departures.
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Thank you everyone for adding all this extra information. I was lucky enough to be given copies of diaries kept by 2 of the crew of RFC113 by the families of Bill Cox (Master) and Clary Glendewar (Engineer) The other crew members were Ted Cox and Harry Le Boutillier and a RN Radio Officer (unknown) So I can confirm that RFC113 was the last boat to leave St Malo under the command of Commander (later Admiral) Howard Johnston on the 18th June 1940. RFC113 made 2 trips to St Malo on the 17th and 18th June and shepherded the Jersey Yacht Club volunteers home taking one boat in tow along the way. RFC113 only left on the 18th after Commander Howard Johnston and his men had successfully demolised the port and rendered it unusable to the approaching German Army. On this final trip they carried various evacuating servicemen and at least one female, a school teacher.
Very happy to keep sharing and adding to the information in the public domain with everyone, so pleased the story keeps growing - do you think RFC113 was the boat your father was on Chris ?
I have attached a press report published in the Straits Times in 1940 about the event.
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Sorry to resurrect an old thread but there seem to be some knowledgeable folk commenting so we thought it might be a good place to start.
My family are trying to trace a ship that took my mother (then aged 8) and her family from St Malo to Portsmouth in May 1940. She thinks it was a British Navy destroyer. The dates of her families escape from Belgium would suggest that the ship may have been part of convoy SA.42 (found thanks to earlier links on this thread). Does anyone have any more information about this convoy or ships in the area at the time? If not what's the best place for us to look next?
Many thanks :)
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Hi
Do you know the date and are you sure it was May and not June?
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They left Belgium on the 18th May and took 4-5 days to travel across Northern France and then waited near St Malo for no more than a day or 2 so pretty certain it was nothing to do with Aerial.
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So between 27th and 28th May would you say?
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Possibly as early as the 25th or 26th but 27th or 28th would be plausible.
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I've had a look through four of my books but nothing is jumping out that early at St Malo. Try Roy Martin on WW2 Talk (tell him Drew sent you). He is by far the most knowledgeable person I know when it comes to ships around the coast of France during 1940.
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Try www.convoyweb.org
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@ScouseBoy I have tried convoyweb. That and The War at Sea were where I got the convoy number but there is no information beyond the fact that the convoy existed and no reference I can find to a ship returning to Southampton.
Thank you Drew I will try over there.
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Hi there. I came across this thread by accident, and I realise it is several years old, but this might be of interest to somebody.
My father was evacuated from St Malo to Jersey in 1940. He was in the RAMC attached to a Canadian regiment. Many years ago we were on a family holiday in Jersey and took a boat trip to St Malo, which brought my Dad close to tears. He told us that the order had been given for "wounded and medics only" to get in the small boats, and he said the Canadian soldiers were left behind, with a bagpipe playing, as the German tanks rolled into town. I took this to mean that they were taken prisoner, but I know nothing more about that. He never talked about it before or since that day, although he did talk quite a lot about his time in North Africa, Egypt and the Holy Land later in the war.
Hope that helps someone!
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Hello Jon,
On the off chance that you are still reading replies on this thread, can you let me know if you still have the diaries mentioned. I am doing some research on St Malo in June 1940 and your help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Philip
Thank you everyone for adding all this extra information. I was lucky enough to be given copies of diaries kept by 2 of the crew of RFC113 by the families of Bill Cox (Master) and Clary Glendewar (Engineer) The other crew members were Ted Cox and Harry Le Boutillier and a RN Radio Officer (unknown) So I can confirm that RFC113 was the last boat to leave St Malo under the command of Commander (later Admiral) Howard Johnston on the 18th June 1940. RFC113 made 2 trips to St Malo on the 17th and 18th June and shepherded the Jersey Yacht Club volunteers home taking one boat in tow along the way. RFC113 only left on the 18th after Commander Howard Johnston and his men had successfully demolised the port and rendered it unusable to the approaching German Army. On this final trip they carried various evacuating servicemen and at least one female, a school teacher.
Very happy to keep sharing and adding to the information in the public domain with everyone, so pleased the story keeps growing - do you think RFC113 was the boat your father was on Chris ?
I have attached a press report published in the Straits Times in 1940 about the event.
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Hello Drew,
Are you still collecting War Diaries from the June 1940 period in France.
Please let me know if you are still following this thread as your help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Philip
Ships which sailed from St. Malo as part of Op Aerial berthed at Southampton, Weymouth, Plymouth and Jersey.
Sourced from BEF Ships, before, at and after Dunkirk by John de S. Winser.
Just shout if you need anymore help - France and Flanders in 1940 is my thing with over 700 BEF war diaries, around 500 BEF related files and 200 ish books on the subject from Regimental Histories to Campaign books in my collection ;)
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Hi Chris
I just came across the Rootschat site with your query about St Malo in 1940.
I have recently acquired an old British Powerboat Company Express Cruiser built in 1938 which was in use as an Air Sea Rescue boat in 1940 stationed at Jersey. The boat was named RFC113 (after its original owner who was in WW1 in the RFC, Squadron 113). On May 31st, the boat was ordered to join the Fleet at Portsmouth for the Dunkirk evacuations and thence to join in the excavuation of North West France and the Channel Islands. RFC113 was, I believe, the absolute last to leave on Tuesday the 18th June, along with the Duchess of Normandie - they left as the Germans were arriving. I believe RFC113 was then used in the operation to demolish the St Malo harbour with Clarence 'Johnny' Howard Johnston on board. RFC113 stayed to observe the effect of the demolition and then headed to mainland UK.
I don't know if this helps you at all but please let me know if you want to follow this up - I am also keen to learn about anything you might be able to add to the picture?
Cheers
Jon
Are you still following this very old thread? I would be interested in corresponding.
Philip