2926874 G. GAIR, Cameron Highlanders soldier at Dunkirk 1940

Discussion in '1940' started by tommy40, Feb 19, 2011.

  1. tommy40

    tommy40 Member

    Hi to all.
    I never got any informations about G.GAIR Cameron Hrs n°2926874 (army number).
    I found his personnal tag in Dunkirk's area and I never try to find informations about G.GAIR until today.
    Thanks for help.
     
  2. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    I can't find him on CWGC so I assume he survived the war.
     
  3. tommy40

    tommy40 Member

    Thanks, escaped by sea. :)
    Always happy that one guy that I found an item, survived this tragic battle (which is one of my favorite interest for more than 20 years).
     
  4. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    If it was found at Dunkirk I suspect he'll have been in the 1st Battalion, The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders as the other battalions were 51st and 52nd Div's.

    I'll check the diary later -any clues as to where abouts it was found. If I know that I might be able to tell you the day it was lost.
     
  5. Roxy

    Roxy Senior Member

    He must have joined not long after my grandad - his Service No was 2926293 and he joined in 1927. If so, details of his enlistment may be available in the 79th News; although, the last time I was at Fort George I was informed that there was a charge of about £10 per hour to read through their copies - they let mo off on that occasion.

    Roxy
     
  6. tommy40

    tommy40 Member

    Thanks, should be glad to have information about G.GAIR.
    This tag was lost in 1940 on the way to back to England...
     
  7. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Any clues as to where abouts it was found. If I know that I might be able to tell you the day it was lost.
     
  8. tommy40

    tommy40 Member

    The exact place where it was found is not important for someone else but it was found at east side of Dunkirk, a few miles from east môle... the only thing I know is the day I found that tag :D
    G.GAIR probably took ship on a beach somewhere else, a fact impossible to know as often... I could be able to post a photo if further informations can be found about him, thanks :)
     
  9. 51highland

    51highland Very Senior Member

    The remaining men of 1st battalion Queens Own Cameron Highlanders boarded ship and were evacuated from Dunkirk 31st May 1940.
     
  10. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    The exact place where it was found is not important for someone else but it was found at east side of Dunkirk, a few miles from east môle... the only thing I know is the day I found that tag :D
    G.GAIR probably took ship on a beach somewhere else, a fact impossible to know as often... I could be able to post a photo if further informations can be found about him, thanks :)

    I have the units war diary and its quite thick-If I knew the area (Don't worry I'm not after the GPS Co-Ords) I could look for the location in the diary and then I could tell you not only when they were there but what the battalion was doing on that day.

    Sourced from WO 167/719:

    The battalion (all 79 of them!) left France on the 31st May at 2350 hrs from the East Mole on a Royal Navy destroyer bound for Ramsgate and arrived in the early hours of 1st June. I suspect I might be able to ID the destroyer from Op Dynamo books if you want to know that too.

    Cheers
    Andy
     
  11. KevinBattle

    KevinBattle Senior Member

    If G Gair joined around 1927, then his year of birth would likely be around 1910 ish....
    There are two George Gair death registrations, both born 1911, one died 1970 in Leeds area, the other in 1978 in Sunderland... there are obviously other possibles....
     
  12. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    No mention of Zuydcoote in the diary by name. The battalion crossed the Belgian frontier on the 28th May at 1610hrs. At 1630 they abandoned their vehicles and marched to Dunkirk. Looking at the hand written diary it appears the battalion was already in smaller groups as it mentions meeting the Adjutant and later finding out the QM and his party had already left for the UK on 29th May.

    I did find this which may give a clue in the back of the diary under Appendix U

    30th May 1940

    At 0400hrs. The battalion took up a position on the sand dunes overlooking this canal, and were preparing to hold this until the end of the evacuation.

    At 1500hrs. all the orders were cancelled and 2nd Division was ordered to embark after dark.

    The battalion left the sand dunes at 2215hrs. marching to the Mole where they had come under shell fire. They were ordered to leave one platoon, under Lt Laurie, to assist in the inner defences of Dunkirk.

    By midnight the remnants of the battalion, 79 strong, embarked for the UK.


    I wonder if Lt. Laurie and his Platoon made it back to the UK?

    If G Gair wasn't part of the above then he may have been one of the wounded at the maritime hospital.
     
  13. tommy40

    tommy40 Member

    No mention of Zuydcoote in the diary by name. The battalion crossed the Belgian frontier on the 28th May at 1610hrs. At 1630 they abandoned their vehicles and marched to Dunkirk. Looking at the hand written diary it appears the battalion was already in smaller groups as it mentions meeting the Adjutant and later finding out the QM and his party had already left for the UK on 29th May.

    I did find this which may give a clue in the back of the diary under Appendix U



    I wonder if Lt. Laurie and his Platoon made it back to the UK?

    If G Gair wasn't part of the above then he may have been one of the wounded at the maritime hospital.

    Thanks this is helpful but thoses events ask me more questions than they bring answer because I still know well thoses places between border and east môle ;) Zuydcoote is on the way back to the east môle and straight on the beaches about 7 miles by feet... G.Gair was not necessary wounded at the hospital, he would have lost his tag there ??

    Where was exactly the remaining of the Bn at 0400 hrs, I do not see where a canal is closer to sand dunes ? The answer is probably given on the 29th of may.

    I think and now I'm sure that some of Camerons went back to england on the 29th of may because I also have informations and items which belong to others men of Camerons. It is very interesting to have such informations and guess what happened to soldiers in may 1940 on beaches.
     
  14. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    The Maritime Hospital was used by the BEF as a medical facility for the wounded and the beach infront was one of the evacuation points used by the 'Little Ships' to take troops off the beach. It even had a improvised Lorry Pier there.

    Ref the inner perimeter from the description I would say it was the canal that runs along the route de Furnes. The dunes are only about 500 meters from this canal if I remember correctly.

    Have a look through this thread:

    Walking in the Footsteps of the BEF
     
  15. tommy40

    tommy40 Member

    G.Gair's tag.
    30 millimeters as diameter. Something written on back, religion RC or CE, difficult to see.. The tag is made with brass plated chrome. Probably a private purchase made by G.GAIR himself... Drew you are right about the canal...
     

    Attached Files:

  16. brickmaker

    brickmaker Senior Member

    Andy
    I would be interested to know which destroyer. My father was adamant that he came back on the Royal Daffodil. I know they went out on the Daffodil from Southampton, but he always said he also came back on it. I suppose it's possible there were stragglers, although the battallion seems to have kept pretty much together throughout the retreat.
     
  17. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Do you know what day and where he landed in the UK? I can cross check it with the Royal Daffodil as I have her arrival days, times and ports.

    Unfortuantely the diary isn't very clear, I've only glimpsed at it and there appears to be at least three seperate parties leaving Dunkirk from the battalion. The other problem is there is two seperate reports that conflict each other when the 79 men left Dunkirk which are recorded as departing on the destroyer.

    The next problem is all the destroyers embarked troops at Dover-none went to Ramsgate which would suggest the officer has ID'd the ship wrong.

    There appears to be only one possibility:

    Corvette: HMS Kingfisher - Landed 180 troops at 0500hrs on 31/5 at Ramsgate

    There were other ships that fit the time, either day and location but I don't know if they could have been confused with a destroyer ie Dutch Coaster, Royal Navy Paddle Steamer, Naval Trawler and Naval Drifter.
     
  18. brickmaker

    brickmaker Senior Member

    My father's army No was 2928665. 1st Bn QOCH. He was born November 1919, and enlisted at Dunblane 25th January 1935, aged 15. This would imply that G Gair was somewhat older than this if numbers were issued consecutively
     
  19. brickmaker

    brickmaker Senior Member

    Drew
    Ref your comments above. My father told my brother (chinese whispers!) that, at one stage, he and two friends were surrounded by Germans, comandeered a German vehicle, and used this to drive through German lines. This implies that they were cut off from the rest of the battallion, and may have embarked on a different ship (the Royal daffodil) on a different day from the remainder of the battallion. He also spoke to me of being in the dunes, waiting for a ship to take him off.
     
  20. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    The dunes bit fits with the diary.

    The Royal Daffodil did five trips across the channel:

    28/5 Dover eta = 0001. Troops Landed = 842

    29/5 Margate eta = 1800. Troops Landed = 1,703

    30/5 Dover eta = 1430. Troops Landed = 1,599

    1/6 Dover eta = 0345. Troops Landed = 1,817

    2/6 Margate eta = 0615. Troops Landed = 1,500
     

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