Hello, 7016638 Rifleman Edmund James WHITEHORN 2nd Bn. Royal Ulster Regiment is mentionned as missing on 6th june 1944 on the Bayeux Memorial. As 12 men of this unit were on board Liberty ship Sambut, can someone tell me if he was lost at sea. Thanks for your help Claude
Hello Claude The first thing that struck me was, why would he appear on a memorial in Normandy, France dated 6th June, if he had been on board the SAMBUT which sank off Dover...? I'm certainly no expert, but subsequently, I have found another entry for a Rifleman WHITEHORN 2nd Bn RUR, as well as the CWGC website 1. Commonwealth War Graves Commission 7016638 Rifleman Edmund James Whitehorn Royal Ulster Rifles. 6th June 1944 Bayeaux Memorial 2.2nd Battalion Royal Ulster Rifles in WW2: 2 RUR Roll of Honour 7016683 Rfn Whitehorn F 12th June 1944 As you can see, the service numbers are very similar and open to transcription error...?...as is the E and F initials... This may have the answer... Casualties at sea, North West Europe: SS Sambut (MT2), sunk off Dover, 6 June 1944 | The National Archives Details of the sinking here... 8. DISASTER ON THE SAMBUT — True Loyals
Hello Tymeric, thanks for your answer. The Bayeux Memorial lists the soldiers who went missing during the battle of Normandy from June 6, 1944 but only the date of the disappearance and unit are mentioned. The missing people from Sambut that I could identify are mentioned on the memorial. Nowhere have I found a precise estimate of the losses during the sinking. Often a number of 130 is cited ; it doesn't seem impossible at all. However, I have the list of the 28 different units on board and the number of passengers per unit : in all, about 500 men. The three main units represented a total 323 men ; they deplore a total of only 26 killed or missing. For the other units, I only managed to find 19 killed or missing. This brings us very far from 130. Thus, using the list of on-board units and the Bayeux Memorial for the date of June 6, I am trying to progress in my research but for the moment, I fear that I will be in a dead end. I have the documents of the National Archives concerning the Sambut but no details concerning the losses possibly experienced by the different infantry regiments represented on board. In any case, all my thanks for your help. Good evening
Hi Martin Forces War Records shows he was first reported missing at sea then updated to KIA at sea (see below). All of the 2 RUR landing craft made it ashore on Sword Beach at around midday on 6th June (as part of the Reserve Brigade) and the Regimental Journal and War Diary reports " a few casualties" but no mention of fatalities that day. As stated above, there is a very similar "7016683 Rfn Whitehorn F. 12 Jun 44" listed within the Regimental Journal that was transcribed and added online. I will have to check the original record and, if it is shown to be transcribed incorreclty, will update it accordingly. Hope this helps. Quis Separabit
