Lost at sea - Colour Sergeant E C Scammell 1st Battalion Wiltshire Regt

I came across the following entry in the 1939-1945 Roll of Honour on Ancestry.

Name:
Edward E C Scammell
Rank:
Colour Serjeant
Death Date:
12 Sep 1942
Number:
5567091
Birth Place:
Wiltshire
Regiment at Enlistment:
Wiltshire Regiment (Duke of Edinburgh's)
Branch at Enlistment:
Infantry
Theatre of War:
At sea
Regiment at Death:
Wiltshire Regiment (Duke of Edinburgh's)
Branch at Death:
Infantry

I have checked Geoff's search engine and no other casualties are recorded for the battalion on this day. I am thinking that he may have been travelling to or from his unit on the day he died.

Can anyone supply the following information;

Where were the 1st Battalion on this date?

How would I establish which ship he was on.

Regards,

Nick

 

Owen

Thanks for the information relating to the battalion's location.

Nick

 

Nicks you may have some success with someone like Hugh McClean (Sp) who may be able to tell you what ship he was on by the date of sinking.

Regards
Andy

 

12 September 1942 is the day the troopship Laconia Middle East to the UK was sunk by U 156. It is this sinking that U-boats were ordered to help in the rescue but were attacked by US aircraft. Over 2,200 people died.

 

12 September 1942 is the day the troopship Laconia Middle East to the UK was sunk by U 156. It is this sinking that U-boats were ordered to help in the rescue but were attacked by US aircraft. Over 2,200 people died.

The Laconia is one of four vessels that I have discovered were sunk on that day however I am yet to establish where they all were at the time. This list has come from listing casualties on Geoff's search engine so there may be more to add to the list yet.

Regards,

Nick

 

Trevilley

Lost 12 September 1942 North East of Ascension island

Trevilley (Motor merchant) - Ships hit by U-boats - uboat.net


Empire Dawn

Lost 12 September 1942 South Atlantic, sunk by the German commerce raider Michel

 

Hey Nicks, seeing as you're in Chippenham have you thought about popping down to Salisbury and visiting the Warderobe Museum in the Cathedral Close? It is currently the Rifles Museum/Headquaters but it still caters for the Royal Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Berkshire Regiment. If you make enquiries with one of the staff there they will see what the can do, they will research the relevant unit and date and come up with some form of info. They also sell war diaries (typed up from originals) and the Wiltshires have a few during WW2. Do you know what Battalion he was in? Details like that will make it faster to locate information. If I was still working down there I would volunteer to do it for you but I'm in Bristol for uni now. Good Luck!

 

If it is the Laconia one of the many books written about the incident - I can't recall which one - has a casualty list in the back.

My great-uncle was on the Laconia (survived but died of dystentry contracted in Vichy captivity). I've done a bit of research on the Laconia, give me a shout if you want any info

 

Trevilley

Lost 12 September 1942 North East of Ascension island

Trevilley (Motor merchant) - Ships hit by U-boats - uboat.net


Empire Dawn

Lost 12 September 1942 South Atlantic, sunk by the German commerce raider Michel

Peter,

Thank you, I had the Empire Dawn but the Trevilley is another to add to the list.

Hey Nicks, seeing as you're in Chippenham have you thought about popping down to Salisbury and visiting the Warderobe Museum in the Cathedral Close? It is currently the Rifles Museum/Headquaters but it still caters for the Royal Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Berkshire Regiment. If you make enquiries with one of the staff there they will see what the can do, they will research the relevant unit and date and come up with some form of info. They also sell war diaries (typed up from originals) and the Wiltshires have a few during WW2. Do you know what Battalion he was in? Details like that will make it faster to locate information. If I was still working down there I would volunteer to do it for you but I'm in Bristol for uni now. Good Luck!

Ferahgo,

I'm hoping to get down to the Wardrobe in the new year as I am unable to get there before they close for the winter, I know from experience how helpful they can be.

If it is the Laconia one of the many books written about the incident - I can't recall which one - has a casualty list in the back.

My great-uncle was on the Laconia (survived but died of dystentry contracted in Vichy captivity). I've done a bit of research on the Laconia, give me a shout if you want any info

James,

It wouldn't have been The sinking of the Laconia : a tragedy in the Battle of the Atlantic by F T Grossmith would it?

Regards,

Nick

 

Edward Scammell

searching the database - UK, Army Roll of Honour, 1939-1945 Results on Ancestry, there are 48 results for the 12th Sep 1942 who died at sea

TD

 

from my photo collection Brookwood Panel

 

My gut feeling is that he was aboard LACONIA but I have nothing in the way of proof as all documents only name his regiment. LACONIA was at Durban 20 - 29 August and Capetown 1 - 4 September and I am thinking along the lines that he was being transported home on another ship from India to Durban/Capetown on passage, joined LACONIA for transportation home at either of those two ports and was lost at sea when the ship was torpedoed and sunk 12 Sept 1942. To rule this out you would need to obtain a casualty list for the ship - WO 361/190 Big ship, big list though.

Regards
Hugh

 

Thanks for bumping the thread, Owen.

This has always been my feeling too, I will have to order the casualty list in the future, it's a big project I'm working on and Sgt Scammell is still a little way down the list.

 

Nicks

Would this help [you may already have seen it] - Crewlist from Laconia (British troop transport) - Ships hit by German U-boats during WWII - uboat.net

Laconia (British Troop transport) - Ships hit by German U-boats during WWII - uboat.net
Between 17 and 20 September, 1083 survivors (among them 415 Italians) were picked up from lifeboats or directly from the U-boats by the Vichy French warships Gloire, Dumont d´Urville and Annamite and taken to Dakar. The 668 Allied survivors were brought to Casablanca by Gloire on 26 September. On board were 1 officer and 178 ratings of the Royal Navy, 17 officers and 87 ratings from the British Army, 9 officers and 70 ratings from the Royal Air Force, 8 officers and 178 men from the Merchant Navy, 1 officer and 69 ratings from the Free Polish Army and 50 women and children.


uboat.net - Articles

There seems to be a variety of numbers for those on board, those who survived and those that died, just hope the above might help at some point

TD

 

TD,

Yes, I have seen this list before, thank you anyway.

Nick