French dispositions at St Valery En Caux 10 - 11 June 1940

While the dispositions of the 51st Highland Division around St Valery are reasonably well known those of the French units (2nd and 5th DLC, 31st and 40th DI) are not so easy to find.

During my recent trip to Europe I got to visit St Valery and I tracked down a couple of very interesting French brochures in the St Valery tourist office that give a fair amount of information on the events of June 1940. They were published as part of the 75th anniversary celebrations.

Attached is a map showing the French dispositions.

Hope it is of interest.

 

You're sounding like Officer material, Owen !

 

Still getting to grips with posting stuff

Map attached.

 

Cheers for posting it.

It's quite interesting that the Scottish battalions are marked with a saltire but the poor old Duke of Wellington's are distinguished only by a Union flag (would they have preferred a white rose ?)

It seems a little odd bearing in mind that they were all part of the British Expeditionary Force, but then of course Scottishness sells. No-one would ever dream of publishing a book entitled "Churchill's Sacrifice of the Home Counties Division".

 

Rich - Notwithstanding the fact that there were a number of English regiments present, given the fact that the 51st HIGHLAND Division was the focus of the action it's hardly too much of a surprise that the Saltire is shown for the Scottish regiments. Saint Valery en Caux is twinned with Inverness and I'm sure that in the usual way the Scottish end of things has been promoted over the years.

Actually I was there this year for the 75th commemoration and the "lad" representing the veterans was if I recall correctly a REME man and I can assure you that at the ceremony at the cemetry in Veules les Roses credit was given to the fallen of the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers and Princess.Louises's Kensington Regiment in equal measure - regardless of their nationality.

 

Don't mind Rich, Archie....It's BEF kinda thing. It's more to do with the claims they were sacrificed because they were a Scottish Division and no one outside of Scotland cared (in government) about them when in reality it could have been any division doing a stint on the Saar Front on the 10th May. Unfortunately for 51 Div it just happened to be that they were that Division, 'in the wrong place at the wrong time', on that front the day the Germans crossed into Holland and Belgium.

Lets face it no one could have predicted what was going to happen six weeks later in June.

 

Well as I've read up quite a bit about the situation now - including some French views of the battle - I wouldn't bother too much about the English / Scottish issue. However I would say that even now after 75 years it rather sticks in the craw when the glorious evacuation from Dunkirk is remembered in full on an annual basis yet the events of Saint Valery are given rather less attention.

And I daresay there are those who were still in France after 51HD went into captivity who feel similalry, or perhaps more, aggrieved.

Apart from those whose relatives took part or those with an interest in WW2 Military History by and large people are pretty well lead to believe that the Battle of France effectively ended on 4th June.

 

Archie,

You are right to feel aggrieved. You will be more so when I tell you that another 140,00 British troops were evacuated in the three weeks after Dunkirk and St Valery and hardly a soul knows about it. The merchant ships that did the job also saved Polish and Czech troops and civilians and many more civilian Brits.

Roy

 

Aye, Owen, I've got a good few shots of a similar nature myself. I don't hold any religious beliefs myself but I was happy to visit the church at Saint Valery en Caux to see the 51HD window. and the French Combat Ancienne representatives from all round the area were out in force at all of the ceremonies.

 

Hello Archie,

I'm glad you find on the forum, you'll see the players are quality and help you their best!!!!!

the history of the retirement of the 51 HD from the Somme until St Valery en Caux is a very little known story in France - whether for the Scottish troops as to the English troops.
Worse is to hear stories like what troops fought evil and not do anything to stop the German advance. The historical documents show otherwise but fortunately the worst is that nobody talks about hundreds of young Scots and English who have died and are forgotten in our cemeteries.
I have the impression that the "forgotten" of the war, nobody knows why they died and especially in what conditions.

But I try my best to change that

Mathieu