Troopship Identifier

Hi, I might be able to help here as I'm currently reading the War Diary for 276 Field Company Royal Engineers (part of 51st Highland Division) which states they sailed from Greenock on 21st June 1942 on HMT F10. According to WS Convoys website this is WS20. I know my uncle ended up in Egypt from here.
I have his programmes from re-union dinners which state this was the SS Leopoldville (Belgian).
Diary states that units on board were 276 Field Company Royal Engineers, 241 Anti Tank Battery Royal Artillery, 126 Field Regiment Royal Artillery, 7th Battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, No 18 RASC Field Bakery and something I can't quite read like Draft B 4/5 xxxxxxx.
It is odd that is coded as HMT as I thought this was only used on UK based hired ships.
Hope this helps

 

Wow that's awesome, I'd love to see evidence of this. My grandfather was a Sgt in 241 but all the evidence we have states they left from Liverpool and met the other convoy from Gourock off the coast of Orsay before sailing round Africa landing at Port Tewfiq. It's excellent that you mention 126Btty and 7th Argyll's of 154bde as I know he spent alot of time with them from Alamein to Bremerhaven. I hope you can possibly send me a copy of this evidence I'd really like to see it

 

Hi,
Attached are the 276 Field Company RE reunion dinner programmes which mention the SS Leopoldville. I have saved some war diary pages - too big to save as one file. Due to being written in pencil, I've attached my transcription (although there are a few bits I can't make out or may be wrong). My uncle came from Rothesay, Bute about 5 miles from where ship was anchored before leaving, so he would literally have watched home while sailing away - mixed feelings I'm sure.

Hopefully helps with your research : )

 

Thank you so much for this, haven't had a chance to read it properly yet I particularly like the mention of Loch na bo, Cullen and Elgin. This ties in immaculately with 241btty of the 61st Anti Tank Regiment in 41. Fantastic bit of history. I have been working with the Bute museum regarding 241 and we now have a little display featuring the battery with a group photo at Pampisford Hall April 44 and the first commander of 241 Major AJT Maclagan.

 

I was in the museum a few weeks ago and saw this!!! I was actually there looking to see if they had anything about Bute Mountain Battery, 4th Highland Mountain Brigade RGA from WW1 where my g grandfather served.
My uncle was in 6 TBRE (Training Battalion Royal Engineers) mostly in Moray and transferred Nov 41, I didn't realise other Army groups were training in the same areas.

 

Oh yes in fact that's why I live in Buckie. My grandfather was billeted in my great grandmothers house in victoria street Cullen. He met my grandmother there and came back in 45 from Germany. He was originally from Whitehaven. 2 other men in the regiment also done this settling in Cullen. Major Maclagan also from Rothesay enjoyed the area so much he honeymooned in Lhambryde just between Elgin and loch na bo. He even named his marital home after the town.Major Semple of 243 Dunoon also named his house Craigellachie not far from Elgin

 

My Father was in 5 RHA. They boarded the Troop Ship Borinquen at Gourock 10th May 1942..He said it joined the Largest convoy at that time ,Heading for Africa and Far East ,they went to N Africa via Freetown, Cape Town and Aden where the convoy split ,half going to Suez and the rest of convoy bound for far east...
I attach a section of his journals, I have full transcript of the journey if it is of interest and can post it here.
He mentions Troops of the Highland Division who got themselves in trouble on shore leave in Cape Town

Last look

at Gourock in Scotland in the early hours of the morning with heavy

heart, would we ever see it again, just a few Civvys but plenty of Red

Caps (Military Police) lining the dockside.

We were herded up the gang plank of the USAT Borinquen an old Costa

Rica boat and bundled down the holds, then into the former state room, row

upon row of tiers of bunks 5 high and a space of 2 feet between each bunk.

The canvas bunk about 2 feet wide and six foot three inches long. All

your kit, rifle and personal attachments kept therein, and you slept in

this area. I was in the bottom bunk.






ATLANTIC CONVOY

Then we had the normal boat drill - what a farce. We moved out at this

time to join the convoy.

As a former pro boxer I was put with a chap from the Army

Physical Training School and with two others kept the ships compliment of

soldier’s fit with classes of some twenty or so, officers included.

One and a half hours per session with four classes a day. PT on deck............










...

 

Attached is a recent photo of Gourock Bay, the boom was located just round the point on the left of the photo. Even today when there are big naval exercises, the area fills up with Navy ships from lots of NATO countries as they congregate before starting the exercise. The area is commonly known as The Tail of the Bank