Post by Diarist on Nov 22, 2014 10:30:26 GMT 1
We spent yesterday afternoon in the Army Club in London - General Gort was buying. It was interesting to hear what several senior officers were saying about TRADOC. It's good that they don't know what we really do. We were celebrating the King's Silver Jubilee - 25 years on the throne. He saw us through the Great War and the difficult years afterwards and now there is another war on the horizon.
This morning General Gort informed a group of us about yesterday's meeting at the MoD and added new information. The 5th Infantry division is being deployed to Egypt and the 51st Highland Division to Sudan. The 1st (Light) Bn, Royal Tank Corps RTC) will join the 6th Bn, RTC already in Egypt and the 3rd Bn, RTC will be sent to Kenya.
There are three bankrupt airlines which are being "requisitioned" and will be deployed as a RAF Transport Sqn for utilization in East Africa. Furthermore, four passenger liners will be borrowed from Union Castle Lines, each with a tonnage of ca. 20,000 tons. Two will transfer troops to Egypt while the other two will be assigned to the Sudan route - one of which will transfer troops from India to Kenya.
Major Wingate will be leaving for Khartoum later this week to make contact with former Sudan Defence Force colleagues and organize an espionage operation in Eritrea. WOI Shaw will accompany him.
Colonel Jean de Lattre de Tassigny was also present.
This morning General Gort informed a group of us about yesterday's meeting at the MoD and added new information. The 5th Infantry division is being deployed to Egypt and the 51st Highland Division to Sudan. The 1st (Light) Bn, Royal Tank Corps RTC) will join the 6th Bn, RTC already in Egypt and the 3rd Bn, RTC will be sent to Kenya.
There are three bankrupt airlines which are being "requisitioned" and will be deployed as a RAF Transport Sqn for utilization in East Africa. Furthermore, four passenger liners will be borrowed from Union Castle Lines, each with a tonnage of ca. 20,000 tons. Two will transfer troops to Egypt while the other two will be assigned to the Sudan route - one of which will transfer troops from India to Kenya.
Major Wingate will be leaving for Khartoum later this week to make contact with former Sudan Defence Force colleagues and organize an espionage operation in Eritrea. WOI Shaw will accompany him.
Colonel Jean de Lattre de Tassigny was also present.