Private Papers of Captain A H Hastie

Microfilm copy of a ts account (115pp) recording his service as a Railway Transport Officer with Movement Control in France in 1940, describing his posting to La Havre, the harbour and marshalling yards and French transport organisation, the chaos of the final days of the BEF in France, his service as an Embarkation Officer at Quai Floride (6 - 11 June 1940) where he experienced heavy bombing, the firing of the oil-tanks at Honfleur, his time as ESO on the SS VIENNA to Cherbourg and his journey back to the United Kingdom on the SS ST SEIRIOL (14 June 1940), while referring to his return to La Havre in 1953 and including a map of the docks as they were in 1952; together with 2 ms notebooks containing notes on his training in Derby and a court martial which he attended of men accused of stealing petrol at Le Havre (January - June 1940); and a ts account (414pp) recalling his service as Railway Transport Officer in the United Kingdom (1940 - 1945) beginning with his posting to Blackpool (July - October 1940) where a large RAF training centre had been established, revealing the difficult relations of the railway authorities with the military as well as the minimal effect of German bombing on the transport system, detailing his move to Carlisle and the problems of troop movements including difficulties in transporting prisoners of war, troop trains to and from Northern Ireland, the vast numbers of American troops passing through Crewe station and the problems caused by their equipment and tanks, the move of Indian forces from Scotland to North Wales with their horses, a rehearsal for the invasion of Normandy based at Tenby, and the demobilisation period at Carlisle and the Clydeside docks including quantities and destinations of traffic (especially tanks), leave trains, the handling of prisoners and Ambulance Trains.

This microfilm reel is labelled as a duplicate negative reading copy

Cataloguer JSK

Catalogue date 2002-04-22