Kensington to St Valery en Caux: Princess Louise's Kensington Regiment, France and England, Summer 1940

This is a story of summer 1940, of a little known territorial battalion and an almost forgotten British military disaster.    In April 1940 the Princess Louise’s Kensington Regiment left England to join the British Expeditionary Force in France. It was attached to the 51^st (Highland) Division which was moving to the Saar region to defend the Maginot Line.    From May until mid June the Kensingtons were in continuous action, first on the Saar, then on the Somme, and finally in a fighting withdrawal along the channel coast in an attempt to reach Le Havre. Outnumbered four to one the division was cornered at the little seaside town of St.Valery-en-Caux and forced to surrender on 13^th June. Three companies of the Kensingtons launched a daring escape through Le Havre to return to England and take part in the invasion defences on the Kent coast.

ROBERT GARDNER grew up in Epsom and was educated at Glyn Grammar School. In 1972 he joined the Territorial Army, serving first with the Royal Yeomanry, an armoured reconnaissance regiment, winning the best recruit prize, and later with the Honourable Artillery Company winning the Troop Commander’s prize twice. He was a civil servant for many years. He currently lives in Cambridgeshire.