Intelligence and Anglo/American Close Air Support in the Western Desert and Tunisia, 1940-1943

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Intelligence and Anglo/American Close Air Support in the Western Desert and Tunisia, 1940-1943 Intelligence and Anglo/American Close Air Support in the Western Desert and Tunisia, 1940-1943 By Brad William Gladman A Thesis Submitted for a Ph.D. Degree in History University College London University of London ProQuest Number: U641970 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest. ProQuest U641970 Published by ProQuest LLC(2015). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Abstract This dissertation examines the role of intelligence in the application of close air support by both the Royal Air Force (RAF) and United States Army Air Force (USAAF) during the campaigns in the Western Desert and Tunisia during the Second World War. It was in this theatre that the foundations for the organization, control, and direction of close air support for the remainder of the war were laid. It was also the first instance of a combined Anglo/American ground campaign, and many of the problems and solutions first appeared there. More importantly, however, it was a theatre in which intelligence was fundamentally important to both ground and air operations. This dissertation begins with an examination of the interwar doctrines of both the RAF and USAAF, and argues that while neither air force had an evolved close air support doctrine, each possessed a theoretical understanding of the subject and had officers capable of creating a doctrine when the time came. The remaining chapters are chronological, and show how with improved command, control, communication, and intelligence systems, aircrew ability, and the right kind of aircraft, the ability of the RAF and later the Northwest African Tactical Air Force to provide close air support improved dramatically. The dissertation concludes by arguing that both the RAF and USAAF adopted the doctrine evolved in the desert, and this system, which relied heavily on intelligence for its success, continued to govern the control of tactical air power for the rest of the war and beyond. 3 Table of Contents Page(s) Title Page...............................................................................................................................1 Abstract .................................................................................................................................2 Table of Contents............................................................................................................... 3 Introduction................................................................................................................... 4-44 Chapter 1 : The Fall and Rise of Close Air Support Doctrine.......................45-91 Chapter 2: Close Air Support from 'Compass' to 'Crusader' ..................92-155 Chapter 3: Close Air Support from Gazala to the El Alamein Line....... 156-201 Chapter 4: Alam Haifa and El Alamein .........................................................2 02 -2 3 8 Chapter 5: Close Air Support During the Pursuit from El Alamein to Tunisia ...................................................................................................................... 239-263 Chapter 6: Close Air Support During Operation 'Torch'..........................2 6 4-3 0 2 Chapter 7: Close Air Support After the Reorganization of February 1 9 4 3.........................................................................................................................3 03 -3 5 3 Conclusions ............................................................................................................ 3 5 4-3 7 9 Abbreviations Used ...............................................................................................3 8 0-38 2 Bibliography............................................................................................................ 383-397 Introduction The Western Desert has been aptly described as a tactician's paradise but a quartermaster's hell. Fighting in the desert imposed certain requirements on armed forces engaged there. The seemingly endless desert of sand, dust storms, rock and salt marshes was hard on men and machines alike, and provided none of the resources armies needed to fight or merely survive. The low force-to-space ratios allowed for brilliant mobile operations, but this tactical freedom came at a heavy price. Difficulties in supplying armed forces under such conditions were exacerbated by high consumption rates during mobile operations, where deficiencies in supply were keenly felt. Military operations thus had to be cost-effective, as neither side could afford to waste resources. Areas of Tunisia, by contrast, were mountainous and the force to space ratios were much higher, although there were areas where mobile operations were possible. In either case, intelligence had the potential to increase dramatically the cost-effectiveness of operations, but the highly fluid battles in the Western Desert and parts of Tunisia made acquiring accurate intelligence in real-time difficult. In the mountainous regions of the rest of Tunisia, geographical considerations posed different challenges to intelligence use. In both cases, an efficient system of command, control, and communications was required to make use of intelligence. The studies dealing with these campaigns have missed this important 5 aspect, and thus fundamentally misunderstand how close air support functioned and its requirements for success. The literature dealing with the air war in the West is heavily slanted towards the strategic bombing campaign against Germany.’ This trend is not surprising given the moral enormity of the strategic air offensive. The Allied powers have held the moral high ground for the Second World War against Nazi Germany and Japan, yet this stands in contrast to the destruction visited on these two nations by those professing to have been fighting 'the good fight'. There are many general works on the air war that include the Western Desert and Tunisian campaigns, but they offer little in the way of a thorough understanding of how close air support functioned and the role of intelligence in its success. John Terraine's work illuminates some of the important aspects of air power in the desert and Tunisia.^ Richard Ovary's book is one of the few that even mentions intelligence, but the scope of the work does not allow the author to pursue the issue.^ The RAF's official history, written by Denis Richards and Hilary St. George Saunders, goes into some detail about the day-to-day operations of the RAF and later the Northwest Africa Tactical Air Force.* It offers insights ’ For examples of this trend see: Sir C. Webster and Noble Frankland, The Strategic Air Offensive Against Germany, (London, 1961), Tami Davis Biddle, "Bombing by the Square Yard: Sir Arthur Harris at War, 1942-1945" International History Review, Vol. XXI No.3 (1999), Sebastian Cox (ed.). The Strategic Air War Against Germany, 1939-45, (London, 1998), John Gooch (ed.). Air Power: Theory and Practice, (London: Frank Cass & Co., 1995). ^ John Terrains, The Right of the Line: The Royal Air Force in the European W arl 939-1945, (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1985). ^ Richard Overy, The Air War 1939-1945, (London: Europa, 1980). * Denis Richards and Hilary St. G. Saunders, Royal Air Force, 1939-1945, Vols. I and II, (London: into what was required for successful tactical air operations, but neglects the important issue of intelligence. The official history of the USAAF, written by Wesley F. Craven and James Lea Cate, offers a good narrative of the Tunisian campaign, but generally gives little notice to close air support.® The literature dealing specifically with close air support during the campaigns in the Western Desert and Tunisia is missing vital aspects of how it functioned. Indeed, the only work that deals in any depth with the development of a system for the delivery of close air support during the campaigns in the Western Desert is a 1955 Air Historical Branch monograph.® Most other works focus on the Tunisian campaign, while tending to discount the difference between the methods of air support practiced in Britain compared with that in the desert. The most relevant studies in addition to the Air Historical Branch monograph are works by Richard Hallion, Benjamin F. Cooling, Williamson Murray and Allan Millett, and Daniel Mortensen.? HMSG, 1953). ® Wesley Craven and James Cate, The Army Air Forces in World War Two, (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1949). ® Air Historical Branch Monograph. Close Air Support, (London: HMSO, 1955). ’ Richard Hallion, Strike from the Sky: The History of Battlefield Air Attack 1911-1945, (Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing Ltd., 1989), Richard Hallion, "Battlefield Air Support - A Retrospective Assessment", Air Power Journal. Vol.4 No.1 (1990), B.F. Cooling (ed.). Case Studies in the Development of Close Air Support, (Washington: Office of Air Force History, 1990), Williamson Murray and Allan R. Millett, Military Innovation in the Interwar Period, (Cambridge University Press, 1996), Daniel Mortensen, A Pattern For Joint Operations, (Washington: Office of Air Force History), and
Recommended publications
  • (June 1941) and the Development of the British Tactical Air Doctrine
    Journal of Military and Strategic VOLUME 14, ISSUE 1, FALL 2011 Studies A Stepping Stone to Success: Operation Battleaxe (June 1941) and the Development of the British Tactical Air Doctrine Mike Bechthold On 16 February 1943 a meeting was held in Tripoli attended by senior American and British officers to discuss the various lessons learned during the Libyan campaign. The focus of the meeting was a presentation by General Bernard Montgomery. This "gospel according to Montgomery," as it was referred to by Air Chief Marshal Arthur Tedder, set out very clearly Monty's beliefs on how air power should be used to support the army.1 Among the tenets Montgomery articulated was his conviction of the importance of air power: "Any officer who aspires to hold high command in war must understand clearly certain principles regarding the use of air power." Montgomery also believed that flexibility was the greatest asset of air power. This allowed it to be applied as a "battle-winning factor of the first importance." As well, he fully endorsed the air force view of centralized control: "Nothing could be more fatal to successful results than to dissipate the air resource into small packets placed under the control of army formation commanders, with each packet working on its own plan. The soldier must not expect, or wish, to exercise direct command over air striking forces." Montgomery concluded his discussion by stating that it was of prime importance for the army and air 1 Arthur Tedder, With Prejudice: The war memoirs of Marshal of the Royal Air Force, Lord Tedder (London: Cassell, 1966), p.
    [Show full text]
  • United States Air Force and Its Antecedents Published and Printed Unit Histories
    UNITED STATES AIR FORCE AND ITS ANTECEDENTS PUBLISHED AND PRINTED UNIT HISTORIES A BIBLIOGRAPHY EXPANDED & REVISED EDITION compiled by James T. Controvich January 2001 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTERS User's Guide................................................................................................................................1 I. Named Commands .......................................................................................................................4 II. Numbered Air Forces ................................................................................................................ 20 III. Numbered Commands .............................................................................................................. 41 IV. Air Divisions ............................................................................................................................. 45 V. Wings ........................................................................................................................................ 49 VI. Groups ..................................................................................................................................... 69 VII. Squadrons..............................................................................................................................122 VIII. Aviation Engineers................................................................................................................ 179 IX. Womens Army Corps............................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Download Download
    10609-04 Auger 2/6/04 10:35 AM Page 47 MARTIN F. AUGER ‘A Tempest in a Teapot’: Canadian Military Planning and the St. Pierre and Miquelon Affair, 1940-1942 THE SMALL FRENCH COLONY OF ST. PIERRE AND MIQUELON, located some 32 kilometers off the south shore of Newfoundland, was a source of great concern for the Canadian government during the Second World War.1 When Nazi Germany defeated France in June 1940, the fate of the French Empire became uncertain. Canada and other Allied countries feared that French colonies might be used by the Germans to conduct military operations against them. The proximity of St. Pierre and Miquelon to Canada and the British colony of Newfoundland constituted a major threat. Negotiations immediately ensued between the American, British and Canadian governments as to the future of France’s territories in the Western Hemisphere. The main argument was whether or not the French islands needed to be occupied by Allied military forces. The issue, however, was solved in December 1941 when the Free French movement of General Charles de Gaulle sent a small naval task force to rally the archipelago to the Allied cause. Most historians who have analyzed the St. Pierre and Miquelon affair of 1940 to 1942 have focused upon the Free French takeover. Although some historians have studied Canada’s role in the affair from a diplomatic perspective, none have provided an in-depth analysis of Canadian military planning during this crisis.2 It is now clear that Canada undertook significant planning to launch an invasion. An understanding of the details of Canada’s invasion plan and the ultimate decision to postpone military action illuminates the changing structure of Canada’s relations with Great Britiain and the United States.
    [Show full text]
  • Army Co-Operation Command and Tactical Air Power Development in Britain, 1940-1943: the Role of Army Co-Operation Command in Army Air Support
    ARMY CO-OPERATION COMMAND AND TACTICAL AIR POWER DEVELOPMENT IN BRITAIN, 1940-1943: THE ROLE OF ARMY CO-OPERATION COMMAND IN ARMY AIR SUPPORT By MATTHEW LEE POWELL A thesis submitted to The University of Birmingham for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY School of History and Cultures College of Arts and Law The University of Birmingham September 2013 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. ABSTRACT This thesis examines the impact of the developments made during the First World War and the inter-war period in tactical air support. Further to this, it will analyse how these developments led to the creation of Army Co-operation Command and affected the role it played developing army air support in Britain. Army Co-operation Command has been neglected in the literature on the Royal Air Force during the Second World War and this thesis addresses this neglect by adding to the extant knowledge on the development of tactical air support and fills a larger gap that exists in the literature on Royal Air Force Commands. Army Co-operation Command was created at the behest of the army in the wake of the Battle of France.
    [Show full text]
  • The Forgotten Fronts the First World War Battlefield Guide: World War Battlefield First the the Forgotten Fronts Forgotten The
    Ed 1 Nov 2016 1 Nov Ed The First World War Battlefield Guide: Volume 2 The Forgotten Fronts The First Battlefield War World Guide: The Forgotten Fronts Creative Media Design ADR005472 Edition 1 November 2016 THE FORGOTTEN FRONTS | i The First World War Battlefield Guide: Volume 2 The British Army Campaign Guide to the Forgotten Fronts of the First World War 1st Edition November 2016 Acknowledgement The publisher wishes to acknowledge the assistance of the following organisations in providing text, images, multimedia links and sketch maps for this volume: Defence Geographic Centre, Imperial War Museum, Army Historical Branch, Air Historical Branch, Army Records Society,National Portrait Gallery, Tank Museum, National Army Museum, Royal Green Jackets Museum,Shepard Trust, Royal Australian Navy, Australian Defence, Royal Artillery Historical Trust, National Archive, Canadian War Museum, National Archives of Canada, The Times, RAF Museum, Wikimedia Commons, USAF, US Library of Congress. The Cover Images Front Cover: (1) Wounded soldier of the 10th Battalion, Black Watch being carried out of a communication trench on the ‘Birdcage’ Line near Salonika, February 1916 © IWM; (2) The advance through Palestine and the Battle of Megiddo: A sergeant directs orders whilst standing on one of the wooden saddles of the Camel Transport Corps © IWM (3) Soldiers of the Royal Army Service Corps outside a Field Ambulance Station. © IWM Inside Front Cover: Helles Memorial, Gallipoli © Barbara Taylor Back Cover: ‘Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red’ at the Tower of London © Julia Gavin ii | THE FORGOTTEN FRONTS THE FORGOTTEN FRONTS | iii ISBN: 978-1-874346-46-3 First published in November 2016 by Creative Media Designs, Army Headquarters, Andover.
    [Show full text]
  • Doktori (Phd) Értekezés
    NEMZETI KÖZSZOLGÁLATI EGYETEM Hadtudományi Doktori Iskola Doktori (PhD) értekezés Kis J. Ervin Budapest, 2017. NEMZETI KÖZSZOLGÁLATI EGYETEM Hadtudományi Doktori Iskola Kis J. Ervin A LÉGVÉDELMI ÉS LÉGIERŐK EVOLÚCIÓJA, HELYE, SZEREPE, AZ ARAB-IZRAELI 1967-ES, 1973-AS és 1982- ES HÁBORÚK SORÁN, VALAMINT AZ IZRAELI LÉGIERŐ HAMÁSZ ÉS A HEZBOLLAH ELLENI HÁBORÚS ALKALMAZÁSÁNAK TAPASZTALATAI Doktori (PhD) értekezés Témavezető: Dr. habil. Jobbágy Zoltán ezredes, (Ph.D.) egyetemi docens Budapest, 2017 2 TARTALOMJEGYZÉK I. BEVEZETÉS ....................................................................................................................... 5 I.1. A kutatási témaválasztás indoklás ..................................................................................... 9 I.2 A kutatási téma feldolgozásának és aktualitásának indoklása ........................................ 9 I.3 A tudományos probléma megfogalmazása ................................................................... 12 I.4 Hipotézisek ..... .................................................................................................................... 14 I.5 Kutatási célok...................................................................................................................... 14 I.6 Alkalmazott kutatási módszerek ...................................................................................... 20 I.7. A témával foglalkozó szakirodalom áttekintése.................................................. .............21 I.8 Az értekezés felépítése .......................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Aircraft Engines and Strategic Bombing in the First World War
    Aircraft Engines and Strategic Bombing in the First World War Todd Martin Published: 27 January 2016 Contents Historiography, Acknowledgments and Introduction . .3 Table I: Comparative Aircraft Engines . .5 Table II: Aircraft Engine Production, 1914-1918 . .5 Map: British Independent Force Squadron No. 55 DH-4 Day Bombing Raids, Germany, 1918 . .6 Abbreviations . .7 Part I: Aircraft Engines 1. Austria and Germany . .8 2. France . .17 3. United States . .23 4. Britain . .29 Part II: Strategic Bombing 5. The Channel . .37 6. The Rhine . .46 7. Amanty . .53 Conclusion . .69 Bibliography . .70 Title Page: NARA, RG 120, M990/10, B VII 124, Statistical Analysis of Aerial Bombardments, Report No. 110, Statistics Branch - General Staff, War Department, Nov. 7, 1918. 2 Historiography, Acknowledgements and Introduction Historiography and Acknowledgments arithmetic however which makes the following a revi- The following avoids repeating much of the well sion of the thesis of Irving B. Holley, Jr.’s Ideas and known stories of the Liberty aircraft engine and the Weapons (1953) that the American military aviation controversies surrounding American aviation in the effort in the First World War failed due to a lack of First World War. It also avoids offering a definition of airpower doctrine, a revision the need for which is strategic bombing, save to suggest that economic war- pointed to in the second volume of Mauer Mauer’s fare may be properly considered to be an element of edition of The U.S. Air Service in World War I (1978.) that definition. The following adheres to the long The continuing efforts to understand the world established understanding that many of the aircraft wars as a single historical event and to study them engines successfully used during that war were “from the middle” perspective of technology and derived from an engine designed before the war by engineering1 are appropriate and admirable and thus Ferdinand Porsche.
    [Show full text]
  • The Coils of the Anaconda: America's
    THE COILS OF THE ANACONDA: AMERICA’S FIRST CONVENTIONAL BATTLE IN AFGHANISTAN BY C2009 Lester W. Grau Submitted to the graduate degree program in Military History and the Graduate Faculty of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy ____________________________ Dr. Theodore A Wilson, Chairperson ____________________________ Dr. James J. Willbanks, Committee Member ____________________________ Dr. Robert F. Baumann, Committee Member ____________________________ Dr. Maria Carlson, Committee Member ____________________________ Dr. Jacob W. Kipp, Committee Member Date defended: April 27, 2009 The Dissertation Committee for Lester W. Grau certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: THE COILS OF THE ANACONDA: AMERICA’S FIRST CONVENTIONAL BATTLE IN AFGHANISTAN Committee: ____________________________ Dr. Theodore A Wilson, Chairperson ____________________________ Dr. James J. Willbanks, Committee Member ____________________________ Dr. Robert F. Baumann, Committee Member ____________________________ Dr. Maria Carlson, Committee Member ____________________________ Dr. Jacob W. Kipp, Committee Member Date approved: April 27, 2009 ii PREFACE Generals have often been reproached with preparing for the last war instead of for the next–an easy gibe when their fellow-countrymen and their political leaders, too frequently, have prepared for no war at all. Preparation for war is an expensive, burdensome business, yet there is one important part of it that costs little–study. However changed and strange the new conditions of war may be, not only generals, but politicians and ordinary citizens, may find there is much to be learned from the past that can be applied to the future and, in their search for it, that some campaigns have more than others foreshadowed the coming pattern of modern war.1 — Field Marshall Viscount William Slim.
    [Show full text]
  • Historical Dictionary of Air Intelligence
    Historical Dictionaries of Intelligence and Counterintelligence Jon Woronoff, Series Editor 1. British Intelligence, by Nigel West, 2005. 2. United States Intelligence, by Michael A. Turner, 2006. 3. Israeli Intelligence, by Ephraim Kahana, 2006. 4. International Intelligence, by Nigel West, 2006. 5. Russian and Soviet Intelligence, by Robert W. Pringle, 2006. 6. Cold War Counterintelligence, by Nigel West, 2007. 7. World War II Intelligence, by Nigel West, 2008. 8. Sexspionage, by Nigel West, 2009. 9. Air Intelligence, by Glenmore S. Trenear-Harvey, 2009. Historical Dictionary of Air Intelligence Glenmore S. Trenear-Harvey Historical Dictionaries of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, No. 9 The Scarecrow Press, Inc. Lanham, Maryland • Toronto • Plymouth, UK 2009 SCARECROW PRESS, INC. Published in the United States of America by Scarecrow Press, Inc. A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706 www.scarecrowpress.com Estover Road Plymouth PL6 7PY United Kingdom Copyright © 2009 by Glenmore S. Trenear-Harvey All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Trenear-Harvey, Glenmore S., 1940– Historical dictionary of air intelligence / Glenmore S. Trenear-Harvey. p. cm. — (Historical dictionaries of intelligence and counterintelligence ; no. 9) Includes bibliographical references. ISBN-13: 978-0-8108-5982-1 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-8108-5982-3 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN-13: 978-0-8108-6294-4 (eBook) ISBN-10: 0-8108-6294-8 (eBook) 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Air-To-Ground Battle for Italy
    Air-to-Ground Battle for Italy MICHAEL C. MCCARTHY Brigadier General, USAF, Retired Air University Press Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama August 2004 Air University Library Cataloging Data McCarthy, Michael C. Air-to-ground battle for Italy / Michael C. McCarthy. p. ; cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1-58566-128-7 1. World War, 1939–1945 — Aerial operations, American. 2. World War, 1939– 1945 — Campaigns — Italy. 3. United States — Army Air Forces — Fighter Group, 57th. I. Title. 940.544973—dc22 Disclaimer Opinions, conclusions, and recommendations expressed or implied within are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Air University, the United States Air Force, the Department of Defense, or any other US government agency. Cleared for public release: distribution unlimited. Air University Press 131 West Shumacher Avenue Maxwell AFB AL 36112–6615 http://aupress.maxwell.af.mil ii Contents Chapter Page DISCLAIMER . ii FOREWORD . v ABOUT THE AUTHOR . vii PREFACE . ix INTRODUCTION . xi Notes . xiv 1 GREAT ADVENTURE BEGINS . 1 2 THREE MUSKETEERS TIMES TWO . 11 3 AIR-TO-GROUND BATTLE FOR ITALY . 45 4 OPERATION STRANGLE . 65 INDEX . 97 Photographs follow page 28 iii THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Foreword The events in this story are based on the memory of the author, backed up by official personnel records. All survivors are now well into their eighties. Those involved in reconstructing the period, the emotional rollercoaster that was part of every day and each combat mission, ask for understanding and tolerance for fallible memories. Bruce Abercrombie, our dedicated photo guy, took most of the pictures.
    [Show full text]
  • Michigan's Copper Country" Lets You Experience the Require the Efforts of Many People with Different Excitement of the Discovery and Development of the Backgrounds
    Michigan’s Copper Country Ellis W. Courter Contribution to Michigan Geology 92 01 Table of Contents Preface .................................................................................................................. 2 The Keweenaw Peninsula ........................................................................................... 3 The Primitive Miners ................................................................................................. 6 Europeans Come to the Copper Country ....................................................................... 12 The Legend of the Ontonagon Copper Boulder ............................................................... 18 The Copper Rush .................................................................................................... 22 The Pioneer Mining Companies................................................................................... 33 The Portage Lake District ......................................................................................... 44 Civil War Times ...................................................................................................... 51 The Beginning of the Calumet and Hecla ...................................................................... 59 Along the Way to Maturity......................................................................................... 68 Down the South Range ............................................................................................. 80 West of the Ontonagon............................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Scottish Record Society. [Publications]
    00 HANDBOUND AT THE L'.VU'ERSITY OF TORONTO PRESS (SCOTTISH RECORD SOCIETY, ^5^ THE Commissariot IRecorb of EMnbutGb. REGISTER OF TESTAMENTS. PART III. VOLUMES 81 TO iji—iyoi-iSoo. EDITED BY FRANCIS J. GRANT, W.S., ROTHESAY HERALD AND LYON CLEKK. EDINBURGH : PRINTED FOR THE SOCIETY BY JAMES SKINNER & COMPANY. 1899. EDINBURGH '. PRINTED BY JAMES SKINNER AND COMPANY. PREFATORY NOTE. This volume completes the Index to this Commissariot, so far as it is proposed by the Society to print the same. It includes all Testaments recorded before 31st December 1800. The remainder of the Record down to 31st December 1829 is in the General Register House, but from that date to the present day it will be found at the Commissary Office. The Register for the Eighteenth Century shows a considerable falling away in the number of Testaments recorded, due to some extent to the Local Registers being more taken advantage of On the other hand, a number of Testaments of Scotsmen dying in England, the Colonies, and abroad are to be found. The Register for the years following on the Union of the Parliaments is one of melancholy interest, containing as it does, to a certain extent, the death-roll of the ill-fated Darien Expedition. The ships of the Scottish Indian and African Company mentioned in " " " " the Record are the Caledonia," Rising Sun," Unicorn," Speedy " " " Return," Olive Branch," Duke of Hamilton (Walter Duncan, Skipper), " " " " Dolphin," St. Andrew," Hope," and Endeavour." ®Ij^ C0mmtssari0t ^ttoxi oi ®5tnburglj. REGISTER OF TESTAMENTS. THIRD SECTION—1701-180O. ••' Abdy, Sir Anthony Thomas, of Albyns, in Essex, Bart.
    [Show full text]