In early June 1940 , about 13 @,@ 500 evacuees were shipped to Casablanca in French Morocco . However , following the capitulation of the French to the German armies later in June 1940 , the new Pro @-@ German French Vichy Government found the presence of Gibraltarian evacuees in Casablanca an embarrassment and sought opportunities for their removal . The opportunity soon arose when 15 British cargo vessels arrived under Commodore Crichton , repatriating 15 @,@ 000 French servicemen who had been rescued from Dunkirk . Once their own rescued servicemen had disembarked , the ships were interned until they agreed to take away all the evacuees . Although Crichton was unable to obtain permission to clean and restock his ships ( and contrary to British Admiralty orders which forbade the taking on of evacuees ) , when he saw the mass of civilians pouring through the dockyards , he opened up his gangways for boarding . Just beforehand , the British fleet had destroyed a number of French warships at Mers el @-@ Kebir in order to prevent them ending up in German hands . The attack , during which 1 @,@ 297 French sailors died , led to high tensions , which were evident when families were forced at bayonet point by French troops to board taking only what they could carry , leaving many possessions behind . However , when they arrived at Gibraltar , the Governor would not allow them to land , fearing that once the evacuees were back on the Rock , it would be virtually impossible to evacuate them a second time . Crowds gathered in John Mackintosh Square in the centre of Gibraltar as the news broke , speeches were made and two City Councillors accompanied by the Acting President of the Exchange and Commercial Library went to see the Governor ( Sir Clive Liddell ) to ask that the evacuees be allowed to land . After receiving instructions from London , a landing was allowed as long as the evacuees returned when other ships arrived to take them away from the Rock , and by 13 July the re @-@ evacuation back to Gibraltar had been completed .