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 in June 1940 and the destruction of the French fleet at Mers el-Kebir by the British fleet, the new Pro-German French Vichy Government asked for all Gibraltarians to be removed. An opportunity for their removal soon arose when 15 British cargo vessels arrived at Casablanca under Commodore Crichton, repatriating French servicemen rescued from Dunkirk. Once they had disembarked, the ships were interned until they agreed to take on all the evacuees. Although Crichton could not clean and restock his ships (and contrary to British Admiralty orders which forbade the taking on of evacuees), he eventually agreed to do so. However, when the evacuees arrived in Gibraltar, the Governor, Sir Clive Liddel, did not allow them to land, fearing that once the evacuees were back on The Rock, it would be virtually impossible to re-evacuate them. Crowds gathered at John Mackintosh Square as the news of the orders not to land broke, speeches were made and two City Councilors accompanied by the Acting President of the Exchange and Commercial Library went to see the Governor 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, and by 13 July the re-evacuation had been completed.