rms lancastria survivors list

Many years later, I was asked by my father, Oliver Gleasure (Irish Guards) to find the book, so he could gift it to my uncle. Lancastria was attacked, apparently by five Junkers Ju 88 dive bombers, and the ship capsized, and sank within twenty minutes mid-afternoon on June 17 off the French port of St. Nazaire. The people living in the area, found bodies washed up on the beaches for weeks after the disaster. [8] In 1934 the Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland chartered Lancastria for a pilgrimage to Rome. There are 1,472 names on his list of the deceased, extracted from the War Graves website, but theCommonwealth War Graves Commission records 1,816 burials with more than 400 in France (Fenby 2005, p. 234) and the Lancastria Association identifies 1,738 individuals that died aboard the ship . Oxford University-trained historian and author of more than a dozen books Jonathan Fenby stated that 1,738 perished (Fenby 2005, p. 247), but as there are no official figures published, there are great discrepancies in the numbers calculated by a variety of authors, and other estimates range from 2,000 to 9,000. He states that The time taken to record everybodys name, rank, service number and regiment or corps would have been time consuming and served no purpose (vii). [citation needed], In June 2010 to mark the 70th anniversary of the sinking, special ceremonies and services of remembrance were held in Edinburgh and St. Nazaire. [39][a] In the face of continued campaigning by relatives, the MoD stated in 2015 that all known documents had long since been released through the National Archives. [20] People were crowded into whatever spaces were available including the large cargo holds. Last updated 2011-02-17. This number far exceeded the amount of life jackets and lifeboats onboard, but this lack of safety equipment ultimately did not matter. [31], There were 2,477 survivors, of whom about 100 were still alive in 2011. Every nook and cranny, including her massive holds, was packed with people. Nevertheless, within hours of disembarking troops at Liverpool on June 14th, Lancastria was reassigned, along with the 20,341 gross tons liner Franconia, to Operation Aerial, the evacuation of British civilians, embassy staff, and support troops from France. All service personnel killed during the Second World War are recorded by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and where known that they lost their lives on the Lancastria. Kate Murphy Schaefer is an undergraduate history instructor who studies the human impact of wars and revolutions. information and 239,789 images on early companies, their products and the As the families reflect on their loss, it appears their frustrations will remain. Please ensure the tag is appropriate for the record. Lancastria Association of Scotland made a further request in 2009. [42] Early in the 21st century the French Government placed an exclusion zone around the wreck site. [4] All the photographs of the sinking were taken by Frank Clements, a volunteer storeman aboard HMS Highlander, who was exempt from the regulations prohibiting the use of cameras by service personnel. Approximately four thousand men, women, and children were buried beneath the waves. In April 1940, she was reconstructed as a troopship and under the command of Captain Rudolph Sharp, she was sent off to aid the evacuation of British troops and citizens from France. There are no actual transcripts of these speeches, but they have been reconstructed from Churchills notes given to Charles Eade. Winston Churchill issued a D-Notice on the day of the sinking of the RMS Lancastria. Other soldiers, meanwhile, performed acts of bravery and helped civilians while there was "no panic". One Royal Engineers officer reported that he had been told by one of Lancastria's loading officers that over 7,200 people had come aboard. The ship was among twenty others that participated in the evacuation of 2,653 British, French, and Polish troops from Norway when Operation Alphabet began on May 24,1940. However, an exact number of Lancastrias casualties may never be known. According to some accounts, these were heard to be singing 'Roll Out the Barrel' and 'There'll Always Be an England', though some survivors strongly deny this. The initial cover up at the time of the war is perhaps understandable, because it could be used as propaganda by the Germans. Though more people died on the Lancastria than on Titanic and Lusitania combined, the story is little more than a footnote in the history of WWII. Lancastria was attacked, apparently by five Junkers Ju 88 dive bombers, and the ship capsized, and sank within twenty minutes mid-afternoon on June 17 off the French port of St. Nazaire. The letter added: "These relatives do not have a clear understanding of what happened as documentary evidence, they are told, remains unavailable; and possibly will not be revealed until 2040, which is of no comfort; indeed it adds to their distress as the relatives, themselves, will not be alive.". Wynn cites seven online sources (p. 181), namely the British Newspaper Archive, the Britain at War website, the British section of Ancestry.com, the Militarian Forum, the Forces War Records, the Wartime Memories Project, and the War Graves Records, which appear to have been mistakenly recorded as a .com website rather than .org. While there were 2,477 survivors, it is . In 2005, Fenby wrote that estimates of the death toll vary from fewer than 3,000 to 5,800 people although it is also estimated that as many as 6,500 people perished, the largest loss of life in British maritime history. [18], Early in the morning, three RNVR officers came aboard to ask how many troops Lancastria could take. It was a few weeks after the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) from Dunkirk, and Walter and Charlie were still in occupied Europe with an estimated 150,000 other British servicemen. This information will help us make improvements to the website. View the catalogue description for. She was the sister ship of RMS Cameronia which Beardmore had built for the Anchor Line the previous year. Many of those in the water drowned because there were insufficient life jackets, or died from hypothermia, or were choked by fuel oil. Mr Napier is also wearing the Lancastria commemorative medal which was awarded by the Scottish Government in June 2008 in recognition of those who were aboard the vessel that day. Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. Now aged 77 and living in Malvern, Worcestershire, she will be joined by her husband, her children and her grandchildren at a ceremony in Saint-Nazaire on 17 June to mark the tragedy. manufacturing in Britain. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Many lifeboats could not be launched as they had been damaged, and there were only 2,500 life jackets on board. In fact the casualty figures, especiallyin perspective, are moreshocking and although 59 merchant seamen were lost on theLancastria(4), 126 merchant sailors perishedduring the whole of the previous fortnights Dunkirk evacuation. [citation needed], A memorial on the sea-front at St Nazaire was unveiled on 17 June 1988, "in proud memory of more than 4,000 who died and in commemoration of the people of Saint Nazaire and surrounding districts who saved many lives, tended wounded and gave a Christian burial to victims". [53] St Katharine Cree church in the City of London has a memorial window to Lancastria. "Nearly 2,500 are known to have been saved - and more may be in enemy hands - from a total 5300 aboard the transport Lancastria, which, it was admitted in London yesterday, was sunk on June 17 by the enemy during the evacuation of the BEF from France,' it read. The ferrying trip took three to four hours. Two chapters briefly detail the extraction of Allied forces from Europe in Operations Cycle (Le Havre, France), Operation Dynamo (Dunkirk); and Operation Aerial (St. Nazaire, Nantes, Cherbourg, and seven other French ports). [47] The Lancastria Association of Scotland was formed in 2005 and holds its annual service at St George's West Church in Edinburgh. The British government had requisitioned the Cunard ocean liner to continue bringing British Expeditionary Force troops back to Britain following the evacuation of Dunkirk. Lancastria survivor Charles Napier with a copy of the newspaper which reported the news of the Lancastria sinking. [41], The Government of the United Kingdom has not made the site a war grave under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986, stating that it has no jurisdiction over French territorial waters. RMS Lancastria (centre) at Funchal, Madeira, c. 1930. Quite an official statement to ponder. [23] The ship sank at 16:12, within twenty minutes of being hit,[26] which gave little time for other vessels to respond. The Lancastria was carrying up to 9,000 troops when it was bombed by German planes and sunk outside the port on 17 June 1940. [40] On 17 June 2010 (70th anniversary of the sinking) Janet Dempsey gave a lecture at The National Archives entitled "Forgotten Tragedy: The Loss of HMT Lancastria". [54] Scouting Ireland's national campsite Larch Hill has an anchor memorial to Lancastria, commemorating the legacy of the Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland's pilgrimage in 1932. Many lifeboats could not be launched as they had been damaged, and there were only 2,500 life jackets on board. 1)www.bbc.co.uk(2017)Dunkirk a few facts. Walter assumed, to his dying day in 1989, that Charlie was killed in the sinking. Wesalute them all. In his memoirs, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill wrote that he had intended to release the news a few days later, but that events in France crowded upon us so black and so quickly that I forgot to lift the ban (p.192). Remembrance St Nazaire: the HMT Lancastria Memorial on the left and the Operation Chariot Memorial on the right. She was first used to ferry men and supplies between Canada and the United Kingdom. She was two and a half when the ship was attacked. On the other hand,somewhatcynically,anMOD spokeswoman inWestminster said there is no formal event being organised adding that the government did not commemorate events willy-nilly. (6). Having received an emergency order to evacuate British nationals and troops in excess of its capacity of 1,300 passengers, mode. The late edition of The Scotsman on July 25 1940 featured a six-paragraph story buried on the middle of page five. useful bibliography and discussion. If you provide contact details, we will be in touch about your request within 10 working days. Under the Official Secrets Act, the report on the Lancastria cannot be published until the year 2040. Lancastria 17th June 1940 & Operation Aerial", "NMC Lay a wreath at the Memorial for The Lancastria", "The 75th anniversary of the sinking of HMT Lancastria", "Lancastria: Service for Britain's worst maritime disaster", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=RMS_Lancastria&oldid=1152389814, Sunk by German Bombers on 17 June 1940 off, This page was last edited on 29 April 2023, at 23:38. Many others died from hypothermia, inhaling fuel oil on the surface or drowning. This web publication contains 154,528 pages of The French Government recently placed an exclusion zone around the wreck site. Copyright Historic UK Ltd. Company Registered in England No. Only about 2,500 people survived in the largest single loss of life. Many men jumped into the sea wearing life jackets and broke their necks when they hit the water, others were killed as they hit the hull of the ship. For other uses, see, Section 36; prejudice to the effective conduct of public affairs; Section 40(2); contains personal information; Section 40(3); Release would contravene section 10 of the, According to CWGC Records of identified Burials in France as of 17 June 1940 of "Lancastria" total 1486 (British Army 1449; RAF 33, Location of the sinking of the troopship RMS Lancastria, Church of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas, Liverpool, "BBC - History - World Wars: The 'Lancastria' - a Secret Sacrifice in World War Two", "About Us: History of Scouting in Ireland", "The West Australian (Perth, WA: 1879 - 1954) - 27 May 1936 - p16", "At sea. To this day, Adrien, aged 86, has no idea how many people perished, and it is unlikely that he ever will. Many will then travel to France for the service at Saint-Nazaire on Wednesday, with no major event planned in the UK. "But the lack of recognition and acknowledgement in the subsequent years that has left many survivors and relatives of victims feeling their sacrifice was worth less than the big heroic events of the Second World War.". They had no chance because the ship went down in 15 minutes. Even then, the British newspapers toed the patriotic line. But if we could ask a questionwouldnt it be revealing to haveaskedthe servicemen aboard If theywould have gone to war willy-nilly (too bad they didnt have theopportunity to refuse). Quite enough disaster for today. In an anecdote somewhat buried in his Memoirs of the Second World War, Prime Minister Winston Churchill recounts a frightful incident that occurred on June 17, 1940. By the mid-afternoon of 17 June, she had embarked an unknown number (estimates range from 4,000 up to 9,000) of civilian refugees (including embassy staff and staff of Fairey Aviation of Belgium), and line-of-communication troops (Pioneers, RASC etc), and RAF personnel. She sailed scheduled routes from Liverpool to New York until 1932, and was then used as a cruise ship in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe. [10][11][12] The passengers on this voyage included Admiral of the Fleet Roger Keyes, Field Marshal William Birdwood and Commodore Edward Unwin. British Expeditionary Force troops back to Britain. [7] On 10 October 1932 Lancastria rescued the crew of the Belgian cargo ship SS Scheldestad, which had been abandoned in a sinking condition in the Bay of Biscay. I think he was embarrassed. Information about the Lancastria sinking might be restricted by the Official Secrets Act. We place some essential cookies on your device to make this website work. Within four months of the outbreak of World War II, Lancastria was requisitioned by the Admiralty as His Majestys Troopship (HMT) Lancastria under the command of Captain Rudolph Sharp. On the morning of May 1st 1915 the Lusitania left New York behind. So there you are a sad narrative from our maritime history. The Ministry of Defence said all known documents relating to the Lancastria have been available at the National Archives at Kew since the early 1970s. She was originally sent to Quiberon Bay as part of Operation Aerial, which was the evacuation of the remainder of the British Expeditionary Force which had been cut-off to the south of the German advance through France, amounting to some 124,000 men, mostly logistic support troops, from various ports in western France. There are a number of Commonwealth war graves (some with named dead soldiers from the Pioneer Corps but many commemorated as unknown) in fishing ports on the French islands of le de R and le d'Olron (cemeteries at Saint-Martin-de-R, Saint-Trojan-les-Bains, Saint-Clment-des-Baleines, Ars-en-R and others) with graves dated 17 June 1940. RMS Lancastria was a British ocean liner requisitioned by the UK Government during the Second World War. British and Allied evacuation vessels took Lancastrias survivors aboard, the trawler HMT Cambridgeshire alone rescuing nearly 900 souls. The medal ribbon has a grey background with a red and black central stripe, representative of the ship's wartime and merchant marine colours. She was sunk on 17 June 1940 during Operation Aerial. Policy. He was told that he should take as many as he possibly could "without regard to the limits of International Law". Eyewitness Emile Boutin (whose stories are included in the online Lancastria archive) wrote, Sometimes one body arrived, sometimes 16 arrived at once other times there were four days, five days without anything. The citizens of Moutiers buried the victims behind a sea dike, where they stayeduntil the end of the war. The article said the soldiers sang popular World War Two songs "Roll Out the Barrel" and "There'll Always be an England" as the ship went down. [13][14], At the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, Lancastria was in the Bahamas. Though buried in WWII history, the sinking of the Lancastria reminds us of the sacrifices and loss of thousands of men, women, and children during the war. Chapter 4 Secret Session Speeches by Churchill provides extracts of five speeches made between June 20th 1941 and December 10, 1942, including one made in response to the sinking of HMT Lancastria on June 17, 1941. The notifications are not legally enforceable; hence, news editors could choose not to abide by them but, generally, accede to these notices. It was bombed by German armed forces and he was left shipwrecked after surviving TV star Amanda Holden. Three direct hits caused the ship to list first to starboard then to port and she rolled over and sank within twenty minutes. . This isnt just a result of an inaccurate muster ofpersonnel embarked but in the main part by Churchillsdecision by to impose a news blackout stating that the newspapers havehad enough of disastrous news of late meant that the whole catastrophe wasnt reported to the rest of the world until an article appeared in theNew York Pressseveral weeks later. She made her maiden voyage, Glasgow-Qubec-Montreal on 19 June 1922. Footballers, just like many other blokeswere drafted orenlisted with local teams sending gifted players such as Liverpools Tom Cooper and Evertons reserve goalkeeper William Reidwhilst Preston North EndsTom Finney served in the Royal Armoured Corps.In fact,629 professionalfootballers had joined theservices by April 1940.By this time the British Expeditionary Force (BEF)wassent to France,but afterrelatively little action throughout the winter of 1939 the army faced its toughest battle which ended in theDunkirk evacuation, an event which although essentially a British defeat,didsavethe majority of British troops andforged a new optimism for the nation. "I think my grandfather was haunted by that," added Mark. Required fields are marked *. Unnecessary fittings were removed, she was repainted in battleship grey, the portholes were blacked out, and a 4-inch gun was installed.

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