There were 2,477 survivors, of whom about 100 were still alive in 2011. The RMS Lancastria was a British Cunard liner sunk by enemy action on 17 June 1940 with the loss of an estimated 4,000 plus lives. You. RMS Lancastria (later HMT Lancastria[ Note 1]) was a British Cunard [ 2] liner commandeered by the government for war, sunk on 17 June 1940 during World War II with the loss of over 4,000 lives, possibly many more [ 3]. They question why, after all this time, the area of the sinking - which is in French waters - is not designated a British war memorial site. 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. As were news reports on the sinking. 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. Butas we all look forward to life nearing normality again, some folks will be mulling over normalquestions such aswho will win the Premier League orthe Scottish Premiership, whilst somethoughts may be of a moreexistential nature, i.e, what is life?and where are we going?, etc. "It was a bad time - the evacuation from France. The Lancastria was a Cunard Anchor Line ocean liner built by William Beardmore and Company and launched on the 31st of May 1920. The notifications are not legally enforceable; hence, news editors could choose not to abide by them but, generally, accede to these notices. Naval Institute is maintaining and preserving the former Naval Historical Foundation website so readers and former NHF members can still access past issues of Pull Together and other content. We have not forgotten. You will need a reader's ticket to do this. There were multiple air raids and, in addition, the British feared possible U-boat attacks, so Captain Sharp decided to wait for a Royal Navy and/or RAF escort. Stephen Wynn, a retired police constable with 30 years service in Essex, began writing prior to his retirement. He was told that he should take as many as he possibly could "without regard to the limits of International Law". So there you are a sad narrative from our maritime history. RMS Lancastria: 17 June 1940. | Liverpool Ships and Sailors When sent to newspapers or other publications it prevented particular information from being made public for reasons of state security. The British Government has refused to make the site a war grave under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 although documents obtained under the Freedom of Information show that it could be done. With the sea thick with oil, German planes strafed survivors trying to keep afloat. Many will then travel to France for the service at Saint-Nazaire on Wednesday, with no major event planned in the UK. [19] By the mid-afternoon of 17 June she had embarked an unknown number (estimates range from 4,000 up to 9,000)[4] line-of-communication troops (including Pioneer and Royal Army Service Corps soldiers) and Royal Air Force personnel, together with about forty civilian refugees, including embassy staff and employees of Fairey Aviation of Belgium with their families. Fewer than 2,500 people survived. 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). 5621230. It also organises the largest memorial service for the victims in the UK. Frank Holden Snr was on board the luxury transatlantic cruise liner Lancastria in 1940. (accessed 30.05.2020), 5)www.lancastria.org.uk(2019)We will remember them(accessed 02.06.2020), 6) The Independent (p.4 16.06.2015)Families still refused memorial. Initiated in 1889and then revised in 1911, 1920, and 1939it sets out offences related to spying, sabotage, and related crimes. information and 239,789 images on early companies, their products and the Mr H J Cooper is quoted in the Chelmsford Chronicle on 28 June: "I am afraid thousands died, but tell the world they sang 'Roll out the Barrel' as they died. On the morning of May 1st 1915 the Lusitania left New York behind. [citation needed], The Lancastria Association of Scotland began a campaign in 2005 to secure greater recognition for the loss of life aboard Lancastria and the acknowledgement of the endurance of survivors that day. privacy policy, Need more context? Anchored 11 miles south-west of St Nazaire. Lancastria survivor Charles Napier with a copy of the newspaper which reported the news of the Lancastria sinking. RMS Lancastria In the article there is this paragraph: When German aircraft began strafing survivors in the water [citation needed], the fuel oil which had leaked into the sea ignited, and was quickly transformed into a flaming inferno [citation needed]. Three direct hits caused the ship to list first to starboard then to port and she rolled over and sank within twenty minutes. Captain Sharp would lose his life on September 12, 1942, when the HMT Laconia, was sunk northeast of Ascension Island off the coast of West Africa by Kriegsmarine U-156, a Type IXC boat then attached to the 4th U-boat Flotilla. The rest were rescued under continued air attack by the devotion of the small craft.. You can order records in advance to be ready for you when you visit Kew. Lancastria Association of Scotland made a further request in 2009. Following the sinking of the Lancastria, Prime Minister Winston Churchill imposed a media blackout. The RMS Lancastria was hit by three or four bombs dropped from a Junkers JU 88 bomber; 15 to 20 minutes later, she lay a the bottom of the sea. However, themovetowardswar went initially quite slowly. The French Government recently placed an exclusion zone around the wreck site. There are no actual transcripts of these speeches, but they have been reconstructed from Churchills notes given to Charles Eade. Fewer than 2,500. Ordering and viewing options This record has not been digitised and cannot be downloaded. 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. 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. 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. Crew members were either discharged or sent on leave.[15]. Gruppe/Kampfgeschwader 30. 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. Jun 17 1940 Sinking of the RMS Lancastria A fresh air raid began before 4 pm. Video, On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry, and despite a special Scottish government medal for Lancastria survivors and their families, Serena Williams announces pregnancy at Met Gala, Shooting suspect was deported four times - US media, New record as 4.56m Indians take flights in a day, Japan to ban upskirting in stronger sex crime laws, Met Gala 2023: Stars celebrate Karl Lagerfeld, BP profits of 4bn in three months spark criticism. - VideoOn board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry, I didnt think make-up was made for black girls, Why there is serious money in kitchen fumes. She was the sister ship of RMS Cameronia that Beardmore's had built for the same customer the previous year. She was sunk on 17 June 1940 during Operation Aerial. RMS Lancastria was a British ocean liner requisitioned by the UK Government during the Second World War. [13][14], At the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, Lancastria was in the Bahamas. The name Tyrrhenia proved problematic for her passengers to pronounce and was subsequently changed to Lancastria in 1924. Rudolph Sharp survived the sinking and went on to command the RMS Laconia, losing his life on 12 September 1942 when that ship was torpedoed and sunk off West Africa. However, an exact number of Lancastrias casualties may never be known. The D-Notice blacked-out details of the incident for 100 years, so it will not be released before 2040. Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. people who designed and built them. Lancastria: Families urged to claim WWII medals - BBC News A number of survivors reported that one bomb had gone down the ship's single funnel which is most likely, given the speed with which the ship sank about 1520 minutes. The evacuees were in several western French ports including Lorient and St. Nazaire on the Loire River. This of course would mean ignoring virtually all safety rules and regulations. 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. However, therewas no such light-heartedness for 800 RAF personnel of the ranks. The ship was built by William Beardmore and Company of Dalmuir on the River Clyde and launched in 1920 as Royal Mail Steamship (RMS) Tyrrhenia for the Anchor Line, a subsidiary of the better-known Cunard Line. Having received an emergency order to evacuate British nationals and troops from France the ship was loaded well in excess of its capacity of 1,300 passengers. 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. ; had they seen them perish or had they seen them escape?. They had no chance because the ship went down in 15 minutes. After receiving news of the Lancastria disaster, Churchill had placed a D-notice on the incident, forbidding any knowledge of the sinking reaching an already demoralized public.
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