Lancastria disaster

My grandfather, who sadly died some years ago, was one of the survivors of the Lancastria disaster. He didn't talk very much about it so we are quite sketchy about his experience, I think because he felt guilty about surviving (he was a strong swimmer) when so many men around him drowned.

This comes from the HMT Lancastria Association website, www.lancastria-association.org.uk.

'On the 17th of June 1940 the 16,000 ton Cunard liner Lancastria lay 5 miles off St Nazaire and embarked troops, RAF personnel, and civilian refugees, including women and children, who were being evacuated from France, which was then on the verge of collapse. The exact number on board may never be known, but almost certainly exceeded 6000; some estimates were as high as 9000. The Lancastria was attacked and hit by bombs from German aircraft. The ship sank rapidly and according to the estimate of the Captain, only around 2500 of those on board were saved.

Owing to the scale of the tragedy, Winston Churchill forbade publication of the news in the interests of public morale, and hence the story of the Lancastria has never been generally known, although it is Britain's worst maritime disaster.'

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