UK - The Sinking of the Lancastria

March 3, 2007

Saturday, 3 March 2007, 00:07 GMT

War grave plea to Downing Street

Thousands died when the Lancastria was attacked off the French coastSurvivors and relatives of victims of the UK's largest maritime disaster are calling for the wreck of the Lancastria to become an official war grave.

The victims' families, including many from Scotland, will march to 10 Downing Street to make a direct plea to Tony Blair to protect the wreck. The Clyde-built Lancastria was carrying 9,000 troops when it was sunk in 1940 by German bombers off the French coast. More than 4,000 died in the disaster, which was the worst in WWII history. The Lancastria Association of Scotland has organised a petition with several thousand signatures including those of MPs, MSPs, Lords and senior serving armed forces figures, which will be handed over at Downing Street.

Triumphs in war are remembered and celebrated. Disasters are not.

Fiona Symon The Lancastria Association of Scotland

Chairwoman Fiona Symon, from Kinross, lost her father Andrew Richardson in the disaster and believes the designation of the wreck as a war memorial should be automatic. " There is a very real sense of anger amongst relatives that the lives of those who died and, indeed, the survivors who had to live with horrific memories, seem to be of less value than others who are remembered with honour, " she added. " Those thousands of men who died, one of them my father, also gave their lives for their country. " Triumphs in war are remembered and celebrated. Disasters are not. Yet the sheer magnitude of the loss of life when the Lancastria was sunk on the 17th of June 1940 cries out for acknowledgement by our government. "

Survivors aboard the destroyer HMS Highlander

Lancastria survivor Reg Brown, from Bedworth near Coventry, will also be making his way to Downing Street for the handover. Mr Brown said: " I was only 20 when the ship went down all those years ago. I don't think the prime minister will be able to meet with us, but if he is I will say, 'Prime minister, we fought a terrible war for the freedom of everyone in this country and I hope we are appreciated, but are we?' " I want him to cherish all those people who lost their lives on the Lancastria by getting the Ministry of Defence to declare the wreck an official war grave. " Jonathan Fenby, author of The Sinking of the Lancastria, believes the time has come for the victims and survivors to be afforded the recognition they deserve. " The victims of June 17, 1940, deserve no less, and the survivors should be accorded honour as well, while proper attention should be paid to the event at last after all these years, " he said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/6414155.stm

The RMS Lancastria was a Cunard liner sunk on

June 17, 1940 during World War II with the loss of, possibly, 4,000 lives.

Launched in 1920 as the Tyrrhenia for the Anchor Line, a subsidiary of Cunard. The 16,243

ton (16,503 tonnes), 578 foot (176

m) liner could carry 1,785 passengers in three classes and was built by William Bearmore & Company of Glasgow. She made her maiden voyage on

June 19, 1922.

She was refitted for just two classes and renamed Lancastria in 1924. She sailed scheduled routes from

England to New York until 1932, and was then used as a cruise ship in the

Mediterranean and Northern Europe. With the outbreak of the Second World War, she carried cargo before being requisitioned in April

1940 as a troopship, becoming the HMT Lancastria. She was first used to assist in the evacuation of troops from

Norway.

She was sunk while taking part in Operation Ariel, the evacuation of British nationals and troops from

France after Dunkirk. After a short overhaul, she left Liverpool

on June 14 under Captain Rudolf Sharpe, and arrived in the mouth of the Loire river

estuary on June 16. By the mid-afternoon of June 17, she had embarked an unknown number of civilian refugees and RAF personnel, estimates range from 4,000 up to 9,000. The ship's official capacity was 3,000.

She was bombed at around 16:00 by Junkers 88 aircraft from II.Gruppe/

Kampfgeschwader 30. Three direct hits, caused the ship to list first to starboard then to port and she rolled over and sank within twenty minutes. Over 1,400

tons of fuel oil leaked into the sea and was set partially ablaze, possibly by strafing. Many drowned, were choked by the oil, or were shot by the strafing German aircraft. There were 2,477 survivors. The death toll accounted for roughly a third of the total losses of the BEF in France. She sank around 5

St. Nazaire.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Lancastria

Dear List Members,

Dasha on June 17, 1940: SA/MA/SU/RA/RA

On June 17, 1940, retrograde Venus, L8 in D12, was closely over MEP10, in mutual aspect with the Sun, L12 in H4.

Dasha on March 3, 2007: MA/RA/VE/JU/SU

On March 2, 2007, at 23:55, transit Venus is operational and closely aspecting MEP1.

Best wishes,

Jorge