Enough on the titanic, what about the lancastria

[Dean Lofthouse]

An elderly gentlemen was very upset today, he was fed up with all this mention every day of the Titanic.

 

It turns out, this guy was on the Lancastria, sunk when it was evacuating British troops from France in 1940. Reports say the ship was laden with around 9000 troops trying to escape the German advances.

 

The ship was bombed whilst anchored around 3 miles off shore whilst still taking on evacuees, the damage sustained was so bad it sank in fifteen minutes, whilst people were in the water, the German pilots machine gunned them, around 4000 people died in horrific circumstances.

 

This event gets very little coverage if any, no wonder the old boy is upset.

 

Full story

 

BBC - WW2 People's War - The Sinking of the Lancastria?1940

[Rich2484]

Well of course it won't, it was during our defeat. No country likes to make programmes about there defeat.

[Andy Collins]

Thanks for bringing it up Dean, too true, a sad loss.

[Stephen Blair]

Those poor folk!

[Dean Lofthouse]

This old chap was 19 year old at the time and watched a lot of his comrades die.

[daveindales]

I agree, the Titanic has had an awful lot of coverage recently. The second world war is littered with examples of huge navel loss of life. Some well known like the loss of HMS Hood (only 3 survivors). Most, not as well known, such as the loss of loss of HMS Charybdis and HMS Limbourne. Approx 500 men died around The Channel Islands in October 1943.

 

Their sacrifice should never be forgotten.

[easy-lift guy]

On 30-1-1945 the MV Wilhelm Gustloff was sunk by a Soviet sub during Operation Hannibal

off the Baltic Coast. Est. losses 9,400. Of course some may think this to be pay back of sorts except it just shows when during war when your number is up either side, it's up.

easy-lift guy

[Matthew Storrs]

I quite agree, but I think the reason the titanic gets so much press (aside from the film stirring it up) is it quite simply shouldn't have sank whereas war is war and tragedys are to be expected. Still, its strange how it still gets so much attention.

[NFG]

Agreed,

 

Seems to me a disproportionate amount of coverage, but the 100th anniversary of any tragic event attracts more media coverage.

 

Please remember submariners lost in various accidents: Thresher, Scorpion, Thetis, Komsomolets & Kursk to name just a few.

[arbogrunt]

I'd never heard of the Lancastria incident. It would have been a shattering blow to morale, which probably explains why it was kept quiet and then forgotten. We would have done exactly the same to a German troopship of course.....the tragedy of war.