The loading continues
As Major Scott-Bowden of the 53rd Company Auxiliary Pioneer Corps boarded with his men from the destroyer HMS Havelock it was apparent that Lancastria was becoming overcrowded with men. Once on board he was instructed by the ship's purser to proceed to a second-class cabin that had four bunk beds. Once inside he discovered that seven other Officers were meant to be in the same accommodation. He quickly returned to the Purser who replied:
"Sorry Sir, but that's the best I can do. You're lucky to get a bunk at all. Three men will have to sleep on the floor and two of those are Colonels!"
Meanwhile breakfast was being served in the dining saloon. Bread, baked on the journey down from Plymouth was laid on each white-covered table. The menu included grapefruit, porridge, bacon and eggs, toast, marmalade and coffee.
Click here to see a copy of the lunch menu of 17th June
The barber's shop was doing roaring business with men whose hair had not seen a 'real' barber for more than six months, cueing up.
Hurricane fighters were seen overhead patrolling the skies. The cloud ceiling was approximately 1500 feet and 7/10ths overcast.
As Squadron Leader Shipp and fellow officer Bob Doig crossed the deck on their way down to the dining saloon they each picked up a lifejacket. As they left the saloon, carrying their other belongings they put on the jackets to avoid carrying them.
"All dressed up and nowhere to go." Rang out a sarcastic voice. "They may come in handy!" replied Shipp, not easily perturbed.
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Lancastria well down at the head shortly after being hit, 3:50pm, 17th June 1940
One of Lancastria's crew did not regard the sight of men wearing lifejackets as being over cautious. Hugh Johnston had been an Ordinary Seaman aboard the Lusitania when she was sunk off the Irish coast in 1915, but what was about to happen to Lancastria would overshadow that maritime tragedy several times over.
Comment:
Ordering the Captain to disregard international law on passenger limits is of crucial importance when considering the story of the Lancastria disaster. The scale of the disaster hinges on this order and the implications it had on 4000 or so lives which were lost shortly after it was made. Many have argued that the order was reasonable given the urgency of the situation and that "this was wartime".
In some respects the very fact that it was wartime should have placed a greater onus upon those making such orders to ensure that all necessary precautions were taken in the likely event the ship came under attack. Deliberately loading twice as many people that could be reasonably saved should the vessel come under attack and then sink seems reckless. Some have argued that the silence brought about by the British government's initial D-notice and their apparent ongoing silence on the matter is an admission of their liability and their responsibility.
It is highly unlikely that any of the relatives of victims of the Lancastria would sue the government, but Whitehall officials are a paranoid and secretive bunch and are certain to have given the matter some consideration.
Official responses from them recently state only that "almost all the documents related to the sinking of the Lancastria have been released". "Almost all" is not the same as "all". As to the official report of the sinking, well it's simply disappeared. Some commentators have said that it was to be held under the Official Secrets Act until 2040, but in fact there are no known documents related to the disaster listed as being held under this Act.
 An exhausted Percy Brown of 663 Company receives a welcome cup of tea aboard HMS Highlander after being plucked from the water
So where is the official report? That is one document that has eluded even the most dogged of researchers and authors. If you discount the government conspiracy of silence theory then what you are left with is the fact that the British government has misplaced or lost the official report into Britain's worst ever maritime disaster. If its not conspiracy then it must be incompetence.
Of course hindsight is a perfect vision. Would those Naval Officers give the same order if they had known for certain that Lancastria would receive three direct hits and sink in 20 minutes? Probably not. However the order, which incidentally they would only be passing on from their chiefs at the Admiralty or War Office, should surely have taken account of the likely chances of the vessel coming under attack. Other merchant ships had been attacked and sunk in the days leading up to the 17th of June. Captain Sharp himself was reluctant to depart unaccompanied without a Destroyer escort for fear Lancastria would come under attack from U-boats.
The full picture of events that day has not yet been properly exposed. A combination of actions and pure bad luck resulted in both the scale of the disaster and subsequent silence. The silence and apparent loss of such crucial and historically important documents such as the official report, even if its loss is "accidental", is all very useful for the British government.
As the remaining survivors grow fewer each year it appears the whole truth about the events, which led to such a massive loss of life, will never see the light of day.
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