In December 2007 the Scottish Government announced it would strike a commemorative Lancastria medal for Scots who were aboard the Lancastria on the 17th of June 1940. Simultaneously Scottish Ministers made representations to the Ministry of Defence urging them to roll out the medal to all nationalities who were aboard that day. The MoD responded by stating it had no plans to commemorate the victims and survivors of Britain’s worst ever maritime disaster. Scottish Ministers then agreed to make the medal available to all, regardless of nationality.

The Lancastria Association of Scotland unreservedly welcomes the decision of the Scottish Government in a very positive move which at last extends official recognition to those who were aboard the Lancastria on 17th June 1940, in recognition of the endurance of survivors and ultimate sacrifice of the victims.

Those eligible to receive the medal are living survivors and immediate next of kin of victims and of survivors who have since passed away.

Guidance on the wearing of the medal

According to the Scottish Government the position on the wearing of the medal is as follows:

"Retired service personnel are not subject to military dress regulations. There is no legal barrier to the HMT Lancastria commemorative medal issued by the Scottish Government being worn alongside other medals or decorations awarded to them. This commemorative medal represents official Scottish Government recognition of the Lancastria disaster."

Medals are subject to application (see forms below), for validation purposes.

 < Left, medal recipients wait to receive their medals from the First Minister of Scotland at a special ceremony held on the 12th of June 2008.

The Scottish Government is awarding the medal in recognition of the ultimate sacrifice paid by victims and endurance of the survivors following the attack and rescue operation, whilst they continued to come under enemy attack.

Applications should be printed off, completed and returned (with supporting documentation) to:

Room 5.03, Parliament Headquarters, The Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh, EH99 1SP

Supporting copy documentation is required. What you send here will depend whether you are a survivor, relative of victim or relative of survivor. Email: The Secretary if you have any queries about completing the form. You need to open and print off both the documents below to complete the application. - You will need Adobe Reader installed on your machine to view these files. CLICK HERE to download this for FREE

< Page 1 Lancastria medal application form (Click on the image, print off and complete)

PLEASE NOTE APPLICATIONS ARE TAKING AROUND 4 TO 6 WEEKS TO VALIDATE DUE TO THE HIGH NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS BEING RECEIVED.

< Page 2 Lancastria medal application form

Above, survivor Charles Napier shows off the Lancastria Commemorative medal awarded to all those who were aboard the Lancastria 17th June 1940. The colours of the ribbon on the medal depict the colours of Lancastria that day; battleship grey, with black and red, representing the Lancastria’s funnel which retained its Cunard colours.

Above, Lancastria survivor Bill Hughes at the Scottish Parliament and below, receiving his medal from the First Minister.

Above, Lancastria survivor Stan Forrester with his Lancastria medal at Pornic Cemetery, France, June 2008.

Click on the above link to see detail of the medal