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THIS June 17 is the anniversary of the triple bombing of the SS Lancastria by German planes during the attempted rescue of more than 50,000 men cramming St Nazaire beaches in France, 1940.
The massive aid for those awaiting ships in Dunkirk have been recorded in books, magazines and film over the decades.
The Lancastria joined the Neptune in being deliberately forgotten by the new Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, when he placed strict censorship on the Press so as to not upset the public. People were told that these thousands of men died in battles or combat, sans any details.
The almost 4,000 men, soldiers, sailors and others who died in the vicious attacks on the Lancastria included Ulstermen, such as fellow soldiers of my injured father, who lay on a beach watching.
Born in Moneyhaw in Co Londonderry, he was among the first to join the British Expeditionary Force with the Royal Engineers. Alas, history has forgotten these heroes who gave so much to their country.
The Neptune’s loss was 764 lives, all Navy men, whereas the bulk of the men in St Nazaire were main British Army regiments.
This summer those who survived in war-torn Britain, and I was in five bombed cities, must give thanks for our very existence. Without the sacrifice of the soldiers, sailors and airmen our two islands would have been destroyed. We must never forget.
As an Ulsterwoman who worked with B.A.O.R. soldiers in Germany I have great pride in my countrymen. The young must be told what it was like, and why they are free. We children had no parents at home, and looked after ourselves during air raids and when bombs fell. We queued for hours for grey bread and our one chop. Our playground was on bombed rubble. Yet, we were luckier than most. That is why I care about the forgotten ones. We all should.
Lyn Henderson Moran,
Torrance, California.
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