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The story of the Lancastria was one which was debated in the Scottish Parliament in May 2005 ahead of the 65th anniversary of the sinking. Christine Grahame MSP led the debate for the Scottish National Party by describing the events which led to the disaster. Politicians from all backgrounds spoke later to commend Ms Grahame for her contribution, one even described it as "the most moving speech he had ever heard in the Scottish Parliament".
You can read the speech by clicking here
The Parliament also gave cross party support for the following motion:
SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT BACK LANCASTRIA MOTION
May 2005
The Scottish Parliament has given cross party support for a parliamentary motions which calls on the British government to officially recognise the sinking of the Lancastria and commission a medal for victims families and survivors. The motion which acknowledges the sacrifice of the more than 4000 souls lost aboard Lancastria has gained support from many MSPs keen to add their weight behind the campaign to get formal recognition for the Lancastria victims. The full text of the motion reads:
*S2M-2792 Christine Grahame: The Lancastria "That the Parliament notes that 17 June 2005 will mark the 65th anniversary of the sinking of the former Clyde-built liner and requisitioned troopship, Lancastria, which was sunk by enemy action whilst loading the remainder of the British Expeditionary Force from France in 1940, five miles off the French coastal town of St Nazaire; notes that the sinking is the worst naval disaster in British maritime history, claiming the lives of more than 4,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen and civilian refugees, a grim death toll greater than the combined loss of life in the Titanic and Lusitania disasters; notes and commends the
efforts of the local French people during the rescue operation in assisting the survivors and tending to the burial of the hundreds of victims washed ashore in the months following the sinking; pays tribute to both the survivors and victims of the disaster, men, women and children who have been forgotten by history; notes the D- Notice banning news of the sinking ordered by Winston Churchill which effectively remains in place in the United Kingdom to this day; notes that the Shetland-born captain of Lancastria, Captain Sharp, was instructed by Royal Navy officers under orders from the Admiralty in London to load as many people as possible "without regard to the limits set down under international law", loading some estimated 9,000 people on a ship which normally would carry just over 2,000, and that this was a significant contributory factor in the scale of the disaster; urges the Scottish Executive to make representations to Her Majesty’s Government to recognise formally the sacrifice made by both victims and survivors of the Lancastria by commissioning a special Lancastria medal, following the precedent set by the Dunkirk medal, to be awarded whether in vivo or posthumously to all of the victims of the disaster, and asserts that this would in some small way recognise what has become a forgotten sacrifice and would offer the relatives of victims the peace of mind that their loved ones had not died in vain and were being duly, if belatedly, remembered.
Supported by: Roseanna Cunningham (SNP), Carolyn Leckie (SSP), Campbell Martin (Independent)
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