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Frequently Asked Questions
My relative was aboard the Lancastria. How do I find out more about them?
There are a number of ways you can find out more about your relative’s involvement in the Lancastria disaster. Ideally you need their service number and the details of the unit they belonged to. If you don’t have these you can obtain a copy of their service record from the Army Personnel Centre. You will need to provide proof that you are next of kin and also date of birth and other personal information. Only next of kin can make application to obtain these details. You can contact the Army Personnel Centre at:
Army Personnel Centre
HQ Secretariat
Historical Disclosures
Mail Point 400
Kentigern House
65 Brown Street
Glasgow
G2 8EX
Tel: 0845 600 9663, option 1, then option 3
Once you have these details you can contact the Association who may have additional information related to the unit your relative was a member of. This information may include survivor accounts from members of the same unit, or details of living survivors from the unit your relative belonged to.
You may separately be able to obtain more specific information about what a particular unit did before and up to embarkation aboard the Lancastria. War diaries were maintained for all UK armed forces which served during World War 2. Once you have the unit number of the company, or squadron number you can contact the National Archives at Kew, where their record copy department can send you a copy of the war diary for that unit. There is a fee for this which the National Archive can advise you of prior to obtaining a full copy of a particular war diary.
You can search the National Archive here and place an order online for a particular set of documents: National Archives
The other source of information is held in the books written about the disaster, reviews of which you can find on our Book Review page.
Of course this website contains a wealth of information about the events that took place aboard the Lancastria on 17th June 1940. So take your time to browse the pages.
I don’t live in Scotland and am not Scottish. Can I still join your Association?
Yes, of course and you will be made warmly welcome. Our membership is drawn from across the whole of the UK and we have many members in Europe, North America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Organisationally the Association is based in Scotland, but we welcome members across the world.
How much is it to join the Lancastria Association of Scotland and what are the benefits?
Currently annual subscriptions are £10.75 for single membership and £15.75 for couples and collected annually in June. This covers costs of printing and distributing our newsletter and also gives members access to the members only section of the website which contains video interviews with members, minutes of meetings, an extensive archive of media and press cuttings, survey results of our members, and other related research documents. It also has the members network where members can get in touch with each other.
Does the Association hold any memorial services for the victims of the Lancastria?
Yes each year the Association holds the largest memorial service in the UK to the victims, at St. George’s West Church, Edinburgh. Members and those survivors still in good health as well as representatives from a number of veterans’ organisations and representatives of the Scottish and French governments attend the service. The service is normally held on the Saturday closest to the anniversary, 17th June and begins at 1.00pm.
What plans does the Association have to commemorate and remember the victims of the Lancastria disaster for future generations?
The Association is presently working up plans to erect a major memorial to the victims of the Lancastria on the site where the liner was built. Click here for more details. Please note donations to the memorial should be made out to the Lancastria Memorial Fund and not the Association account. Thanks.
I notice there are plans to strike a commemorative Lancastria medal for those who were aboard the Lancastria that day. I am not Scottish, can I still obtain such a medal for myself, or a relative who was aboard?
In December 2007 the Scottish Government announced it was in direct discussions with the Ministry of Defence in which it urged the UK Government to strike a commemorative medal for all those who were aboard the Lancastria that day. The UK Government said it would not be striking such a medal and suggested, somewhat patronisingly, that the Association instead issue a “commemorative certificate” for survivors and victims relatives. In 2008 the Scottish Government confirmed it would make the Lancastria commemorative medal available to ALL those who were aboard the Lancastria on 17th June 2008. The medal can be worn alongside other campaign and commemorative medal on the left side, if you are a veteran or right side if you are a relative. The MoD do not permit the wearing of any commemorative medals on official service uniforms. This is not relevant to Lancastria veterans however.
I am interested in visiting the St. Nazaire area to see the grave of my relative. Is there anyone locally who can assist?
Yes, we have members in St. Nazaire and the surrounding districts who would be happy to help you if you are planning a visit. It may also be possible, depending on the time of year, to take a trip out to the wreck site in a small cruise boat which one of our members has offered to relatives. Please contact the Association Secretary for more details.
I am interested in submitting my account of the disaster. How do I do this?
We always welcome articles and survivor accounts from both survivors and relatives. You can submit these by email or in writing to the Secretary and will publish these in the newsletter and website in due course. If you have related pictures, all the better.
I have searched the list of victims for the name of my relative who was lost on the Lancastria, but cannot see them. Why is that?
The list of names we have is drawn from a variety of sources. There have been one or two minor omissions but the list is relatively up to date. Our information systems are able to confirm with some accuracy whether your relative was aboard the Lancastria. Due to the nature of the evacuation and chaos which followed maintaining accurate lists of causalities was always going to be a challenging task. If you are certain your relative was aboard please contact the Secretary who will be able to validate the details you hold and update the list.
I have spotted a typographical or other type of error on your website. Who should I notify?
Contact the Webmaster who will make any necessary corrections.
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