I've been somewhat diverted from my usual haunts, so the following item has been around for a while without me adding a note.

I've also had to start (or restart) a thread regarding the SS Lancastria, as it seems our original is another casualty of the Great New Year Disaster of 2008. I know we had a thread, because it is referred in others, but I can't find it

A HELENSBURGH man, Archie Renfrew, was one of the survivors of the Lancastria tragedy off the coast of France in 1940, when some 4,000 troops perished. Now a commemorative medal is to be presented to the families of those involved what was dubbed the worst ever maritime disaster.

You can read the full story on the Helensburgh Heritage web site.

Quoted from Admin

I've also had to start (or restart) a thread regarding the SS Lancastria, as . I know we had a thread, because it is referred in others, but I can't find it

A HELENSBURGH man, Archie Renfrew, was one of the survivors of the Lancastria tragedy off the coast of France in 1940, when some 4,000 troops perished. Now a commemorative medal is to be presented to the families of those involved what was dubbed the worst ever maritime disaster.

You can read the full story on the Helensburgh Heritage web site.

"it seems our original is another casualty of the Great New Year Disaster of 2008"

I do recall the original Apollo, it dealt with attempts to make the location of the Lancastria a war grave. It was a very intersting thread.

"...what was dubbed the worst ever maritime disaster."

I don't know who did the dubbing, and I don't know if "worst ever maritime " refers to the world or just to the UK. If it is meant to be the "world" then it is inaccurate. The sinking of the German ship "Gustav Willem" by a Russian submarine in 1945 I think, had more people lost. I've heard a whole range of numbers for this maritime disaster, ranging from 7000 to 5000. (I've heard a whole range of numbers for the loss of the Lancastria too but I think the German range was higher).

"News of moves to strike a commemorative medal to be presented to families of those involved in the [Lancastria] disaster was revealed during a Holyrood debate in December 2007.
The issue was raised by SNP MSP Christine Grahame, who has worked closely with families of those involved through a pressure group, the Lancastria Association of Scotland.
It will be only the second time that such Scottish medals have been issued — only the country's 129 inaugural MSPs have been handed the honour before.
Ms Grahame said: "This is wonderful news for the families, and I am absolutely delighted that at last there has been official recognition given to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice and to those survivors who endured the horrors of the sinking and the decades "

I have just finished reading this story from the Helensburgh Heritage (excerpts of which are shown above) about the ill-fated troopship, The  Lancastria, which was sunk at  St Nazaire by German bombers during the the somewhat hurried evacuation of the BEF from France in 1940. I think this attempt to strike a commemorative medal to be presented to families of those involved in the disaster is ludicrous!

Why should a special medal be given to those involved in the the Lancastria tragedy? If a medal is given to some of those who attempted to be evacuated from on this troopship, should we not also recognize those who made a similar exit from Norway, Dunkirk, Greece, Crete, Hong Kong, Malaya? And why not those who perished or escaped in the sinking of the Hood, Prince of Wales, Repulse, Barham, and countless others?

The whole idea I think has come from someone, SNP MSP Christine Grahame, who I feel hasn't given too much thought to the many problems that could arise from the special award being made to those involved in the Lancastria disaster.

(Apollo, i have a feeling that i wrote something similar to this in the past).

Unfortunately, the thread we seem to have lost had developed the full story.

I don't want to trawl everything up again, so in summary (and from memory and without all the reference links)...

The Holyrood debate arose after the endless moaning by the Lancastria Association where they claimed that the MoD/Government were snubbing those who perished in the Lancastria disaster because they were refusing to designate the wreck as a War Grave, or rather a Protected Wreck under the 1973 Act.

Although the British Government is in fact unable to do this because the wreck does not lie in British waters, and it has not authority to make any rulings about its designation in foreign waters, the Lancastria Association had no interest in this fact, and was determined to make this an issue, leading to the Scottish Government scoring a political point over the British (or is that English) Government by approving the issue of this commemorative medal.

It's a shame, possibly verging on despicable, that the disaster should have become little more than a political points scoring plaything, and as you say, has taken no account of the issues it could raise with others who's eyebrows may have been raised in the same way as yours on reading the account.

I read the book last year, what a story.people marching off the decks into the water.  I did not really know what to think of it , one of those British disasters that reads like a victory.  But a sad lose of life which could have been averted.

Hello Bootneck. i have never read the story nor heard of people marching off the decks into the water. The only first-hand information i have ever heard was from a man called Jack Webster when he was on a CBC programme. He did a good job of verbally painting the scene of 1000's of people trying to abandon ship all at once.He was in the RAF when he finished up on the Lancastria trying to get out of France. This fellow by the way, at one time worked as a reporter for a Glasgow newspaper... he died a couple of years ago, as a well known Canadian TV personality, out west; he spoke with a broad Glaswegian accent.

I like your "...one of those British disasters that reads like a victory". Isn't it the truth... and we were so good at it!