Who Sank the City of Benares?
German submarine U-48
During the Second World War the City of Benares was used as an evacuee ship to evacuate 90 children from Britain to Canada. The ship was torpedoed in September of 1940 by the German submarine U-48 with heavy loss of life, including the death of 77 of the evacuated children.
What happened to the SS City of Benares?
The steam passenger ship was holed by the torpedo and sank in the early hours of 18 September, 600 miles off Ireland after its Royal Naval escort had deployed elsewhere. It was one of the worst sea tragedies involving children of World War II. But the children on board the SS City of Benares never reached Canada.
How many people were aboard the SS City of Benares?
406 passengers
It was carrying 406 passengers and crew, of whom 100 were children being evacuated to Canada and the US, most of them as part of a government scheme organised by the Children’s Overseas Reception Board (Corb). Only 19 of the children survived.
Where is the City of Benares?
City of Benares was a steam passenger ship built in 1936 on the Clyde in Glasgow for the Liverpool based Ellerman Line.
Where did the Arandora Star sink?
Ireland
At 6.45 am on 3 July the 15,500-ton Arandora Star was torpedoed by the U47 about 75 miles west of County Donegal on the north west coast of Ireland and sank within an hour. It is believed that the U-boat crew mistook her grey wartime livery for that of an armed merchant ship.
Why was the Corb program Cancelled?
After the disaster of the City of Benares British public opinion was opposed to the continuation of overseas evacuation, fearing further tragedies. Winston Churchill had been opposed to the scheme, so the government announced the cancellation of the CORB program.
Who died on the Arandora Star?
A total of 486 Italian internees died on board the SS Arandora Star.
Which countries offered to accept evacuees Lord of the Flies?
Offers to take children were made by the British Dominions – Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. The United States of America offered to take up to 200,000 children. Public support for overseas evacuation grew and, at first, the government accepted the idea.
How did Operation Pied Piper work?
Young Pam and Iris Hobbs were just two of the millions of children in England who were evacuated from cities and towns during World War II, in what was dubbed “Operation Pied Piper.” The mass evacuations were intended to keep British children safe — or safer, theoretically — from German air raids, while their parents …
What cargo was the British ship Arandora Star carrying when it was sunk by a U boat in WWII?
SS Arandora Star, originally SS Arandora, was a British passenger ship of the Blue Star Line. She was built in 1927 as an ocean liner and refrigerated cargo ship, converted in 1929 into a cruise ship and requisitioned as a troopship in the Second World War….SS Arandora Star.
| History | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Blue Star Line |
| Port of registry | London |
Where did evacuees go in WWII?
The country was split into three types of areas: Evacuation, Neutral and Reception, with the first Evacuation areas including places like Greater London, Birmingham and Glasgow, and Reception areas being rural such as Kent, East Anglia and Wales.
Who got evacuated?
1.5 Million children, pregnant women and other vulnerable people such as the disabled, evacuated to safer countryside locations in just two days. There were no big bombing raids on Britain in the first months of the war (know as The Phoney War) as a result by early 1940 many children had returned home.
How many people were on the city of Benares?
At its height, CORB employed some 620 staff. Many more would have travelled overseas had it not been for the disastrous events of 17 September 1940, when the SS City of Benares – packed with 197 passengers, including 90 children – was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic.
Who are the survivors of the SS City of Benares?
The date was September 17, 1940. Already 600 miles out to sea, the SS City of Benares was carrying Colin and 89 other child evacuees to the U.S. and Canada, where they could wait out the end of the war in safety. Survivors: Five survivors of the S.S City of Benares passenger ship which was sunk by a German U-Boat in September 1940.
What did the city of Benares do in World War 2?
During the Second World War the City of Benares was used as an evacuee ship to evacuate 90 children from Britain to Canada. The ship was torpedoed in September of 1940 by the German submarine U-48 with heavy loss of life, including the death of 77 of the evacuated children.
When was the SS City of Benares bombed?
Just before midnight on September 17 1940, the Bech children were among 100 evacuees on board the SS City of Benares, who were woken from their sleep by a German torpedo.