Portsmouth’s forgotten SS Lancastria heroes of the Second World War

His bewildered family were, ‘sorrowing, devoted sisters Cecily, Dorothy, brothers Jim, Cyril, Ern, George, and heartbroken nieces Pamela and Jean.’ He was, ‘missing, presumed killed, on SS Lancastria.’

Their confusion was caused by Winston Churchill’s initial cover-up of what, years later, he acknowledged was, ‘the most terrible naval disaster in our history.’

The tragedy happened two weeks after the Dunkirk evacuation. Thousands of British Army and Royal Air Force men had remained in Brittany until the day France surrendered to advancing German forces.

The Cunard liner Lancastria, turned wartime troopship, was with Royal Navy and other vessels sent to St Nazaire to evacuate servicemen. John Peters and his 98 Squadron boarded the liner. It was ready to sail home when Nazi aircraft bombed it.

The next day Churchill imposed a D-Notice, to secure 100 years of secrecy. British newspapers and BBC were banned from reporting it. Survivors and rescuers were sworn to silence. Despite all this, the secret was blown wide open in an unexpected way.

With the servicemen fleeing France were Belgian and French civilians, and an American journalist. He arrived safely in England and a few weeks later crossed the Atlantic. His report appeared in the New York Sun on July 25. It was wired to British newspapers. Fleet Street editors privately asked government why they were still gagged and MPs demanded answers in parliament.

Following this the Portsmouth News published on July 27, 1940: ‘Lancastria Hush-Hush. The Minister for Information will be asked why the news of the sinking of the Lancastria and the story of the British troops’ heroism on board was not published in this country until after it appeared in the American Press.’

Then on July 31, 1940: ‘Lancastria Hush-Hush. Mr Duff Cooper, giving reasons for withholding news of the bombing and sinking of the ship said it was engaged in a military operation. It was evident from the German wireless announcement that they were unaware of the identity of the ship.

‘Mr Granville said the story of the heroism connected with the Lancastria was known on Merseyside a few days after the sinking. He said there was considerable public anxiety about the delay.

‘Duff Cooper replied there were many news stories of heroism during the Dunkirk evacuation. He regretted that the Lancastria did not get the full publicity it deserved.

‘Asked why families were not informed earlier of the ship’s loss, Duff Cooper replied that the relatives of those lost were informed as soon as the identity was established.’

That may have been the first time John Peters’ family learned something of the tragedy other than the cold words on the official telegram they’d received.

Churchill’s ill-judged early decision, to try to shield the British people from too much bad news, resulted in those heroic acts at St Nazaire being ignored. Strangely, that injustice endures to this day.

One such hero was a Portsmouth nurse who rescued many men from the oil-filled, burning sea, set aflame by strafing aircraft. She briefly became known as the ‘Angel of St Nazaire.’

Two lucky Portsmouth survivors were Private Archie Lederer from Southsea and Corporal Norman Oswald Kinshott from Hilsea, both of Royal Army Ordinance Corps.

Lederer told a reporter: ‘A German bomb dropped on us. It went right through the hatchway and blew up the inside of the ship. It sank in 30 minutes. Half of the men drowned.’

Archie was knocked unconscious when he jumped overboard and hit his head. He regained consciousness in the sea and was rescued.

Kinshott, of Elmwood Road, was a clerk at Hilsea Ordnance Depot before the war and was called up in September 1939. He was among the estimated more than 6,000 servicemen and civilians who’d boarded Lancastria.

Norman was rescued and came home. In January 1945 he was awarded the British Empire Medal.

The only photographic evidence of the horrific event was captured by Portsmouth born Frank Edwin Clements, a Royal Navy Reservist.

In June 1956, the Portsmouth News interviewed Frank, of Five Heads Road, Horndean. He was a Petty Officer on the destroyer HMS Highlander sent to St Nazaire to help with the evacuation. As a NAAFI crew member he was permitted to have a camera on board, other navy crew were not. When the Lancastria was attacked Frank snapped two photographs, which are now of historic importance.

Stephen Wynn’s book, Lancastria Tragedy, Sinking and Cover-Up: June 1940, features one of Clements’ photos on the cover. Wynn diligently listed as many servicemen casualties as he could collate from official sources. Published in 2020, it names 154 RAF men. John Peters is not listed.

Incredibly, all these years after the event, John’s death on Lancastria was finally verified as recently as July 2021, by volunteer researchers of the RAFCommands.com website. They devote their time to the ‘Unaccounted

Airmen Project,’ and have identified 204 RAF Lancastria casualties including, finally, John Edward Peters.

Such variations in casualty numbers were caused by the masses of evacuees who hastily boarded the ship. The total numbers lost may never be known, estimates vary of up to 4,000.

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard’s National Museum Royal Navy interviewed Frank Clements for their oral history archive. This is held by nmrn.org.uk/collections.

What of the Angel of St. Nazaire?

Her Portsmouth family have her biography. It describes how Joan Thompson Rodes risked her life in the rescue, buried Lancastria casualties, joined the French Resistance and faced down the Gestapo.

It’s a mystery why the ‘most terrible naval disaster in our history’ has been ignored for so long. Some day we will understand.

Joan’s life story begins here in The News, together with a campaign for the city of Portsmouth to recognise and honour their very own local heroine. It is long overdue.