MacFarlane’s Lantern Newsletter of the Clan MacFarlane Society, Australia, Inc. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ No.125 March 2013 Website: http://www.clanmacfarlane.org.au The Scottish Parliament honours victims of H.M.Troopship Lancastria. Cunard Liner ‘Lancastria’ Photo: Courtesy of Wikipedia On 12 June 2008 at a special ceremony in Parliament House Edinburgh, Scotland’s First Minister, Mr. Alex Salmond presented the first batch of medals to survivors and relatives of victims from Britain’s worst maritime disaster. Inscribed on the rear of the medal are the following words :“In recognition of the ultimate sacrifice of the 4000 victims of Britain’s worst ever maritime disaster and the endurance of the survivors –We will remember them”. The incident in question was the si nking of the British troopship Lancastria by German bombers in 1940. This is a true story which the UK Government has been forever re luctant to acknowledge, let alone make public. The Lancastria (pictured above) was a Cunard liner requisitioned in 1940 by the military to be used as a troopship. She was first used to assist in the evacuation of troops from Norway. However, on the 17 th June 1940 she was anchored eleven miles south -west of St. Nazaire, France, as part of Operation Ariel, the evacuation of British nationals and troops from France. This was two weeks after the famous Dunkirk evacuation of thousands of retreating French and British troops. Under normal conditions the 16,243 ton Lancastria could carry 2,2 00 passengers including the 375 crew. Acting on Royal Navy instructions, it appears that Captain Rudolph Sharp was told to “load as many men as possible without regard to t he limits laid down under international law”. But, by the mid-afternoon of the 17 th June, she had already taken on well over the legal capacity (estimates ranging from 4,000 up to 9,000) civilian embassy staff and other refugees, plus numerous Army and RAF logistical personnel. However it appears that Captain Sharp had been cleared to leave the area but he decided to remain due to a lack of available naval escort to give protection against possible German U-boats . (Continued next page). 1 (Continued from Page One) to present to all those who were aboard the At 4.00 pm a fresh air attack took place ship that day. during which Lancastria was bombed and The number of lives lost on the Lancastria struck three times, causing her to roll over and far exceeds the combined totals lost on the sink. A great quantity of fuel oil leaked into Titanic (1,517) and the Lusitania (1,198) – the sea, parts of which caught fire. Many making it the worst maritime disaster in were drowned or choked by the oil and others British history, yet the UK government in were killed by strafing aircraft. Some Whitehall seems content to prevaricate over survivors were taken aboard other vessels. Of the 2,447 survivors, there were still 100 alive in 2011. Details of the sinking were suppressed by the UK government, and many families of the dead knew only that they died with the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France; but the death toll from this one ship alone accounted for roughly a third of the total losses of the BEF in France. Such was the loss of life, the UK Government chose to the issue in the face of growing public suppress news of the concern. Whilst refusing to declare the event. Nevertheless, ‘Lancastria’ wreck site recognition as an five weeks later the officially designated war grave, the same UK ‘New York Times’ government, in 2006, granted just such an and ‘The Scotsman’ honour to some fourteen warships sunk published the story, during the Battle of Jutland off the coast of followed by other Denmark in 1916. Meanwhile, the Lancastria British newspapers. Association of Scotland has erected a But, due to the memorial (Photo above) on the site at government-imposed Dalmuir where the ship was built. cover up, survivors Whilst the surname MacFarlane (however and crews from the spelt) does not appear listed among the dead other ships remained or survivors, it would be interesting to learn Lancastria Medal silent in fear of court of any Australian connection with this tragic martial. event; especially among expat British migrant Strangely, however, the UK government has families. Certainly, any Aussie relatives of continually refused to declare the wreck a victims would be advised to research the recognised war grave under the Protection of matter via: www.lancastria-association.org.uk Military Remains Act 1986. In contrast, the And Scotland: www.lancastria.org.uk/home French government has since placed an The events of that fateful day were largely exclusion order around the wreck site. overshadowed by the sombre news that After the war, a Lancastria Survivors France had capitulated to Hitler’s Germany. Association was set up by a Major Peter Petit, Thus, Premier Winston Churchill, on hearing which lapsed on his death in 1969; but was news of the Lancastria disaster, immediately reformed in 1981 as ‘The HMT Lancastria placed a D-notice on it forbidding any Association’ which continues to hold periodic knowledge of the sinking reaching an already remembrance services in London. ‘demoralised public’! Although only some 400 Scots are believed As the 100 th anniversary of the Titanic to have been on the ill-fated liner at the sinking took place in 2012, fresh calls for full sinking, The Lancastria Association of recognition by the UK Government were Scotland was founded in 2005. In addition to made – meanwhile, we wait and wonder! this, the Scottish Government struck a medal 2 Sale. This video will be the third part of a series. ¬¬ ¬ Root Lines ¬¬ ¬ The first two parts, created over several years can be seen at: (Members’ Genealogy Page) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfuJ13SR3j8 In these videos, you will see references and back-grounding to Robert’s previous employers Part of a message from our SA (Sir Adam Ferguson and the Dunmore Lang member Norma Lock, after family). I am proposing to do likewise with the returning from a two-week visit MacFarlane connections. to the ‘Auld’ country last year. Any advice, information and assistance you “We saw so much of the can provide would be greatly appreciated (and beautiful countryside. Stayed acknowledged). .with thanks Richard Balsillie.” in Edinburgh, Crianlarich, We have responded to Richard and offered him Ballachulish, Perth. Aberdeen, Glamis district. every assistance along with our available data on Also, very lucky to find good B&Bs, with the Omeo MacFarlanes – and we look forward to interesting hosts… … seeing the results of his interesting project. …We had a modern diesel car to travel with mile Meanwhile, if any of our members has after hundreds of miles through the autumn information concerning Wallace descendants in colours of the forests and those magnificent the Gippsland area, we would love hear of it. mountain ranges. We saw them all. Even the Post Script (18/01/13) Having written the above snow-topped Cairngorms. And we took the ski- report we are now saddened by the current news lift to the top of Glencoe… of serious bush fires threatening people and …We discovered several districts where our properties in the Glenmaggie and Heyfield areas family had lived, and took photos of the ruins of of Gippsland our thoughts are with the residents Balquhidder church where my g.g.grandparents and brave fire-fighters in their struggle. had been married -- they were the folks who came out to Australia. in 1854… * * * * * …I came home rather weary but thoroughly UK Passenger Lists enjoyed all the sights and sounds of that lovely Now available online, are the UK Outward country, with those narrow winding roads, the Passenger Lists for the period 1890 to 1960 . sheep which didn't even stop their feeding along The records have been digitised by the history the road verges as we drove by them, very snooty, website Ancestry.co.uk in partnership with the the picture-postcard scenes around every curve National Archives. in the road, the history in the towns I had read so The passenger lists contain the name, age, much about. My regards, Norma! profession, home address and intended destination * * * * * of each person leaving Britain during this great period of emigration. More on MacFarlanes in Omeo, Victoria The United States was clearly the more favoured The following letter (dated 28/12/12) is from an destination with 9.9 million Brits crossing the Australian who is interested in the MacFarlanes in Atlantic. Another 5.2 million went to Canada, Omeo, Victoria. whilst 1.9 million came to Australia and 1.3 “My name is Richard Balsillie. I am currently million to South Africa. Likewise, half a million researching for a video I am making about my people moved to India, with a similar number Wallace forebears. Robert Wallace was employed ending up in New Zealand. by James MacFarlane in driving cattle from There were however periods when the yearly Monaro to Omeo Plains (1841-1846). In his last numbers fell. The onset of WWI in 1914 saw drive he was accompanied by his two sons, emigration numbers drop from 494,000 to just William and Ferguson, then aged 14 and 12. 150,000 the following year. Robert was later employed by Malcolm A similar pattern appeared in 1939 when WWII MacFarlane at Heyfield Station before selecting started: numbers fell from 238,000 to just 87,000 his own land near Sale in 1860. For several in 1940 – although thousands of British children years Robert’s son, William, managed Omeo B were evacuated to Canada and Australia.