Talk:Sinking of the SS City of Benares

The Children on Board the SS City of Benares

There were 100 children onboard the City of Benares, 90 of whom were traveling under the CORB scheme. The sinking resulted in the deaths of 81 of these children. Here are their names:

List of Children

CORB CHILDREN WHO DIED AT SEA OR PRESUMED LOST: Patrica Allen (12) of Liverpool Robert Baker (12) of Southall Kathleen Beatrice Barrett (12) of Southall Edna Doreen Beesley (10) of London Phyllis Eileen Beesley (12) of London Vera Ellen D. Beesley (13) of London Michael John Brooker (10) of Kent Enid Evelyn Butlin (13) of Hillingdon James Reginald Came (13) of Cardiff Lewis Victor Came (11) of Cardiff Beryl Irene Carr (8) of Southall Michael John Chase (12) of Twickenham Sheila Astrid Chase (14) of Twickenham George Geoffrey Crawford (14) of Sunderland Pauline Mary Crawley (11) of Edgeware Sheila Anne Crawley (9) of Edgeware Vivian Cynthia Dadds (14) of Twickenham Maureen Margaret Dixon (10) of Sunderland Barbera Ruth Fairhead (10) of Teddington Jean Forster (11) of Bournemouth Christoper Robin Goodfellow (8) of Wembley Derek Charles Goodfellow (13) of Wembley Agusta E. Grimmond (13) of Brixton Constance J. Grimmond (9) of Brixton Edward Grimmond (8) of Brixton Leonard A. Grimmond (5) of Brixton Violet C. Grimmond (10) of Brixton James Wilfred Harrington (7) of Wembley Patricia Doreen Harrington (8) of Wembley Bruce John Hillyard (11) of Wembley Jeffrey Hillyard (8) of Wembley Joan Anne Florence Irving (15) of Liverpool Joyce Mary Keeley (6) of Brixton Derek Leigh (11) of Sunderland Margaret Eleanor Lloyd (14) of Cardiff Nesta Lloyd (12) of Cardiff Audrey Mansfield (8) of Wembley Robin Miller (8) of Southall Phillip Langford Mollard (6) of Liverpool William Robert Moon (10) of Wembley Aileen Sybil Moss (12) of Newport Marion Audrey Moss (10) of Newport Rita Ann Moss (8) of Newport Audrey Muncey (13) of London Ailsa Burgess Murphy (10) of Liverpool Beryl Myatt (9) of Hillingdon Dorothy Sheila Nolan (12) of Southall Patricia Nolan (8) of Southall John Pemberton (10) of Newport Rodger James Poole (11) of Newport Charles Horace Pugh (12) of Liverpool Donald James Pugh (11) of Liverpool John Albert Pugh (14) of Liverpool Anita Mary Rees (14) of Newport William Eric Rees (12) of Newport Colenso Mackenzie Rodda (6) of Uxbridge Layton George Ryman (9) of Cardiff Peter Short (5) of Sunderland Edith Smith (13) of Sunderland Irene Smith (11) of Sunderland Henry Smoolovitch (10) of Wembley James Thomas Spencer (5) of Liverpool Joan Margaret Spencer (9) of Liverpool John Onslow Spencer-Davies (9) of Brixton Rosemary Winifred Spencer-Davies (15) of Brixton Anthony Ralph Taylor (6) of London June Margaret Taylor (9) of London Marion Winifred Thorne (7) of Wembley Betty Unwin (12) of Liverpool Gordon Walsh (10) of Liverpool Ann Jordeson Watson (6) of Sunderland Thomas William Watson (9) of Sunderland Peter John Willis (12) of London (known as Lloyd) Dorothy Gertrude Wood (9) of Sunderland CORB CHILDREN WHO DIED ON HMS Hurricane Alan John Capel (5) of Hanworth (died during rescue) Derek Stanley Carr (10) of Southall Terrence Brian Holmes (10) of Wembley (died in the evening) CORB CHILDREN RESCUED BY HMS Hurricane John Baker (7) of Southall (Brother dead) Elizabeth May Cummings (14) of Liverpool Jack Sidney Keeley (9) of Brixton (Sister dead) Rex Ernest Thorne (13) of Wembley (Sister dead) Bess Annie Walder (15) of London (Brother saved) Louis Bernard Walder (10) of London (Sister saved) Eleanor Mary Wright (13) of Sunderland CORB CHILDREN RESCUED BY HMS Anthony Derek Alfred Capel (12) of Hanworth (Brother dead) Howard Francis Claytor (11) of Middlesex Paul Shearing (11) of Bournemouth William Cunningham Short (9) of Sunderland (Brother dead) Kenneth John Sparks (13) of Wembley Harry Frederick Steels (11) of Eastleigh PRIVATE PASSENGER CHILDREN WHO DIED John Lawrence Croasdaile (2) of Southampton (Mother and sister dead) Patricia Joan Croasdaile (9) of Southampton (Mother and brother dead) Dorothy Galliard (15) of Chesire (Schoolfriend saved - mother of schoolfriend dead) Diana Pine (6) of Norfolk (Mother dead) PRIVATE PASSENGER CHILDREN RESCUED BY HMS Hurricane Barbara Bech (14) of Bognor Regis (Brother, sister, and mother saved) Derek Bech (9) of Bognor Regis (sisters and mother saved) Sonia Bech (11) of Bognor Regis (Brother, sister, and mother saved) Patricia Bulmer (14) of Wallasey (Schoolfreind and mother dead) Anthony Meredith Quinton (15) of Kent (Mother saved) Edward Colin Ryder Richardson (11) of Abergavenny

Seafarer 1940 (talk) 17:38, 3 March 2022 (UTC)

Inaccuracies

Hey, guys! I read that on U-boat.net 407 people were on board and 260 of them died . Why does this page say that there were 406 people on the boat and that 258 of them died?! Also, Uboat.net says the ship sank on September 18, not September 17! I will be changing this soon! SS Titan 1782 (talk) 14:08, 7 March 2022 (UTC)

Hello SS Titan 1782, there were in fact 406 people on board. Although uboat.net reports that there were 407 people on board, there were actually 406. I have researched this shipwreck for quite some time and Uboat.net and a only one book (that only mentions the sinking) are the only sources I found that reported 260 deaths out of 407. Tom Nagorski, who is the nephew of the Polish passenger named Bohdan Nagorski, has written a book about this tragedy called Miracles on the Water: The Heroic Survivors of a World War II U-boat Attack, which I recommend reading if you are interested in this event (along with Torpedoed by Deborah Heiligman and Children of the Benares by Ralph Barker). These books along with records of the Nuremberg War Trial state that 258 out of 406 on board died.

As for the dates, Uboat.net has also recorded this wrong. These books, survivor accounts, newspapers, condolences from the Children's Overseas Reception Board, and the log from U-48, all state that the ship sank on September 17, 1940. The log and the books also agree that the ship was hit at 22.03 hours and sank at 22.34 hours, which, converted to 12 hour time, would be 10:03 PM and 10:34 PM.

Regards, Seafarer 1940 (talk) 15:16, 7 March 2022 (UTC)