ORDEAL AT SEA

Evening Star, Issue 23693, 28 September 1940, Page 11

ORDEAL AT SEA

SURVIVORS OF EVACUEE SHIP ADRIFT FOR EIGHT BAYS PREPARING TO FACE DEATH Press Association—By Telegraph— Copyright LONDON, September 27. The additional 46 survivors from the City of Benares, who were landed at a British iport after spending eight days in mid-Atlantic in a lifeboat, said the lifeboat’s rations and water were exhausted, and they were preparing to face death when they heard the roar of the Sunderland flying boat’s engines. The survivors included a number of members of the crew, all of whom were admitted to hospital. Also among the survivors were a millionaire Polish shipping magnate, M. Bohdan Nagorski, a Roman Catholic priest, Father O’Sullivan, and Miss Cornish. The two lastnamed were children’s escorts. M. Nagorski said a ship was sighted on the sixth day. “We signalled frantically,” he said, “ but it passed on without seeing the lifeboat. The children behaved magnificently. After two days we discovered a sail in the locker, with which and with the aid of oars we made good headway. The officer decided to steer east in the hope of reaching the coast. The next two days were like a nightmare. Heavy seas broke over time after time, and it took all our efforts to prevent the children from being washed overboard.” CHILDREN’S EXPEDIENCES. Howard Clayton, aged 11, said: “ We had a terrible time. The first night we saw other floating rafts, and at daybreak we picked up a number until the boat became rather crowded. Miss Cornish took charge right away and dealt out food and water. We did not have breakfast any day. The first meal was lunch, when we were given half a biscuit, and sometimes a piece of sardine and a little meat. Once daily each received one-eighth of a peach and a little water. This had to do us all afternoon. For tea we received another biscuit and water. There was also condensed milk, but we did not take it because we discovered it thickened the saliva and made us terribly thirsty. One of the boys first sighted the Sunderland when it was a speck miles away. Miss Cornish was a wonder. She massaged our feet to prevent them being affected by water and .cold. The crew of the warship'gave us clothes. We had a great time coming home.” Kenneth Sparks, aged 11, said: “ Rowing all night was the worst of all. The boys took turns and also turns at resting under the canvas in the bow, where there was room for three. I was the first to see the Sunderland. Father O’Sullivan began praying it would see us, and all the boys joined in. A seaman signalled the plane, which answered. Some of us began to cry. Everyone was lifted on board the warship. They could not walk because they had not stood up since getting into the lifeboat.”

LONE WOMAN’S GREAT WORK. The fourth officer of the City of Benares, Mr R. M. Cooper, commanded the lifeboat and navigated it by means of a compass and the sun. He discovered when the rescuers arrived that the boat had travelled 200 miles.

The survivors agree that the boys owe their lives to a Londoner, Miss Mary Cornish, aged 21. The boys were crouched in a pitifully confined space for their limbs, and she improvised an exercise to keep the children warm. She was the only woman on board the fifeboat.

Miss Cornish paid a high tribute to the children, who’ never complained, even when they could not eat the dry biscuits because they were too thirsty. Mis Cornish said: “The main problem was to keep the boys’ circulation going in the bitter cold. Our most favoured pastime was planning meals to have after our rescue. We lost all count of time after two days.” All the children were Government evacuees.