SURVIVORS FOUND

Southland Times, Issue 24243, 28 September 1940, Page 5

SURVIVORS FOUND

BOAT FROM CITY OF BENARES SIX CHILDREN AMONG RESCUED ADRIFT FOR EIGHT DAYS IN ATLANTIC / (United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright) LONDON, September 26. Two Short Sunderland flyingboats, of which one was an Australian, found 46 survivors, including children, drifting in a boat from the City of Benares, which was torpedoed in midAtlantic by a German submarine while carrying children to Canada. A warship later picked up the survivors, who were 600 miles from land. The Australian Sunderland had just been relieved from convoy duty when it found the lifeboat. The Australian captain flew to the convoy and asked the captain of the Royal Air Force Sunderland, which had 1 taken over from him, to ensure that the survivors were rescued.

The survivors were landed at a British port tonight. They had spent eight days in the life-boat before they were sighted and picked up. Six more children were among those saved, leaving the number of child victims of the torpedoing at 79. The survivors paid a tribute to the heroism of the children during the anxious days of exposure at sea.

The survivors when they landed said that the lifeboat’s rations of 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, a millionaire Polish shipping magnate, M. Bohdan Nagorski, a Roman Catholic priest, Father O’Sullivan, and Miss Cornish, a 21-year-old Londoner. The two lastnamed were the children’s escorts.

M. Nagorski said: “A ship was sighted on the sixth day. We signalled frantically, but it passed on without seeing the lifeboat. The children ba. haved 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.” BOAT CROWDED Howard Clayton, aged 11 years, said: “We had a terrible time the first night. We saw other floating rafts at daybreak and picked up a number until the boat was 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 oneeighth of a piece and a little water. This had to do us all afternoon. Foj- tea we received another biscuit and water. There was also condensed milk, but we did not take it because we discovered that 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 from being affected by the water and cold. The crew of the warship gave us clothes. We had a great time coming home.” SUNDERLAND SIGHTED Kenneth Sparks, aged 11 years, said: Rowing all night was the worst. All the boys took turns, also turns 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 that it would see us and all the boys joined in. A seaman signalled and the plane answered. Some of us began to cry. Everyone was lifted aboard the warship. They could not walk because they had not stood up since getting into the lifeboat.

The fourth officer, Mr R. M. Cooper, commanded the lifeboat. He navigated it by means of a compass and the sun. He discovered when he was picked up that the boat had travelled 200 miles.

The survivors agree that the boys owe their lives to Miss Cornish, who crouched in a pitifully confined space and improvised exercise to keep the children warm. She was the only woman aboard the lifeboat. 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. ' Miss Cornish said: “The main problem was to keep the boys’ circulation going in the bitter cold. Our most popular pastime was planning meals after our rescue. We lost all account of time after two days.” All the children were Government evacuees.