Post by KG on Mar 7, 2018 21:58:27 GMT
Merseyside Maritime Museum
"Each knew that to give up would mean her friend doing the same. They felt responsible not only for their own lives but for each others, each knowing that they could not carry on alone."
To celebrate International Women's Day, we have an incredible story of female friendship and survival from the Second World War.
Bess Walder had long wanted to go to Canada and once she heard about the scheme she succeeded in persuading her parents to apply for her and her brother Louis and was allocated a place on the City of Benares.
Beth Cummings had grown up in Liverpool, raised by her mother after her father’s early death. She and her mother enjoyed a close relationship; her older brothers were serving in the forces so it was just the two of them at home, but with the Liverpool blitz worsening her mother felt Beth would be better off journeying to Canada to stay with her aunt. She too was allocated a place under the CORB scheme on the City of Benares.
Beth and Bess met the night before boarding the ship while billeted in Fazakerley and took a liking to one another. Their fast friendship continued during their five days on board ship.
At 10pm on 17 September, 600 miles from land and in stormy weather, the City of Benares was struck by a torpedo. The evacuee children were all in bed but despite difficult conditions their escorts managed to get their charges to the lifeboats. Beth and Bess found themselves rerouted round damaged areas of the ship before finally reaching the deck, their struggle however was far from over. The damage to the ship, combined with the weather conditions made launching the lifeboats difficult, many boats became waterlogged upon launching leaving people sitting up to their waists in freezing water. Beth and Bess’ boat was overturned completely by the waves caused by the final sinking of the Benares (just 30 minutes after she’d been hit).
LINK
"Each knew that to give up would mean her friend doing the same. They felt responsible not only for their own lives but for each others, each knowing that they could not carry on alone."
To celebrate International Women's Day, we have an incredible story of female friendship and survival from the Second World War.
Bess Walder had long wanted to go to Canada and once she heard about the scheme she succeeded in persuading her parents to apply for her and her brother Louis and was allocated a place on the City of Benares.
Beth Cummings had grown up in Liverpool, raised by her mother after her father’s early death. She and her mother enjoyed a close relationship; her older brothers were serving in the forces so it was just the two of them at home, but with the Liverpool blitz worsening her mother felt Beth would be better off journeying to Canada to stay with her aunt. She too was allocated a place under the CORB scheme on the City of Benares.
Beth and Bess met the night before boarding the ship while billeted in Fazakerley and took a liking to one another. Their fast friendship continued during their five days on board ship.
At 10pm on 17 September, 600 miles from land and in stormy weather, the City of Benares was struck by a torpedo. The evacuee children were all in bed but despite difficult conditions their escorts managed to get their charges to the lifeboats. Beth and Bess found themselves rerouted round damaged areas of the ship before finally reaching the deck, their struggle however was far from over. The damage to the ship, combined with the weather conditions made launching the lifeboats difficult, many boats became waterlogged upon launching leaving people sitting up to their waists in freezing water. Beth and Bess’ boat was overturned completely by the waves caused by the final sinking of the Benares (just 30 minutes after she’d been hit).
LINK