The Wartime Memories Project - The Second War

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208583 SD David Morrison Merchant Navy from:Glasgow (d.3rd Sept 1939) David Morrison (son of Peter Young Morrison and Rosina Scullion) was a Glaswegian steward on the SS Athenia, the first ship to be sunk after the declaration of the Second World War. This was pegged by the Scottish papers as Scotland's Lucitania. Some months after the ship was sunk, a surviving crew member approached his mother, Rosina and told her that David had made it off the ship and was in a life boat with a number of other stewards. He relayed a rather gruesome story that he had seen the life boat struck by the prop of a Norweigian boat called the Knut Nelson who had answered the distress call and was the first rescue boat on the scene. He said they had been trying to help but struck the life boat by accident, killing all the occupants. This appears to have been covered up at the time, but this person told Rosina (my great great grandmother) on their return to Glasgow that most of the people who had been killed in the disaster had been on the life boat the Norwegian ship had struck and not killed by the German uboat who had torpedoed the Athenia (though some undoubtedly were, mostly below decks near the engine room). The number of stewards on the list of the dead, seems to be circumstantial evidence of this, as they would have been amongst the last off the Athenia, after the passengers, and it is quite possible they woud have shared a life boat. Unfortunately, the story has been relayed down 4 generations now, and the name of the crew member, who was kind enough to visit our family has been forgotten. Never the less, it was likely of some comfort to Rosina to know exactly had happened, since the official story seems to have been somewhat corrupted by the need for a propaganda win. After the sinking, Hitler declared that civillian shipping was not to be targeted (aye right, as David would no doubt have said!) in an attempt to pacify the outrage expressed most strongly by America, who had many citizens on board trying to escape the war in europe. Deborah Add to this record.  Related Content: Merchant Navy SS Athenia SS Athenia Can you help us to add to our records? Add a record to our website. The names and stories on this website have been submitted by their relatives and friends. If your relations are not listed please add their names so that others can read about them Did you or your relatives live through the Second World War? Do you have any photos, newspaper clippings, postcards or letters from that period? Have you researched the names on your local or war memorial? Were you or your relative evacuated? Did an air raid affect your area? If so please let us know. Help us to build a database of information on those who served both at home and abroad so that future generations may learn of their sacrifice. Contact us. Celebrate your own Family History Celebrate by honouring members of your family who served in the Secomd World War both in the forces and at home. We love to hear about the soldiers, but also remember the many who served in support roles, nurses, doctors, land army, muntions workers etc. Please use our Family History resources to find out more about your relatives. Then please send in a short article, with a photo if possible, so that they can be remembered on these pages.

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