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Re: U96
Posted by: david o'connor ()
Date: February 04, 2006 02:09PM

dear Brian,
my father was also a steward on the Western Prince when it was sunk by U96. He was all so torpedoed on HMS Andania and bombed whilst on the Cunard ship Georgic. I have found very little information on the torpedoing of the Western Prince, although I have found lots of information on the other two incidents. The Guardian recently reprinted a 1940s article about the sinking: you can find it on the Guardian Unlimited website at:

www.guardian.co.uk/fromthearchive/story/0,,1670277, 00.html

This was printed on Thursday, December 19, 1940. Apart from this I have only been able to find fragments of information such as: it was hit with one torpedo and finished off 40 minutes later with another. The passengers were picked up by passing collier after 9 hours in the lifeboats. The survivors landed in Britain on December the 18th. Among the passengers were Clarence Howe the Canadian industrialist and R.Cyril Thompson politician. My father's name was John O'Connor (from Liverpool -- known as Jack) he was 18 at the time and a bellboy/ assistant steward.

I would love to hear if you have any more information. I have been looking in the National archives at Kew and have copies from the original crew agreements and logbook etc. I have also started looking in Liverpool Maritime Museum archive. And the archives at Liverpool University.
Please let me know if you have any more information I would be fascinated to find out. My uncle tells me that submarine surfaced when the lifeboats were in the water, in order to finish off the Western Prince. Ask your father if he remembers details of the actual incident. Unfortunately my father died in 1975. So I can't ask him about the details.
Regards
David O'Connor

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Subject Written By Posted
U96 Brian Kirkham 04/26/2004 01:47PM
Re: U96 Walter Godinho 04/26/2004 03:07PM
Re: U96 Io Chrysafidou 04/27/2004 03:57PM
Re: U96 david o'connor 02/04/2006 02:24PM
Re: U96 david o'connor 02/04/2006 02:43PM
Re: U96 david o'connor 02/04/2006 02:09PM
Re: U96 Tom Dent 09/29/2022 08:07AM
Re: U96 david o'connor 02/04/2006 02:20PM
Re: U96 david o'connor 02/04/2006 02:48PM
Re: U96 william lavelle 09/20/2015 05:03PM
Re: U96 paul tjader 08/28/2016 11:44AM


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