Lifeboat tribute

On 18 September it will be the 75th anniversary of the sinking of the SS City of Benares, which was carrying evacuees to Canada. With the loss of 77 out of 90 children, between the ages of five and 15, it is the greatest loss ever of a sinking involving children. The 13 survivors landed at Gourock.

In 2002 the Catherine Wheels Children’s Theatre Company produced a play by Nicola McCartney called The Lifeboat. It told the story of two 14-year-old girls who survived by clinging to the keel of an upturned lifeboat.

This play has had enduring success, with many awards in 466 performances. This year it toured Scottish schools, America and Canada. I suggest that it be performed every September as a permanent memorial to the children of the City of Benares.

John Carder

Anstruther, Fife