STEWARDESS SARAH KERR STRUTHERS
Sarah Kerr Struthers was born on 30
May 1892 in Braehead, Blantyre to James Struthers from Blantyre and Catherine
McNicol from Inveraray, Argyll. The
first census taken after her birth was in 1901, which listed the family living
in Futtashins, Blantyre with Sarah the eldest of 3 girls with 2 older
brothers. Her father was a Stone Mason
and mother was a home keeper. Her eldest brother, James Junior was 14 years old
and was a Pithead Labourer with Sarah and the rest of her siblings being at
school, likely to be attending High Blantyre Primary, Hunthill Road.
By the time the 1911 census came
round the family were living at 77 Craigmuir Road in Blantyre, with Sarah's
father still working as a Stone Mason, her brother James now an engineer,
Robert was a boot maker and Sarah was now working in domestic service. Her sisters Barbara and Mary were still both
at school, with their mother Catherine still keeping the family home.
Now it must have been sometime
after this, Sarah joined the Merchant Navy and was serving on the SS Britannia
at the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939.
The S. S. Britannia was constructed
around 1925 by Stephen and Sons Ltd, Glasgow, on the banks of the River Clyde
and owned by the Anchor Line Ltd, Glasgow as a passenger ship with a speed of
up to 15 knots.
On the 13 March 1941, the Britannia
sailed from Liverpool with 203 crew and 281 passengers on board under the
command of Captain A. Collie heading for Bombay via Freetown and Durban. The liner was part of an Atlantic convoy with
an anti-submarine escort. On the 25th
March 1941, the convoy veered on to it usual course, leaving the Britannia go
on its way to its first port of call, Freetown.
About 750 miles west of Freetown,
Britannia could see another ship flying a Japanese flag, as, at this time,
Japan were not involved in WW2. On closer inspection, the Cruiser then flew a German flag, forcing the Britannia
to flee the scene. The German Raider "Thor" bombarded the Britannia, forcing
Britannia to return fire until its gun became unusable. Passengers were fleeing or jumping overboard
and the Captain then ordered the boats engines to be stopped and to let out the
lifeboats to abandon ship. Passengers were throwing timber, chairs, anything
they could get their hands on to act as a makeshift life raft to flee from the
now burning ship before Kapitan Otto Kahler of the Thor ordered his crew to
torpedo the Britannia below the water line and the ship sank quickly and without
trace. The Thor did not even stop to pick up survivors.
Later the day, a Spanish steamer
"Bachi picked up survivors that were in lifeboat 5, totalling around 50,
with the Spanish ship "Cabo De Homos" picked up around 77 survivors. The MV Raranga picked up around 67 and took
them on to Sierra Leone with other ships picking up about 4 more. In total 122 crew and 127 passengers from the
Britannia perished, including Sarah Kerr Struthers from Blantyre.
Sarah Struthers is commemorated by
the Commonwealth War Graves Commission on their memorial at Tower Hill, London, along with others who
lost their lives in the sea battles of World War 2 and she is the only woman commemorated
on the High Blantyre War Memorial at the local cemetery where her parents lie
at rest.
