TSMS Lakonia Disaster.1963

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princess peach
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Re: TSMS Lakonia Disaster.1963

Postby princess peach » Wed Sep 09, 2009 5:32 pm

Hi Beni,
I have a little bit of an update for you.
My Husband was talking to a really helpful elderly man who works in the Gibraltar library.
Hubby mentioned the Lakonia disaster and how we had come to a complete stalemate in looking for a memorial in Gibraltar.
He told my husband that all the archives are stored in the government buildings to which they have access to.
He has researched the Lakonia disaster for another person a couple of years back and knew quite a bit about what happened..dates etc.
He said you need to go to the library website contact the lady on there and she will help you out with any info you need to know.
http://gibraltargarrisonlibrary.info/We ... ntact.html


Also you can get access to photographs,newspapers everything via the library.
The man who my husband was speaking to today was called Richard Wheeler.He also said there is a memorial in Gibraltar.

Beni,i would just like to add~If there is anything in particular you would like photocopying from the library,it is no problem whatsoever for me to go and find this info out copy it and send it onto you.I know you live quite a way away and i would love to help you out if i can. :wink:

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Re: TSMS Lakonia Disaster.1963

Postby BENIDORM » Thu Sep 10, 2009 7:18 am

PP,
Thank you for that,very much appreciated.

It's very thoughtful of you and your husband to have bothered to continue enquiring for me.

I've had quite a hectic year , so haven't been able to visit Gib., however I am hoping to do so in the near future.
I will contact the library and find out just what other information they have ..

When I first started enquiring about the 'Lakonia', I was quite amazed that no one in Gib. seemed to know anything about it, obviously I was looking in the wrong direction , and if it hadn't been for people like you I would probably have given up with my 'quest'.

I've probably pushed most of the incident to the back of my mind, not wanting to forget but also not wanting to think about it, and I realise now, that was the wrong thing to do.
I'm sure Barbara, in Australia,will also be very interested in any other information that may 'come to light', and it would be nice to hear from anyone else who was involved.

Thanks again,
Regards,
Gordon...x

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princess peach
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Re: TSMS Lakonia Disaster.1963

Postby princess peach » Thu Sep 10, 2009 6:09 pm

Beni,its absolutley no problem whatsoever.If there is anything i can do for you before you come this end,to save your legs..thats no problem either :wink:

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Re: TSMS Lakonia Disaster.1963

Postby bernard » Sat Nov 14, 2009 11:42 am

I wonder if anybody here could help me.
Im trying to trace my Grandmother who was one of the poor souls who died on Lakonia.
Im at a loose end because i only know her first and middle name which were Helen Marjorie
I think she may be buried in Gibraltar.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

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Re: TSMS Lakonia Disaster.1963

Postby murbisa » Sat Nov 14, 2009 1:42 pm

I too have just come across this thread. Don't know how I missed it.
I had forgotten the name of the ship but not the event happening.
Benidorm - my ex husband was also serving on the Centaur when this happened and I remember the dreadful stories he told me about them having to unload the bodies on Christmas Day.
It was awful.

Muriel

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chrissiehope
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Re: TSMS Lakonia Disaster.1963

Postby chrissiehope » Sat Nov 14, 2009 2:21 pm

bernard - I'm not sure why you don't know your grandmothers surname ? Presumably it would be the same as the offspring who is/was your parent ? Have you tried checking death registers etc ? Is there a passenger manifest anywhere ?
Failing all that, try looking on GenesReunited, or posting on http://www.rootschat.com/ where members are almost as helpful & knowledgable as on here :wink: :lol: :lol:
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Re: TSMS Lakonia Disaster.1963

Postby mhic » Sat Nov 14, 2009 3:43 pm

My uncle was also serving on the Centaur at that time, small world!

Mhic.

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Re: TSMS Lakonia Disaster.1963

Postby bernard » Sat Nov 14, 2009 11:20 pm

chrissiehope wrote:bernard - I'm not sure why you don't know your grandmothers surname ? Presumably it would be the same as the offspring who is/was your parent ? Have you tried checking death registers etc ? Is there a passenger manifest anywhere ?
Failing all that, try looking on GenesReunited, or posting on http://www.rootschat.com/ where members are almost as helpful & knowledgable as on here :wink: :lol: :lol:

She re-married.

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Re: TSMS Lakonia Disaster.1963

Postby chrissiehope » Sun Nov 15, 2009 12:29 am

Ahh :oops:

If you've any idea of the area she lived in, you could try looking for her remarriage on http://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/search.pl - it allows you to search just by Christian names. Not all registers have been transcribed tho, especially more recent ones. Depending on her date of birth, you could also try tracking her thro the censuses, starting with the surname you have. If you want to pm me with the details, I can have a look on ancestry.com for you... :wink:

edited to say I've just had a look on FreeBMD and the most recent marriage was in 1919... :(
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Re: TSMS Lakonia Disaster.1963

Postby bernard » Sun Nov 15, 2009 8:38 pm

Big Up for chrissiehope :-)

doing great things via pm

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chrissiehope
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Re: TSMS Lakonia Disaster.1963

Postby chrissiehope » Sun Nov 15, 2009 11:48 pm

:oops: :oops: :oops:

glad to be ablle to help :D
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Re: TSMS Lakonia Disaster.1963

Postby BENIDORM » Sun Apr 18, 2010 7:57 am

First of all I must apologise for reviving this thread, but I've had numerous people contact me to ask if I had found anymore information etc.
Well I've been extremely busy recently and not had much time to follow up certain lines of enquiry, however I have had lots of little 'snippets' of information so in the near future I will try to 'get on with it', and try to update this thread for anyone who is interested.

One contact from the son and daughter of a passenger who lost his life in the incident asked me if I could write to them with more details of my observations of the tragedy ,they had never been in touch with anyone who was actually at the scene of the disaster, and I did reply, although I didn't really feel that I could add much more than I had already written.
I received very swift responses to my letter to them, quite emotional , and they both told me that they felt that my letter was written as if it was from their father, and that I had used words and terms that he had always used.
When I re-read my letter I noticed that I had used a 'style' of writing and many words not in my normal vocabulary...quite scary..really.
Anyway if it brought a little comfort to them, I'm happy.

Regards,
Gordon..

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Re: TSMS Lakonia Disaster.1963

Postby Nimrod » Sun Apr 18, 2010 10:32 am

Benidorm,
Just an aside.
I was very interested in ships as a lad.
I would regularly visit Tilbury and the Royal Docks as a shipspotter(anorak)
I remember seeing Lakonia under her previous name,Johan van Oldenbarnevelt,at Tilbury ,probably 1959 or very early 60's.
Had no idea this was her fate,very sad.

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Re: TSMS Lakonia Disaster.1963

Postby BENIDORM » Sun May 23, 2010 1:04 pm

Nimrod,
Only just spotted your reply, interesting and it reminds me of me !..I was also a ship spotter, :oops:

Yesterday , whilst we were out driving , my wife was talking to me about us going to Gib. , to visit the graves, I really want to go...but keep putting it off.

Anyway after this discussion I turned the radio on and there was an interview on with some former crew members and passengers of the Lakonia, recorded only last week I believe...
.Coincidence ? :shock:
It was on Radio 4, and I think it was part of ' Five Live' , can anyone remind me how I can locate that programme and perhaps listen to it again ?..It's not something I would normally bother to do, but I didn't hear the full transcript, so would be interested to hear it again.
Regards,
Gordon

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princess peach
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Re: TSMS Lakonia Disaster.1963

Postby princess peach » Sun May 23, 2010 6:00 pm

Yesterday , whilst we were out driving , my wife was talking to me about us going to Gib. , to visit the graves, I really want to go...but keep putting it off.
Beni,why are you putting off going?
It seems to me its something that you need to do.
Is it the emotion that you will feel when seeing the graves,that stops you from going? :(

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Re: TSMS Lakonia Disaster.1963

Postby BENIDORM » Sun May 23, 2010 7:37 pm

Princess..
Yes , of course, I should make more effort to go,and I had some good times in Gib, but also very traumatic times, apart from the 'Lakonia' incident...

I'm not sure what to expect if I visit the graves, you could be right about the emotions.

You are a wise and thoughtful person , thanks for all of your help and understanding.

Regards,
Gordon

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Re: TSMS Lakonia Disaster.1963

Postby avellana » Sun May 23, 2010 10:37 pm


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princess peach
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Re: TSMS Lakonia Disaster.1963

Postby princess peach » Mon May 24, 2010 6:36 am

I'm not sure what to expect if I visit the graves, you could be right about the emotions
Oh Beni,bless you.I really dont know what to say as ive never been in your position.I would say the feelings you would feel upon seeing the graves would be completely natural.Maybe you should just make the trip to Gib anyway and dont plan on visiting the graves..just see how your visit goes.

The offer is still there~if myself or hubby can help you in anyway,just shout. :wink:

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Re: TSMS Lakonia Disaster.1963

Postby BENIDORM » Mon May 24, 2010 8:11 am

Avellana....
Thanks for locating it for me ...you are a Star... :wave:

Princess....
I'm going to make the effort to visit a.s.a.p, thanks so much for your support.. :thumbup:

I'll keep in touch...

Kind Regards,
Gordon...

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Re: TSMS Lakonia Disaster.1963

Postby princess peach » Mon May 24, 2010 6:47 pm

Princess....
I'm going to make the effort to visit a.s.a.p, thanks so much for your support..
aww no problem Beni!
Maybe we could meet up for a hello a coffee and a kiss.Mwah! :thumbup:


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