Letters

City of Benares - RAAF rescue

September 27, 2010

City of Benares - RAAF

Dear Mac and Pip Byrne,

If you access www.lawnswoodhighschool.com then go to Miss Armes’ story then go to The Yorkshire Post of 27
Sep 1940
you will find that the Royal Australian Air Force are given credit for finding the last life boat (No. 12) from City of Benares.

Hope this is of use.

Kind regards
Capt. Mike Kinnear

 

Mike,

My thanks for that.

Best regards,
Mac.



September 30, 2010

Dear Mac,

www.cornishsurname.matthewcornish.info  states:-

Other information re Mary Cornish from the Public Record
Office.

  Miss Cornish was awarded the George Cross, notified in a
supplement to the London Gazette dated 7 January 1941.
Personal details are given as:

  Miss Mary A C Cornish, 41 years, occupation - Music
Teacher,

  Address: 67 Baker Street, W1 (or c/o Mr Patterson,
Bywood, West Lavington, Midhurst, Kent)MT
9/3406/M14212/40

  Accounts of Miss Cornish's heroism MT 9/3461/M15184/40

  List of survivors and their present position as at
10-10-1940. Mary's address is given as: Forest Hill
Hydro, Aberfoyle ( her sister and brother-in-law's
address) DO 131/20

  The same information has been copied by www.ahoy.com "Pictures of the SS City of Benares?"

  

  I have checked www.gc-database.co.uk and this data-base
states:-

  

  Awards to Women: Women have always been eligible for the
GC, and the following have received the direct award.

  Lt Odette Sansom MBE (later Mrs Hallowes), Women's
Transport Service (FANY) SOE, October 1942 to May 1945.
She was the first to receive the award.

  Ensign Violette Szabo, WTS (FANY) SOE, April
1944-February 1945

  Assistant Section Officer Noor Inayat-Khan, WAAF/SOE, 16
June 1943 to 12 September 1944

  Miss Barbara Harrison, Air Stewardess, BOAC, Heathrow
Airport, 8 April 1968

  The following awards were translated from the Empire
Gallantry Medal in 1940.

  Miss Emma Townsend, Attempted Rescue, Cottage Hospital,
Kingsbridge, Devon, 6 September 1932

  Miss Dorothy Thomas, Nursing Sister, Middlesex Hospital,
London, 26 January 1934

  Ashraf-un-Nisa (The Begum of Hydrabad), Hydrabad, 14
June 1935

  Corporal (later Section Officer) Daphne Pearson, WAAF,
Detling, Kent 31 May 1940

  The following awards were translated from the Albert
Medal in 1971.

  Miss Hilda Wolsey, Nurse, Hanwell, London, 11 June 1910

  Miss Doreen Ashburnham, (later Mrs Ashburnham-Ruffner),
Schoolgirl, Vancouver Island, Canada, 23 September 1916

  Miss Harriet Fraser, (later Mrs Barry), Staff Nurse
TFNS, 31 January 1919

  Miss Florence Allen, (later Mrs Allen), Nurse, Quetta,
India 31 May 1935

  Miss Margaret Vaughan, (later Mrs Purves), Schoolgirl,
Sully Island, Glamorgan, 28 May 1949

  

 I can see no Miss Mary AC Cornish among the above.

Further it states that she was gazetted on 07 Jan 1941
and checking the above data-base I can find only one
person who was a recipient of the George Cross on that
date, namely:-

 

  Squadron Leader John Noel DOWNLAND of RAF Station Manby,
Lincolnshire for bomb disposal.

  

  I cannot actually get into the London Gazette for that day!!!

Here is some more information!!!  

  www.independent.co.uk 

  The Independent 01 Apr 2009

  In 1941, Mary Cornish was awarded the British Empire
Medal for what, in her view, was merely doing her job as
an escort. "Her boys" felt they owed their survival to
her (and to Bulldog Drummond, without whom they reckoned
they would have died of boredom).

  Elspeth Huxley (1941) Atlantic ordeal: the story of Mary
Cornish

  Cornish’s own courage is portrayed as different from
this. It is not only that she is modest and unassuming,
feeling that her part in the episode does not merit the
award of the MBE because ‘she was only carrying out, to
the best of her ability, the responsibilities of an
escort’s job’.[29] She is also level-headed,
middle-aged, single – an ‘ordinary’ woman.

  [29] Elspeth Huxley (1941) Atlantic ordeal: the story of
Mary Cornish, p. 87

  (London: Chatto & Windus).

  www.old-merseytimes.co.uk states she was awarded the MBE  

  I cannot check this source as you need to be a subscriber to Harper’s Magazine!!!! It is in pages 113 to 125 of Jan 1942.

   

  1.                             The only woman in the
lifeboat: The story of Mary Cornish of the ...

  SEE ALSO: Atlantic Ocean; —Career as escort for
evacuated children on the City of Benares (Ship);
Evacuation of civilians; Life-boats; Cornish, Mary; ...
  www.harpers.org/archive/1942/01/0020206 - Cached

  

West Sussex Gazette states:-

  When she came back, she was lauded as a heroine and
honoured with an MBE

  I hope this is of use but I feel it needs someone living
in the UK – I now live permanently in Thailand – who can
access MT 9/3461/M15184/40

  

Kind Regards

Mike Kinnear


Mike,

Like you I cannot ascertain that Mary Cornish was a recipient of the George Cross, and I will need to amend my
AHOY report accordingly.

Here is a list of all those who were decorated with the GC, and of course no MARY!

List of George Cross recipients
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The George Cross (GC) is the highest civil decoration of
the Commonwealth of Nations.[1] As the civilian
counterpart of the Victoria Cross, the GC is the highest
gallantry award for civilians as well as for military
personnel in actions which are not in the face of the
enemy, or for which purely military honours would not
normally be granted.[2] This list solely contains original
George Cross recipients and not recipients of the Empire
Gallantry Medal (which preceded the George Cross), the
Albert Medal or the Edward Medal, living recipients of
these medals were at various times instructed to exchange
their original medal for the GC.

    

Personal awards
      Name & Rank Date Gazetted Nationality Organisation
Posthumous award
      Thomas Hopper Alderson 1940-09-3030 September 1940
British Air Raid Precautions No
      Captain Mateen Ahmed Ansari 1946-04-1818 April 1946
Indian 7th Rajput Regiment, Indian Army Yes
      Lieutenant Bertram Stuart Trevelyan Archer
1941-09-3030 September 1941 British Royal Engineers
No
      Sub-Lieutenant Robert Selby Armitage 1940-12-2727
December 1940 British Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
No
      Tracker Awang anak Rawang 1951-11-2020 November 1951
Malaysian Federation of Malaya No
      John Axon 1957-05-077 May 1957 British British Rail
Yes
      Sub-Lieutenant John Herbert Babington 1940-12-2727
December 1940 British Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
No
      Sergeant Eric George Bailey 1946-10-2929 October
1946 Australian New South Wales Police Force Yes
      John Bamford 1952-12-1616 December 1952 British  No
      Sergeant Arthur Banks 1946-11-055 November 1946
British Desert Air Force Yes
      Major Herbert John Leslie Barefoot 1941-01-2222
January 1941 British Royal Engineers No
      Inspector James Wallace Beaton 1974-09-2727
September 1974 British Metropolitan Police Force No
      Sergeant John Archibald Beckett 1947-12-1616
December 1947 British Royal Air Force Yes
      Second Lieutenant Michael Paul Benner 1958-06-1717
June 1958 British Royal Engineers Yes
      Major Kenneth Alfred Biggs 1946-10-1111 October 1946
British Royal Army Ordnance Corps No
      Captain Michael Floud Blaney 1941-04-1515 April 1941
Irish Royal Engineers Yes
      Lieutenant John Bridge 1944-06-2020 June 1944
British Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve No
      Radio Officer David Broadfoot 1953-10-066 October
1953 British Merchant Navy Yes
      Sub-Lieutenant Francis Haffey Brooke-Smith
1941-06-2727 June 1941 British Royal Naval Reserve
No
      Richard Arthur Samuel Bywater 1944-09-2626 September
1944 British Ministry of Supply No
      Second Lieutenant Alexander Fraser Campbell
1941-01-2222 January 1941 British Royal Engineers
Yes
      Flight Lieutenant Wilson Hodgson Charlton
1944-01-2121 January 1944 British Royal Air Force No

      Apprentice Donald Owen Clarke 1943-07-2020 July 1943
British Merchant Navy Yes
      John Clements 1976-12-077 December 1976 British
Sherrardswood School Yes
      Lieutenant Dennis Arthur Copperwheat 1942-11-1717
November 1942 British Royal Navy No
      Frederick John Cradock 1943-09-1010 September 1943
British  Yes
      Lance-Corporal Matthew Croucher 2008-07-2424 July
2008 British 40 Commando, Royal Marines Reserve No
      Sub-Lieutenant Peter Victor Danckwerts 1940-12-2020
December 1940 British Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
No
      Fireman Frederick Davies 1946-02-055 February 1946
British National Fire Service Yes
      Lieutenant Robert Davies 1940-09-3030 September 1940
British Royal Engineers No
      Squadron Leader Hubert Dinwoodie 1947-02-044
February 1947 New Zealand Royal Air Force Volunteer
Reserve No
      Sowar Ditto Ram 1945-12-1313 December 1945 Indian
Central India Horse Yes
      Albert George Dolphin 1941-01-1717 January 1941
British South Eastern Hospital, London Yes
      Raymond Tasman Donoghue 1960-10-1111 October 1960
Australian Metropolitan Tram Trust, Tasmania Yes
      Squadron Leader John Noel Dowland 1941-01-077
January 1941 British Royal Air Force No
      Private Charles Alfred Duncan 1943-11-199 November
1943 British 4th Battalion, Parachute Regiment Yes
      Sub-Lieutenant John Bryan Peter Duppa-Miller
1941-01-1414 January 1941 British Royal Naval
Volunteer Reserve No
      Captain Mahmood Khan Durrani 1946-05-2323 May 1946
Indian 1st Bahawalpur Infantry, Indian Army No
      Lieutenant William Marsden Eastman 1940-12-2424
December 1940 British Royal Army Ordnance Corps No
      Sub-Lieutenant Jack Maynard Cholmondeley Easton
1941-01-2323 January 1941 British Royal Naval
Volunteer Reserve No
      Chief Petty Officer Reginald Vincent Ellingworth
1940-12-2020 December 1940 British HMS Vernon Yes
      Errol John Emanuel 1972-02-011 February 1972
Australian District Commissioner, Territory of Papua
New Guinea Yes
      Fireman Harry Errington 1941-08-088 August 1941
British Auxiliary Fire Service No
      Detective Constable Frederick William Fairfax
1952-01-066 January 1953 British Metropolitan Police
Force No
      Lieutenant Francis Anthony Blair Fasson 1943-09-1414
September 1943 British HMS Petard Yes
      Trooper Christopher Finney 2003-10-3131 October 2003
British Household Cavalry Regiment No
      Captain Douglas Ford 1946-04-1818 April 1946 British
Royal Scots Yes
      Lieutenant William George Foster 1942-11-2727
November 1942 British 7th Wiltshire Battalion, Home
Guard Yes
      Leslie Owen Fox 1945-02-2020 February 1945 British
London County Council Heavy Rescue Service No
      John Alexander Fraser 1946-10-2929 October 1946
British Assistant Attorney General, Hong Kong
Colonial Service Yes
      Sergeant Michael Gibson 1941-01-2222 January 1941
British Royal Engineers Yes
      Lieutenant Ernest Oliver Gidden 1942-06-099 June
1942 British Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve No
      Aircraftman 1st Class Ivor John Gillett 1950-10-033
October 1950 British Royal Air Force Yes
      Benjamin Gimbert 1944-07-2525 July 1944 British
London & North Eastern Railway No
      Constable Anthony John Gledhill 1967-05-2323 May
1967 British Metropolitan Police Force No
      Explosives Officer Roger Philip Goad 1976-10-011
October 1976 British Metropolitan Police Force Yes
      Lieutenant Leon Verdi Goldsworthy 1944-09-1919
September 1944 Australian HMS Vernon No
      Lieutenant George Herbert Goodman 1942-09-1515
September 1942 British HMS Vernon No
      Lieutenant George Gosse 1946-04-3030 April 1946
Australian HMS Vernon No
      Leading Aircraftman Karl Mander Gravell 1942-06-1111
June 1942 Canadian Royal Canadian Air Force Yes
      Flight Lieutenant Hector Bertram Gray 1946-04-1919
April 1946 British Royal Air Force Yes
      Flying Officer Roderick Borden Gray 1945-03-1313
March 1945 Canadian Royal Canadian Air Force Yes
      Able Seaman Colin Grazier 1943-09-1414 September
1943 British HMS Petard Yes
      Sergeant Stewart Graeme Guthrie 1991-12-1919
December 1991 New Zealand New Zealand Police Yes
      Private Benjamin Gower Hardy 1950-09-011 September
1950 Australian 22nd Australian Garrison Battalion
Yes
      Roy Thomas Harris 1940-12-1717 December 1940 British
Air Raid Precautions No
      Barbara Jane Harrison 1969-08-088 August 1969
British British Overseas Airways Corporation Yes
      Leonard Henry Harrison 1941-01-033 January 1941
British Air Ministry No
      Albert Edward Heming 1945-07-1717 July 1945 Irish
Civil Defence Rescue Service No
      Sub-Officer George Campbell Henderson 1951-11-2020
November 1951 British Gibraltar Dockyard Fire
Service Yes
      Corporal James Hendry 1943-04-022 April 1943
Canadian Royal Canadian Engineers Yes
      Lieutenant Commander William Ewart Hiscock
1942-06-1616 June 1942 British HMS St Angelo Yes
      Aircraftman First Class Vivian Hollowday
1941-01-2121 January 1941 British Royal Air Force No

      Corporal Kenneth Horsfield 1945-03-2323 March 1945
British Manchester Regiment, attached Special Air
Service Yes
      Sergeant Murray Ken Hudson 1974-10-1111 October 1974
New Zealand Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment Yes
      Driver Joseph Hughes 1947-06-2626 June 1947 British
Royal Army Service Corps Yes
      Staff Sergeant Kim Hughes 2010-03-1919 March 2010
British Royal Logistic Corps No
      Noor Inayat-Khan 1949-04-055 April 1949 Russian
Special Operations Executive Yes
      Section Commander George Walter Inwood 1941-05-2727
May 1941 British 30th Warwickshire Battalion, Home
Guard Yes
      Lance Naik Islam-ud-Din 1945-10-055 October 1945
Indian Jat Regiment, Indian Army Yes
      Captain Robert Llewellyn Jephson-Jones 1940-12-2424
December 1940 British Royal Army Ordnance Corps No
      Staff Sergeant Major Barry Johnson 1990-11-066
November 1990 British Royal Army Ordnance Corps No
      Private Ralph Jones 1950-09-011 September 1950
Australian 22nd Australian Garrison Battalion Yes
      Able Seaman Thomas Raymond Kelly 1948-02-1010
February 1948 Irish Merchant Navy Yes
      Major Andre Gilbert Kempster 1943-11-099 November
1943 British Duke of Wellington's Regiment Yes
      James Stirratt Topping Kennedy 1975-08-1515 August
1975 British British Rail Yes
      Fusilier Derek Godfrey Kinne 1954-04-1313 April 1954
British Royal Northumberland Fusiliers No
      Naik Kirpa Ram 1946-03-1515 March 1946 Indian
Frontier Force Regiment, Indian Army Yes
      Captain Simmon Latutin 1946-09-1010 September 1946
British Somerset Light Infantry Yes
      Sergeant Raymond Mayhew Lewin 1941-03-1111 March
1941 British Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve No
      Private Horace William Madden 1955-12-3030 December
1955 Australian Royal Australian Regiment Yes
      Major Cyril Arthur Joseph Martin 1943-03-1111 March
1943 British Royal Engineers No
      Captain Dudley William Mason 1942-09-088 September
1942 British Merchant Navy No
      Captain Lionel Colin Matthews 1947-11-2828 November
1947 Australian Royal Australian Corps of Signals
Yes
      Dr Arthur Douglas Merriman 1940-12-033 December 1940
British Ministry of Supply No
      Leonard John Miles 1941-01-1717 January 1941 British
Air Raid Precautions Yes
      Sub-Lieutenant Richard Valentine Moore 1940-12-2727
December 1940 British Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
No
      William Radenhurst Mosedale 1941-03-2828 March 1941
British City of Birmingham Fire Brigade No
      Special Constable Brandon Moss 1940-12-1313 December
1940 British Coventry Special Constabulary No
      Lieutenant John Stuart Mould 1942-11-033 November
1942 Australian HMS Vernon No
      Squadron Leader Eric Lawrence Moxey 1940-12-1717
December 1940 British Royal Air Force Volunteer
Reserve Yes
      Michael Joseph Munnelly 1965-06-2929 June 1965
British The People Yes
      Captain Robert Laurence Nairac 1979-03-1313 February
1979 British Grenadier Guards Yes
      Lieutenant Harold Reginald Newgass 1941-03-044 March
1941 British Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve No
      Colonel Lanceray Arthur Newnham 1946-04-1818 April
1946 British Middlesex Regiment Yes
      Brigadier Arthur Frederick Crane Nicholls
1946-03-011 March 1946 British Special Operations
Executive Yes
      James William Nightall 1944-07-2525 July 1944
British London & North Eastern Railway Yes
      Captain Peter Allen Norton 2006-03-2323 March 2006
British Royal Logistic Corps No
      Lieutenant-Commander Patrick Albert O'Leary
1946-01-011946 Belgian Special Operations Executive
No
      Wallace Arnold Oaks 1965-10-1919 October 1965
British British Rail Yes
      Leading Aircraftman Albert Matthew Osborne
1942-07-1010 July 1942 British Royal Air Force
Volunteer Reserve Yes
      Sergeant Graham Leslie Parish 1943-04-022 April 1943
British Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve Yes
      Lieutenant John MacMillan Stevenson Patton
1940-12-1717 December 1940 Canadian Royal Canadian
Engineers No
      Constable Michael Kenneth Pratt 1978-06-044 July
1978 Australian Victoria Police No
      Squadron Leader Rev. Herbert Cecil Pugh 1947-04-011
April 1947 South African Royal Air Force Volunteer
Reserve Yes
      Flight Lieutenant John Alan Quinton 1951-10-2323
October 1951 British Royal Air Force Yes
      Havildar Abdul Rahman 1946-09-1010 September 1946
Indian 9th Jat Regiment, Indian Army Yes
      Bombardier Henry Herbert Reed 1941-09-2323 September
1941 British Royal Artillery Yes
      Sergeant John Rennie 1944-05-2626 May 1944 Canadian
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada Yes
      Superintendent Gerald Irving Richardson 1972-11-1414
November 1972 British Lancashire Constabulary Yes
      Chief Petty Officer Jonathan Rogers 1965-03-1919
March 1965 Australian Royal Australian Navy Yes
      Staff Sergeant Sidney George Rogerson 1946-10-1111
October 1946 British Royal Army Ordnance Corps No
      Air Commodore Arthur Dwight Ross 1944-10-2727
October 1944 Canadian Royal Canadian Air Force No
      Wing Commander John Samuel Rowlands 1943-08-1010
August 1943 British Royal Air Force Volunteer
Reserve No
      Lance-Corporal David Russell 1948-12-2424 December
1948 New Zealand Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment
Yes
      Lieutenant-Commander Richard John Hammersley Ryan
1940-12-2020 December 1940 British HMS President Yes

      Odette Sansom 1946-08-2020 August 1946 British
Special Operations Executive No
      Staff Sergeant Olaf Schmid 2010-03-1919 March 2010
British Royal Logistics Corps Yes
      Corporal James Patrick Scully 1941-07-088 July 1941
Irish Pioneer Corps No
      Major Hugh Paul Seagrim 1946-09-1212 September 1946
British Special Operations Executive Yes
      Private Joseph Henry Silk 1944-06-1313 June 1944
British Somerset Light Infantry Yes
      Wing Commander Laurence Frank Sinclair 1941-01-2121
January 1941 British Royal Air Force No
      Anthony Smith 1944-05-3030 May 1944 British Civil
Defence Rescue Service No
      Signalman Kenneth Smith 1945-10-1919 October 1945
British Royal Corps of Signals Yes
      Seaman Bennett Southwell 1941-01-2323 January 1941
British HMS Vernon Yes
      Brian Spillett 1965-06-2929 June 1965 British  Yes
      Leading Aircraftman Kenneth Gerald Spooner
1944-01-077 January 1944 Canadian Royal Canadian Air
Force Yes
      Constable Henry William Stevens 1958-10-2121 October
1958 British Metropolitan Police No
      Chief Officer George Preston Stronach 1943-11-2323
November 1943 British Merchant Navy No
      Major Stephen George Styles 1972-01-1111 January
1972 British Royal Army Ordnance Corps No
      Subadar Subramanian 1944-06-3030 June 1944 Indian
Queen Victoria's Own Madras Miners & Sappers Yes
      Charles Howard, 20th Earl of Suffolk 1941-07-1818
July 1941 British Ministry of Supply Yes
      Lieutenant Hugh Randall Syme 1943-08-033 August 1943
Australian Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve
No
      Violette Szabo 1946-12-1717 December 1946 French
Special Operations Executive Yes
      George Anthony Morgan Taylor 1952-04-2222 April 1952
Australian Commonwealth Bureau of Mineral Resources
No
      Robert George Taylor 1950-08-011 August 1950 British
 Yes
      Sub-Lieutenant William Horace Taylor 1941-01-1414
January 1941 British Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
No
      Captain Jenkin Robert Oswald Thompson 1945-02-022
February 1945 British Royal Army Medical Corps Yes
      Able Seaman Stephen John Tuckwell 1941-01-1414
January 1941 British Royal Navy No
      Norman Tunna 1941-01-2424 January 1941 British Great
Western Railway No
      Lieutenant Geoffrey Gledhill Turner 1941-06-2727
June 1941 British Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve No
      Constable Carl Walker 1972-11-1414 November 1972
British Lancashire Constabulary No
      Lieutenant Terence Edward Waters 1954-04-1313 April
1954 British West Yorkshire Regiment Yes
      Sergeant Michael Willetts 1971-05-2525 May 1971
British 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment Yes
      Flight Sergeant Stanley James Woodbridge
1948-09-2828 September 1948 British Royal Air Force
Volunteer Reserve Yes
      Corporal Mark Wright 2006-12-1515 December 2006
British 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment Yes
      Sapper George Cameron Wylie 1940-09-3030 September
1940 British Royal Engineers No
      Wing Commander Forest Frederick Edward Yeo-Thomas
1946-02-1515 February 1946 British Royal Air Force
Volunteer Reserve No

      Lieutenant St. John Graham Young 1945-07-2020 July
1945 British Royal Tank Regiment Yes


Strange that she is reported to have been awarded a GC in a supplement to the London Gazette dated & January 1941.

See this URL:
http://www.cornishsurname.matthewcornish.info/articles/110.htm which reports Mary being awarded a GC.

Book about the sinking of SS City of Benares.

Regards,

Mac.


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