Overseas British Evacuation of Children: Volendam (August 1940)


Figure 1.--This press photograph shows some of the survivors resuced from the Dutch liner 'Voledam' torpedoed by the U-60 (August 30). We see some of the children safely landed (September 2). The press and caption read, "Geoffrey Shakespeare, British chairman of the Children's Overseas Reception committee, holds two of the 320 children rescued from a refugee ship torpedied en route to Canada. Other rescued children gathered around." This appeared in American newspapers. Images like this and depicting the Blitz had an impact on American public opinion at a time that President Roosevelt was fighting Isolationists. Attached was an account written by one of the children, "English Youth Disapointed Because Taking to a Life Boat 'Wasn't Much of a Thrill'" The paper explains, "The following story of the torpedoing of a British child refugee ship was told by Peter Kirk, 12, of Glasgow who hopes to become a cowboy in Canada." Unfortunately we do do not have Peter's story. We are not sure about the girls, but many of the boys had images of America based on Hollywood movies. And like Peter they were expecting to see cowboys and Indians.

The Volendam was a Dutch liner as opposed to a merchantman. It was one of the substantial Dutch merchant fleet that joined the Allied war effort, along with the other Holland America Line's liner Nieuw Amsterdam. Shipping was the major contribution of the Dutch-Govrnmnt-in-Exile. The British Ministry of War Transport chartered the ship. The flag and crew would remained Dutch. The Volendam was assigned to CORB to evacuate school-age children overseas. She left Liverpool bound for Halifax–New York (August 29, 1940) as one of 33 ships in Convoy OB 205. She had a crew of 273 and carried 879 passengers: 320 children with their escorts and 286 other passengers. She was not yet conveted as a troop ship so the accomodations were luxurios despite the war conditions. She was the convoy Commodore ship with Admiral G.H. Knowles aboard. Only a day out of Liverpool (August 30), she was attacked about 2300 hrs by U-60, several hundred miles off Malin Head, Northern Ireland just as he was heading out into the open Atlantic. The U-boat commander fired two torpedoes. The first hit No. 1 hold and damaged it and causing flooding in No. 2 hold. Captain Wepster ordr the ship to be abandoned. Fortunately, all the children, passangers, and all but one of the crew got aboard the 18 lifeboats and got off safely even in rough seas. It all occured at night in pitch-black conditions. The only individual lost was the 51-year-old Dutch purser, Rijk Baron. The survivors including the children were quickly rescued by other merchantmen in the convoy, including the British oil tankers Bassethound (1,174 GRT), and Valldemosa (7,222 GRT), the Norwegian cargo ship Olaf Fostenes (2,994 GRT) (which rescued 231 survivors, including 75 children), and S-class destroyer HMS Sabre





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Created: 6:12 PM 6/12/2018
Last updated: 6:12 PM 6/12/2018